KJV ORIGINAL
But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
But in the cities of these people that the LORD your God is giving you as your inheritance, you must not let anything that breathes stay alive.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
This verse commands the Israelites to completely destroy all living things in the Canaanite cities God was giving them as their promised land.
📚 Historical Context
This command was given to the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land of Canaan around 1400 BC. God instructed them to completely destroy the Canaanite peoples because of their extreme wickedness and idolatrous practices, including child sacrifice. This was meant to prevent the Israelites from being corrupted by these practices and turning away from God.
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