And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and all the souls that were therein.
They captured the city and completely destroyed it with the sword, along with its king and all the surrounding towns, and every person living there. Joshua left no survivors, just as he had done to Eglon. He completely wiped out the city and everyone in it.
This verse describes Joshua's complete conquest of another Canaanite city, where he destroyed everyone and everything just as God had commanded him to do with previous cities.
📚 Historical Context
In the Book of Joshua, the Israelites were commanded by God to conquer the land of Canaan as part of His promise to Abraham, which involved driving out the inhabitants due to their idolatry and wickedness. This specific verse describes the capture and total destruction of the city of Lachish by Joshua's forces, mirroring their actions at nearby Eglon, as a fulfillment of divine judgment in the context of ancient Near Eastern warfare. It reflects the brutal norms of that era, where complete annihilation was sometimes ordered to prevent idolatry from influencing God's people.
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