Is God a Moral Monster? ch. 16

Continuing his defense of God's temporary command to destroy the Canaanites, Copan reminds us of the particular nature of Israel's national history. He seeks to make a case that the language used about Israel's total annihilation of Canaan was to be understood as hyperbole. In actuality, we see that the Canaanites (as well as other ethnic groups that God commanded to be wiped out) continue to hang around. The point is that God commands defeat, not total destruction. Copan tips his hat at the Hebrew word 'eleph which can mean more than just "thousand", but also "unit" or "squad" which means Joshua probably only killed all the combatants, not all the people of Canaan. Copan makes a case for Rahab being a tavern or inn keeper rather than a prostitute. I had never heard this before. I will need to do more research.