Why did God hate the people of Jericho so much that he took an active part in their destruction?

Answer 1

A:The Book of Joshua provides a vivid account of the Israelites attacking and overrunning the walled city of Jericho at God's command. This destruction, and the slaughter that followed, were necessary so that the Israelites would have undisputed occupation of the entire land of the Canaanites.

There are problems with this story, especially as archaeologists have established that the city of Jericho had been abandoned around 1550 BCE, one and a half centuries before the supposed invasion. There were no walls and no city, and therefore neither God nor Joshua's army destroyed Jericho.

Answer 2

The people living there were evil, very evil.