Final answer:
Joshua and the Israelites defeated 31 kings west of the Jordan River in their conquest of Canaan, as detailed in the biblical book of Joshua.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Israelites led by Joshua defeated a total of 31 kings west of the Jordan River during their campaign to conquer Canaan. This is detailed in the biblical text of Joshua, where there are several instances mentioned. For example, Joshua and his men are famously known for the victory against the Canaanites at Jericho, where "the walls of the city fell when Joshua and his men marched around them blowing horns" (Joshua 6:1-27). Furthermore, there are passages that describe the complete destruction of the inhabitants of several cities. The battles resulted in the utter destruction of the Eglonites, Hebronites, Debirites, and many others, including the kings and their cities as in the case of Hazor (Joshua 10:34-40, Joshua 11:10-23).
One notable excerpt states that "And Joshua at that time turned back and took Hazor, and smote the King thereof with the sword: for Hazor beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms. And they smote all the souls that were therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them: there was not any left to breathe: and he burnt Hazor with fire. And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them, did Joshua take and smote them with the edge of the sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded" (Joshua 11:10-15).