There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took all in battle.'

This may simply indicate the belligerent nature of the opposition, emphasising that Israel had no choice but to destroy them, or it may suggest that offers of peace were made to some on condition of withdrawal from the land, or even of entering the tribal covenant and converting to YHWH, and becoming ‘hewers of wood and drawers of water' like the Gibeonites. But if so none, apart from Gibeon, were willing to accept the offer.

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