The total destruction of the inhabitants in these Canaanite cities is based on the cherem (holy war) principle. This principle refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord.1 Sometimes it indicates that someone or something has been set apart for service or use in the sanctuary (Leviticus 27:28; Micah 4:13). However, in the context of cities, it refers to the complete annihilation of a place and its people. As God’s instrument of judgment upon the people of Canaan (Genesis 15:16), the Lord instructed the people of Israel through Moses that they were to destroy certain cities and populations in the land of Canaan (Numbers 21:2–3; Deuteronomy 7:2; Deuteronomy 9:5; Deuteronomy 13:15; Deuteronomy 20:17). Joshua was charged with carrying out these instructions, and that is what he is doing in Joshua 11:10–15.
12 And all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua captured, and struck them with the edge of the sword, devoting them to destruction, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded.