How can a loving God command the complete destruction of entire cities, including women and children (Deuteronomy 20:16–17)?

1. Historical and Cultural Context

Multiple ancient sources and archaeological findings, such as the excavations at Jericho (notably examined by John Garstang and Kathleen Kenyon) and the surveys of Canaanite urban centers, corroborate a highly corrupt culture. Practices such as child sacrifice, ritual prostitution, and severe injustices are attested in various ancient Near Eastern texts and sacrificial stelae. These records align with what the Scriptures describe as abominations carried out by the nations inhabiting the land.

In Deuteronomy 20:16–17, the text states:

“However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes. For you must devote them to complete destruction—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you.”

Understanding the gravity of the moral degradation within these cultures helps clarify why such drastic measures were ordered. The anthropological picture painted by these archaeological remains suggests that the depravity was not an isolated or occasional misdeed; rather, it persisted stubbornly in entire societal structures, including state-sanctioned violence and child sacrifice, as confirmed by various ancient inscriptions and altars discovered throughout the Levant.

2. The Principle of Divine Justice

Scripture uniformly presents God’s character as both infinitely loving and perfectly just. Love and justice do not conflict; instead, they operate together. As demonstrated in Genesis 15:16, God withheld judgment for centuries, for, “…the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” This shows a longsuffering patience, giving these nations ample time to repent. Only after repeated transgressions did judgment finally come.

In light of this, the command in Deuteronomy 20:16–17 reflects God’s decision to regulate how ancient Israel would act as an instrument of His judgment. These wars were not launched against random peoples or for Israel’s aggrandizement. The text portrays them as deliberate and specific acts of justice against cultures that had resisted every opportunity for moral correction.

3. The Seriousness of Idolatry and Moral Corruption

The biblical text highlights that the root issue was not ethnicity but the severe moral and spiritual rebellion entwined with idolatry. Deuteronomy often warns Israel not to adopt pagan religious practices (Deuteronomy 12:30–31), partly because those practices included human sacrifice—something evidenced by archaeological digs uncovering urns containing the remains of sacrificed infants at Canaanite, Phoenician, and Carthaginian sites.

This overarching passion for holiness is woven throughout Scripture. From a behavioral standpoint, cultures prone to human sacrifice and harm to innocents represent a grievous offense against the Creator’s design. The command to destroy such cities, therefore, conveys the seriousness of the offense and the lengths necessary to protect future generations and preserve moral truth.

4. The Nature of Divine Judgment in the Old Testament

In the ancient Near East, when a city was under a “ban” (Hebrew: “ḥerem”), it was set apart for destruction as a consecrated judgment. This practice had theological significance. It was neither simple annihilation nor an imperialistic grab for power. Instead, it symbolized the complete removal of spiritual contamination. Deuteronomy’s instructions served to prevent the infiltration of idolatrous worship and its associated cruelty.

Likewise, in Joshua 6:17, Jericho was “devoted to the LORD for destruction.” Archaeologically, the collapsed walls of Jericho (debated heavily in academic circles, yet convincingly analyzed by researcher Bryant Wood) demonstrate both a historical event consistent with a short, decisive conquest and the possibility of miraculous intervention. Whether scholars argue certain carbon dating timelines or excavation interpretations, the biblical text depicts an intentional act of judgment upon rampant evil practices.

5. Considering Mercy and Opportunities for Repentance

The Old Testament contains narratives, such as Rahab’s refuge (Joshua 2; 6:22–25), that show God’s mercy toward individuals who turned away from their city’s corrupt system. This theme underlines that the destruction of cities was never meant to obliterate anyone seeking deliverance. Rather, it was directed at societies that broadly and violently opposed moral truth.

Additionally, in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18–19), Abraham interceded. God agreed to spare the entire place if only ten righteous could be found. This principle—that God is eager to pardon if people repent—appears consistently. Such repeated scriptural testimonies reveal that those who genuinely turned to God, even in these lands, could find mercy (cf. Jonah’s message to Nineveh).

6. Hyperbolic Warfare Language in the Ancient Near East

Many scholars studying the literary styles of the ancient Near East, such as K. Lawson Younger Jr., note that phrases like “destroy them utterly” and “leave alive nothing that breathes” often used exaggerative language reflecting total victory. These phrases functioned to describe unquestioned triumph rather than necessarily documenting the extinction of every individual.

Biblical narratives themselves confirm survivors from these regions in subsequent passages (Judges 1:27–35). This supports the idea that biblical war instructive phrases can be hyperbolic, emphasizing the complete dismantling of a resisting power structure rather than categorically requiring the cessation of every possible life. Ultimate emphasis was on purging the land of the destructive cultural and religious influences, aligning with God’s justice.

7. Upholding the Goodness and Sovereignty of God

From a philosophical standpoint, if God is the ultimate Creator of life, then He alone has the authority over life and death. These events took place within a specific redemptive historical framework where God was revealing His holiness, setting apart a people through whom He would bring salvation to the entire world (Galatians 3:8).

Similarly, in moral reasoning, not addressing profound evil would contradict love by permitting further victimization, destruction, and sorrow. In modern legal systems, we recognize that justice, if withheld, perpetuates wrongdoing. How much more is this true on a cosmic scale, where evil has reached irredeemable heights? Texts like Deuteronomy 20:16–17 embody a sober, divine response to entrenched, destructive sin.

8. Jesus Christ and the Fulfillment of Judgment

With the advent of the Messiah, the focus shifted from a covenant people physically enforcing divine judgment to a global call to repentance (Matthew 28:18–20). Christ’s death and resurrection became the pivotal means by which sin could be forgiven, redirecting the final judgment to the eschatological future. The example of these Old Testament events underscores both God’s intolerance of sin and the depth of His grace—He Himself provides the only path of forgiveness through the risen Christ.

These destructive commands, therefore, must be read within the larger arc of salvation history, culminating in the cross and empty tomb, attested by historical and manuscript evidence affirming the events around the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3–8). While He once brought judgment through an earthly nation, He now calls all to repentance, that as many as believe might be spared from the ultimate judgment to come.

9. Conclusion

In addressing why a loving God would command the destruction of entire cities, a multifaceted picture emerges:

• God’s justice and love are consistent: He is patient but deals decisively with entrenched evil.

• The societies targeted engaged in morally outrageous practices, validated by archaeological findings of child sacrifice.

• The biblical concept of “total destruction” often employed hyperbole to communicate decisive victory and the end of a corrupt system. Actual survivors and later biblical references confirm that these commands did not always equate to literal extermination of every person.

• God’s interventions in Old Testament history foreshadow the final and complete remedy for evil—the sacrificial death and resurrection of Christ, who offers salvation universally.

This account holds together within the broader framework of historical evidence, manuscript credibility, and consistent scriptural themes, presenting a coherent explanation of why a loving God enacted or commanded such measures in a specific ancient context.