יהושע, פרק י״א, פסוק י״ג

During the conquest of the land, the Israelites generally followed a policy of preserving the infrastructure of the cities they captured. Instead of destroying everything in their path, they left most cities standing at their original heights with their walls completely intact [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, שטיינזלץ]. These locations remained in the possession of the Israelites just as they were found [רד״ק]. This approach stood in sharp contrast to a few specific battles, such as Jericho, where the city walls collapsed miraculously, or Ai, which was intentionally reduced to a permanent mound of ruins [רש״י]. Yet, despite this broader policy of preservation, one major city was singled out for complete destruction by fire: Hazor.

The decision to burn Hazor was driven by a mix of strategic necessity and spiritual duty. From a military standpoint, Hazor was a heavily fortified capital that had actively led and initiated the war against the Israelites. Burning it to the ground was a calculated move designed to strike fear into the surrounding nations [רד״ק, שטיינזלץ]. Additionally, because it was a vast capital, the city likely contained complex hiding places where enemy forces could conceal themselves. Setting the city ablaze ensured that no hidden threats remained [חומת אנך].

Beyond these tactical reasons, the destruction was tied to the city's corrupt spiritual state. As the center of the kingdom, Hazor was filled with hidden objects used for idol worship, all of which had to be entirely consumed by fire [חומת אנך]. Ultimately, however, the primary approach among commentators is that setting Hazor ablaze was not an independent military choice made by Joshua. Instead, he was carrying out an explicit instruction passed down through tradition. God had originally given this specific command to Moses, who then transferred the unique order to Joshua [רש״י, רד״ק, חומת אנך]. A deeper tradition also notes that Hazor had long served as a gathering place for foreign nations plotting to attack Israel. Although God prevented those ancient plots from succeeding, the city's legacy of hostility sealed its fate to be burned [רד״ק].