But as for you, only keep yourselves from the devoted thing, lest when you have devoted it, you take of the devoted thing; so would you make the camp of Israel accursed, and trouble it.
One result of moral filth is physical disease. Therefore, the destruction of the Canaanites (in some cases together with their sheep and cattle) ensured the removal of deadly diseases that could have threatened Israel’s existence. The absence of Canaanite religious practices would also be a help to Israel’s religious life and moral well-being.