Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him — the command includes infanticide of males (who would become future enemies) and execution of non-virgin women (who perpetuated the seduction). This is the logic of herem warfare: complete elimination of those complicit in covenant violation. The ethical discomfort this generates in modern readers reflects the distance between ancient holy-war theology and contemporary moral understanding.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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