And all the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, the children of Israel took for a prey unto themselves; but every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, neither left they any to breathe.
The Israelites took all the valuable things from these cities and all the livestock for themselves. But they killed every person with the sword until they had completely destroyed them, leaving no one alive.
The Israelites took the possessions and animals from the conquered cities but killed all the people as God had commanded them to do.
📚 Historical Context
This verse describes the Israelite conquest of Canaan under Joshua's leadership, around 1400-1300 BCE. God had commanded the complete destruction of certain Canaanite peoples due to their practices of child sacrifice, temple prostitution, and other behaviors that would corrupt Israel's worship. This was part of God's judgment on these nations and His plan to establish Israel in the Promised Land.
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