יהושע, פרק י״א, פסוק י״ט

The massive victories of the Israelites left a trail of total destruction across the land of Canaan. Yet, despite witnessing this overwhelming success, the local inhabitants remained stubbornly defiant. Out of all the cities in the region, only Gibeon chose to surrender willingly [אברבנאל].

The primary approach among commentators is that the general refusal of the Canaanite nations to seek a peaceful resolution was the result of divine intervention, as God hardened their hearts. This widespread resistance proves a crucial point about how the Israelites were commanded to wage war: had these cities actually asked for peace, the Israelites would have been strictly obligated to accept their surrender. Under such an agreement, the Canaanites would have been subjected to taxes and servitude, and required to observe the seven Noahide commandments. This would have fulfilled the biblical command to offer peace before attacking [אברבנאל, מלבי״ם].

The timing of the conflict played a significant role in this hardened resolve. If Joshua had moved to conquer the individual cities immediately following his initial general victory, the terrified populations likely would have surrendered and asked for peace right away. Instead, the military campaign stretched on for a long time. This extended delay caused the inhabitants to harden their hearts and choose the path of continued war over a preemptive peace [מלבי״ם].

Because the Canaanite nations refused to make any peace agreements before the clashes began, the Israelites conquered all the remaining cities by force. This military takeover was carried out in direct fulfillment of the instructions God had originally passed down to Joshua through Moses [ביאור שטיינזלץ].