Of all the problems the Old Testament poses for our modern age, the question of the holy warfare is the one we want to avoid in mixed company. But do the so-called holy war texts of the Old Testament actually portray a divinely inspired genocide? Did Israel really slaughter Canaanites at God’s command? Were the Old Testament believers really enforcing divine retribution on an unholy people? Old Testament scholar John Walton believes we have long misunderstood these holy wars, and he seeks to shed new light based on the Hebrew text and context.