Why did Jacob's sons kill every male of the Hivites?

The Hivites were descendants of Ham through Canaan(Genesis 10:6,15,17)and inhabited the city of Shechem in Jacob's day. They were not followers of Jacob's God (YHWH)(the God o…f the Bible), so when Jacob's daughter, Dinah, unwisely allowed herself to associate and become involved with the son of a chieftain, he took advantage of her sexually. Because their sister had been 'defiled', her brothers, Simeon and Levi, retaliated by killing every male and plundering the city(Genesis 34:1-29). This was not something approved of by Jacob at the time(Genesis 34:30). Later, however, in preparing the 'Promised Land' for the nation of Israel, God himself prophesied the removal of the Hivite nation as a whole (along with several other pagan nations who would not subject themselves to God's rulership), to make way for the Israelite inhabitants. This was based on the promise God made to Abraham at Genesis 15:18 about the 'Promised Land", which found fulfillment in God's freeing the Jews from Egypt, and assisting them to conquer all who got in their way as they reached and then took over the promised 'land flowing with milk and honey'. The Hivites were part of those doomed pagan nations who had already been judged by God, and because of their haughty attitude (Joshua 9:1+2),all but the Hivite inhabitants of Gibeon, who humbled themselves (Joshua 9:16-27/Joshua 11:18-20;18:21+25), were destroyed as promised,(Exodus 3:8) /Exodus 3:17/Exodus 6:8/Exodus 34:11/Joshua 24:8/Exodus 23:28-30/Exodus 34:11-16)because association with them could bring in false worship, and damage Israel's relationship with God (Deuteronomy 7:1-4) . (MORE)