Joshua 11:9

"And Jesus did to them," it says, "as the Lord had commanded him; he hamstrung their horses, and burned their chariots with fire. And Jesus, turning at that time, seized Hazor and slew its king with the sword and killed everyone who breathed in it, with the death of the sword, and all were exterminated, so that there was not left in it anyone who drew breath." A command is said to have been given by God to Jesus, that, after he had subdued the enemies mentioned above, he should spare none, but should "hamstring their horses." Whence Jesus, as though fulfilling the command of God, did "as the Lord commanded him." In which, first of all, we say to those who wish these things to be understood only according to the letter, that, if indeed any of the enemies had survived, it would seem consequent that "the horses be hamstrung," so that no one might be able to use them for flight. But now, since it is said that "none was left who breathed" among the enemies, why are "the horses" also commanded "to be hamstrung," which surely could have been of use and service to the victors? And do you wish to know that the Israelites were accustomed to have care for this matter of utility and, when the enemies were conquered, to reserve the beasts for their own uses? In Numbers we read it written that, when at God's command they had gone forth to fight against the Midianites, once the enemies were conquered they reserved several thousand donkeys from the enemies' spoil, to be of profit for their own uses; nor is it there reported at all that they killed the donkeys when the enemies were overcome.

Unless these carnal wars bore the figure of spiritual wars, never, I think, would the books of the Jewish histories have been handed down by the Apostles to be read in the churches by the disciples of Christ, who came to teach peace. For of what profit would that account of wars be to those to whom it is said by Jesus, "My peace I give to you, my peace I leave to you," and to whom it is commanded and said through the Apostle, "not avenging yourselves," and, "rather suffer wrong," and, "rather endure being defrauded"? Whence, in short, the Apostle, knowing that we no longer have any wars to be waged carnally, but that the soul's contests against spiritual adversaries must be sweated out, gives, as it were as a master of the army, a precept to the soldiers of Christ, saying, "put on the arms of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." And that from the deeds of the ancients we might be able to have examples of these spiritual wars, he willed that these narratives of events be recited to us in the church, so that we, if we are spiritual, hearing that "the law is spiritual," in these things which we hear may "compare spiritual things with spiritual," and may contemplate from these nations, which visibly assailed the carnal Israel, how great are the nations of the contrary powers among these spiritual ones, who are called "spiritual wickednesses in the heavenly places," which stir up wars against the Church of the Lord, which is the true Israel. The Moabites come and the Ammonites and all those kings and invisible nations, which we mentioned above, come against us to do battle, to this end, that they may make us sin; because, just as the body dies when it has received a wound of iron, so also the soul dies when it has received a wound of sin. And I think that "to say the same things more frequently ought indeed not to be irksome to us, but for you it is necessary." For would that you might hold fast even the things said more frequently and often impressed upon your minds, so that in reading these things you may not hold a Jewish or a heretical sense in them. But after we have given general admonition concerning these things, it will not be superfluous also to discuss, in particular, a few things about what has been read. Therefore, taking up again those things which were omitted in the earlier parts, let us discuss them.