Introduction:
The conquest of the Land of
Canaan from the seven nations and the apparent decimation of all its
inhabitants, followed by its appropriation by the Israelites, raises some
interesting questions. Why did Israel’s history in the land have to begin with
a violent conquest? Could not the epic tradition surrounding the founding of a
just and moral nation under the guidance of a just and moral G-d, be something
other than a conquest that is so typical of the founding traditions of other
less moral nations?
In this article, we shall explore
some of the primary texts of the Tanach, and try to establish what the
biblical verses themselves have to say about this conquest.
