When we read the Old Testament we come across accounts of wars which are followed by numerous massacres. For a contemporary reader these scenes represent a great difficulty for understanding. One of the most difficult verses is Josh 6, 21 in which we read about the complete destruction of the whole population of the city of Jericho, children included. Every Christian asks themselves when reading those passages the same question: is it possible that God commanded that these crimes be carried out? How can we comprehend these verses in the context of a forgiving and suffering God in the New Testament? The topic of this paper is the interpretation of this and similar difficult verses. The author presumes that for this task only historical criticism can offer a satisfying interpretation. I will present in this paper a detailed philological analysis of Josh 6, 21 where this verse will be intertextually connected to many verses with the same termini and similar content. This will be followed by an exploration of the historical and literary context of this verse, including the chapter about its similarity with ancient oriental war reporting and war narrative. This will enable a clearer historical background for the interpretation of this verse, providing the possibility of several contexts for its reading and undertanding.