Verses 12-15 summarize the campaigns in the north. Verse 12 emphasizes the complete massacre of all the population. In Hebrew all these cities and their kings are placed in emphatic position, followed by the subject and verb Joshua captured. Revised Standard Version represents fairly well the inverted form of the Hebrew text.

Putting everyone to death translates “and smote them with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them” (Revised Standard Version). The verb “utterly destroying” translates once again the Hebrew verb which means “condemn to total destruction.” In translation a new sentence may begin here: “He put everyone to death, just as Moses, the LORD’s servant, had commanded him to do.” The verb “put … to death” may be translated as a causative, “He caused his men to put everyone to death.” Or direct discourse may be used: “Joshua and his men captured all these cities and their kings. He told his men, ‘Put everyone to death, just as Moses, the LORD’s servant commanded us to do.’ ”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .