יהושע, פרק י״א, פסוק י״ד

During the conquest of the enemy cities, a clear distinction was made between the handling of captured property and the fate of the local population. The taking of the spoils and livestock followed the standard practices accepted in any conventional war. However, the treatment of the people was remarkably different. The absolute destruction of the human population, leaving no survivors behind, did not stem from ordinary military strategy or tactical considerations. Instead, this complete elimination was carried out for entirely different reasons.