Can the widely-held belief of God’s omnibenevolence co-exist with God’s instances of

inciting violence? This thought can be explored using three examples from the Hebrew Bible:

God sending down fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, God ordering the Israelites to wipe out the

Canaanites, and God using Babylon to punish the people of Judah for their sins.It is essential to

recognize that interpretations of these biblical events may vary among different religious

traditions and individuals. Ultimately, the question of how a loving God could bring about such

destruction remains a complex theological issue that has been pondered and debated throughout

history.

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a well-known biblical narrative found in the Book

of Genesis, chapters 18 and 19. According to the biblical account, these were two cities situated

in the ancient Near East, near the Dead Sea. The story recounts the destruction of these cities due

to their wickedness. God sends two angels disguised as men to visit Sodom, where Lot,

Abraham's nephew, resides. Lot extends hospitality to the angels, but the men of Sodom demand

to have them handed over for immoral purposes. The angels reveal their divine nature and rescue

Lot and his family from the city's impending doom. As they flee, God rains down fire and sulfur

on Sodom and Gomorrah, utterly destroying them. Lot's wife disobeys the command not to look

back and is turned into a pillar of salt. The story serves as a warning about the consequences of

wickedness and disobedience to God, and it has been interpreted in various religious traditions as

a symbol of divine judgment and the importance of righteousness.

Some Christians interpret the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as an act of divine justice.

According to this view, the cities had become centers of extreme wickedness and moral

depravity, and their destruction was a necessary consequence of their actions. In this line of

thinking, God's love is seen in His desire for justice and righteousness to prevail. Before the
destruction, God sends angels to warn Lot and his family, providing them with an opportunity to

escape. This act of mercy demonstrates God's compassion and desire to save those who are

righteous. The destruction of the cities is thus seen as a response to their persistent wickedness

rather than a lack of love on God's part. The story also emphasizes the importance of free will

and human choice. Despite God's warnings and interventions, the people of Sodom and

Gomorrah continued to engage in sinful behavior. The destruction serves as a stark reminder of

the consequences of human actions and the importance of choosing righteousness. Ultimately,

many religious traditions acknowledge that God's ways are beyond human comprehension. This

is discussed by Cambridge University scholar Frederick Kroon in his publication ‘God's

Blindspot’ saying:

My claim is that God cannot have infallible knowledge of at least some of his own

perfections, in particular his being all-wise or ideally rational. Such ignorance is not only

inconsistent with the usual conception of God's omniscience, given that whatever

knowledge God possesses is traditionally thought to be be a priori and infallible, but,

more importantly, is inconsistent with the fundamental idea that God at least knows

infallibly or incorrigibly that he has what it takes to be God: qualities such as

omnibenevolence, omnipotence, and supreme wisdom (Kroon).

While the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah may seem harsh or difficult to understand,

believers trust in God's wisdom and sovereignty, even when they cannot fully grasp the reasons

behind certain events.

 The command for the Israelites to wipe out the Canaanites is found in the Hebrew Bible,

particularly in the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, and Judges. This directive is part of Israel's

conquest of the Promised Land under the leadership of figures like Moses and Joshua. It is

written that God made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants, promising them the land

of Canaan (modern-day Israel and Palestine) as their inheritance. This covenant is seen as

foundational to Israelite identity and theology and can be rather controversial in today’s

religious-political culture. The Canaanites were a group of ancient peoples who inhabited the

land of Canaan before the arrival of the Israelites. The Bible depicts them as engaging in

practices considered abhorrent to God, including idol worship, child sacrifice, and various forms

of immorality. The command to wipe out the Canaanites is often interpreted as an act of divine

judgment against their wickedness. In passages like Deuteronomy 7:1-2 and Joshua 6:21, God

instructs the Israelites to utterly destroy the Canaanite cities, including men, women, children,

and livestock. Under Joshua's leadership, the Israelites engage in military campaigns to conquer

the land of Canaan. The Book of Joshua describes battles such as the siege of Jericho where the

Israelites follow God's commands to destroy the Canaanite inhabitants, which when interpreted

literally as written is subject to controversy, as discussed by The Head of School of Theology

and Religious Studies at the University of Wales, Gareth Jones Lloyd, who said:

The divine injunction given to the Israelites to exterminate the Canaanites has been

explained in various ways, but without much success. A literal reading of the Hebrew

Bible by Jews and Christians, past and present, has led to its exploitation in support of

particular ideologies. Given the appalling record of both faith communities in their

relationship with those of a different nationality or religious persuasion, it is imperative

 that the biblical account of the barbarism inflicted by the Israelites on the people of

Canaan be subjected to criticism (Lloyd)

The command to annihilate the Canaanites raises theological questions and ethical dilemmas.

Some Christians interpret it as a specific historical command for that time and context,

emphasizing the severity of divine judgment against idolatry and wickedness. Others view it as

symbolic of the spiritual battle against sin and evil, one humans continue to face today, which is

being studied in the context of divine-sanctioned violence. This is discussed by Brad Bushman,

Robert Ridge, Enny Das, Colin Key, and Gregory Busath in their article entitled ‘When god

sanctions killing: effect of scriptural violence on aggression’ saying:

Violent people often claim that God sanctions their actions. In two studies, participants

read a violent passage said to come from either the Bible or an ancient scroll. In Study 1,

aggression increased when the passage was from the Bible or mentioned God. In Study 2,

aggression increased when the passage mentioned God, especially among participants

who believed in God and in the Bible. These results suggest that scriptural violence

sanctioned by God can increase aggression, especially in believers. (Bushman, et al.)

In contemporary religious and scholarly discussions, the topic of God's command regarding the

Canaanites is often debated in terms of divine justice, historical accuracy, and the interpretation

of ancient texts within their cultural and theological frameworks.

The use of Babylon and its people to punish the people of Judah is a significant event in

biblical history, particularly as recorded in the Old Testament books of Jeremiah, 2 Kings, and 2
Chronicles. This period marks the Babylonian exile, a crucial and transformative time for the

Israelites. The Babylonian exile is often interpreted within the framework of divine judgment.

The prophets, including Jeremiah and Ezekiel, warned the people of Judah about their sins,

including idolatry, injustice, and disobedience to God's laws. The exile is presented as a

consequence of their persistent rebellion and unfaithfulness, a punishment inflicted on a mass of

people. This contradiction to God’s benevolence is discussed by Joshua Hoffman in his

publication ‘Can God Do Evil?’ saying:

According to the traditional conception of God,' He is both omnipotent and

omnibenevolent. But this appears to be impossible,' as the following dilemma illustrates.

(1) Necessarily, if God can do evil, then it is not the case that He is omnibenevolent. (2)

Necessarily, if it is not the case that God can do evil, then it is not the case that He is

omnipotent. (3) Necessarily, God can do evil or it is not the case that God can do evil. (4)

Necessarily, it is not the case that God is omnibenevolent or it is not the case that God is

omnipotent (Hoffman).

God’s cruelty during this biblical event does not present as an easy form of punishment for the

exiles once they have learned their lesson, rather it continues and intensifies. In 586 BCE, the

Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II besieged Jerusalem, ultimately capturing the city and

destroying the Temple. This marked the end of Judah's independence and the beginning of the

Babylonian captivity. Many of the prominent citizens, including King Jehoiachin, were taken

into captivity in Babylon. The Babylonian conquest and exile were seen by some prophets as the

fulfillment of earlier prophecies. Jeremiah, for instance, had warned of the coming destruction
and captivity if the people did not repent and turn back to God. The exile was therefore

understood as a fulfillment of God's word through the prophets. The exile lasted for about 70

years, during which time the Israelites were in a foreign land, far from their homeland. This

period had a profound impact on their religious, cultural, and national identity. It led to

reflections on their history, faith, and relationship with God, especially after the Babylonian

empire fell to the Persians under Cyrus the Great, and some Israelites were allowed to return to

Judah and rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. This period of return and restoration, as described

in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, marked a new chapter in Israelite history. The Babylonian

exile and subsequent return were central themes in Israelite theology and literature. They raised

questions about divine justice, repentance, restoration, and the enduring covenant between God

and His people. These questions have been passed down through time immemorial and continue

to be addressed by theological scholars today, such as by Melville Y. Stewart who asks the

following:

While God may allow or cause logically incompatible states of affairs, the issue of why a

divine being would allow evil might still be in need of some sort of explanation. But

when, where and for what reason(s), if he in fact could, would the theist call an end to

this holiday from consistency? And, does this sort of tampering with consistency not put

omnipotence itself into Jeopardy (Stewart)?

The writings of prophets, historians, and poets from this era reflect on these themes and the

lessons learned from the exile experience. Overall, the Babylonian exile is a pivotal event in

biblical history, shaping the theological and cultural identity of the Israelites and influencing
subsequent Jewish and Christian thought. It serves as a reminder of the consequences of

disobedience to God's commands and the hope for restoration through repentance and divine

mercy.

Is it possible to reconcile the commonly accepted notion of God's omnibenevolence with

instances in which God appears to incite or sanction violence? Some scholars believe that the

God presented in the Hebrew Bible is significantly more cruel than an omnibenevolent God

ought to be. This inquiry can be examined through the analysis of specific examples from the

Hebrew Bible as described above. This does not provide a definitive answer as theological

interpretations vary by denomination of Christianity, generation of scholars, and one’s personal

theology. Consequently, the question of how a benevolent deity could be associated with acts of

destruction remains a multifaceted theological quandary that has caused extensive contemplation

and discourse throughout history.

Works Cited

Bushman, B. J., Ridge, R. D., Das, E., Key, C. W., & Busath, G. L. (2007). When god

sanctions killing: effect of scriptural violence on aggression. Psychological science,

18(3), 204–207. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01873.x

Hoffman, Joshua. 1979. "Can God do Evil?" The Southern Journal of Philosophy 17 (2)

(Summer): 213.

https://www.lib.uwo.ca/cgi-bin/ezpauthn.cgi?url=http://search.proquest.com/scholarly-jo

urnals/can-god-do-evil/docview/1307505213/se-2.

Kroon, Frederick. “God’s Blindspot.” Dialogue 35, no. 4 (1996): 721–34.

https://doi.org/10.1017/S0012217300008593.

Lloyd, Gareth Jones. (1999) Sacred Violence: the dark side of God, Journal of Beliefs &

Values, 20:2, 184-199, DOI: 10.1080/1361767990200204

Stewart, M.Y. (1993). Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnibenevolence. In: The

Greater-Good Defence. Palgrave Macmillan, London.

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-22490-6_2