Verses 7, 8. In verse 20, Saul says, “I
have brought Agag, the king of Amelek, and have utterly
destroyed the Amelekites.” In 1 Sam.
xxx. we find the Amelekites marching an army into
Israel, and sweeping everything before them—and
this in about eighteen years after they had all
been “UTTERLY DESTROYED!” Deut. xx.
16, 17, will probably be quoted against the preceding
view. We argue that the command in these verses,
did not include all the individuals of the Canaanitish
nations, but only the inhabitants of the cities,
(and even those conditionally,) because, only the
inhabitants of the cities are specified,—“of
the cities of these people thou shalt save
alive nothing that breatheth.” Cities then,
as now, were pest-houses of vice—they reeked
with abominations little practiced in the country.
On this account their influence would be far more
perilous to the Israelites than that of the country.
Besides, they were the centres of idolatry—there
were the temples and altars, and idols, and priests,
without number. Even their buildings, streets,
and public walks were so many visibilities of idolatry.
The reason assigned in the 18th verse for exterminating
them, strengthens the idea,—“that
they teach you not to do after all the abominations
which they have done unto their gods.”
This would be a reason for exterminating all
the nations and individuals around them, as
all were idolaters; but God commanded them, in certain
cases, to spare the inhabitants. Contact with
any of them would be perilous—with
the inhabitants of the cities peculiarly, and
of the Canaanitish cities pre-eminently so.
The 10th and 11th verses contain the general rule
prescribing the method in which cities were to be
summoned to surrender. They were first to receive
the offer of peace—if it was accepted,
the inhabitants became tributaries—but
if they came out against Israel in battle, the men
were to be killed, and the women and little ones saved
alive. The 15th verse restricts this lenient
treatment to the inhabitants of the cities afar
off. The 16th directs as to the disposal of
the inhabitants of Canaanitish cities. They were
to save alive “nothing that breathed.”
The common mistake has been, in supposing that the
command in the 15th verse refers to the whole system
of directions preceding, commencing with the 10th,
whereas it manifestly refers only to the inflictions
specified in the 12th, 13th, and 14th, making a distinction
between those Canaanitish cities that fought,
and the cities afar off that fought—in
one case destroying the males and females, and in the
other, the males only. The offer of peace,
and the conditional preservation, were as really
guarantied to Canaanitish cities as to others.
Their inhabitants were not to be exterminated unless
they came out against Israel in battle. But let
us settle this question by the “law and the