[by Johnny Slick
What about slaughtering every man, woman, and child in a city because the city itself sits on a spot where God wants you to put your own city? I don't care how many "witnesses" you have for something like that; if that's God's will I don't see how one can call him omnibenevolent with any realistic usage of that term. ]

Those would certainly be considered war crimes by today's standards, but you do have to keep in mind the historical and political backdrop. Those cities which were completely demolished were those in which archeological evidence has uncovered a miriad of horrific crimes against humanity, including human trafficking, ritualistic child rape, and excruciating infant sacrifice on the molton arms of the god Molech. The "other gods" of the Old Testament that were forbidden to the Israelites were not gentle deities of peace, and their worshippers were compariable to the Aztecs in their life and practice.

Those were the days of revenge, as well. Look at the story of Esther. Haman, the man who basically tried to euthanize the Jews, was the descendant of a nation God had instructed Israel to completely destroy. They didn't, and it almost meant their own annihilation.

Some cities the Israelites were instructed to completley burn, as well, jewels, gold, linens and all, which makes you wonder about the possibility of diseases and plagues.

Ancient Israel would not have been a place I would like to live in comparison with today's world, but with its obligatory release of slaves, cleanliness laws, and forbidding of human sacrifice for ritual or sport, it was a heck of a lot nicer than most ancient societies.