References (39)
and
the Jebusites (Hebr. jevosi) [the people who lived in Jerusalem before the Israelites arrived there] and
the Amorites (Hebr. emori) and
the Girgashites (Hebr. girgashi)
and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites." [The names of the peoples who lived in Canaan before the Israelites arrived there.]
[The unique thing about the covenant made between God and Abram is that it is made unilaterally. God bears full and complete responsibility for this covenant! The rituals involved in a blood covenant are:
1. Exchanging cloaks – putting on the other person's cloak.
2. Exchanging belts – weapons/tools.
3. Cutting – dividing animals in half. Walking between them. A blood covenant is always cut.
4. Exchanging/taking each other's names.
5. Making a scar (mixing blood – palms against each other).
6. Making covenant promises.
7. Eating a memorial meal – sharing bread and wine.
8. Plant a memorial tree/care tree sprinkled with blood from the animals.
When God says to Abram, "I am your shield" (see ), God takes the initiative to give Abram his cloak and his belt. The cloak is not physical in this context, but it represents the person, so what God is saying is that he is giving himself to Abram. The scar that is to be made in Abram's case is circumcision. Since a blood covenant can be inherited, each new son who is born must choose for himself whether he wants to remain in the covenant. This happens every time a Jewish son is circumcised (for non-Jews, it corresponds to the circumcision of the heart). The covenant promise is the son, Isaac, and that his descendants will be like the stars and grains of sand, and that all nations will be blessed through him. There is a name change when Abram becomes Abraham, see . He also has God's own name added to his own, and God is henceforth called the God of Abraham, which later, when the covenant is renewed with Isaac and Jacob, is added to as the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. The covenant meal takes place when Abraham meets Melchizedek and they share bread and wine, see . Melchizedek (which means king of righteousness) is probably Jesus himself who comes to Abram on this occasion.]
Therefore, I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians and bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the area now inhabited by
the Canaanites
and the Hittites
and the Amorites
and the Perizzites
and the Hivites
and the Jebusites.
[Despite unfavorable conditions with high humidity and heat, Israel has dramatically increased its milk production since the 1950s, when a cow produced an average of 4,000 liters of milk per year, to an incredible 12,000 liters in recent years. Every year on the evening that marks the beginning of the week-long holiday of Shavuot (Pentecost in the spring), the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics releases its "milk and honey report." Israel is the world leader in this statistic, with a commanding lead of over 30% over the United States, which ranks second. In 2019, an Israeli cow produced an average of 11,852 liters of milk per year, while the corresponding figure in Sweden was around 9,000 liters. The average in Europe was 6,000 liters and in India 1,000 liters.]
and I have decided to bring you out of the oppression in Egypt up to
the land of the Canaanites,
and the Hittites,
and the Amorites,
and the Perizzites,
and the Hivites,
and the Jebusites. To a land flowing with milk and honey.'
And it shall be when the Lord (Yahweh) brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you [], a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall serve, keep this service in this month.
For my angel, my messenger, will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will destroy them.
and I will send an angel (messenger) before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites,
Keep (guard, protect, preserve) what I command you today. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
The Amalekites live in the South (Negev), and the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites live in the mountains, and the Canaanites live by the sea and along the Jordan."
When the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim) brings you into the land you are going to possess, he will drive out many nations before you,
the Hittites
and the Girgashites (Hebr. girgashi)
and the Amorites (Hebr. emori)
and the Canaanites
and the Perizzites
and the Hivites
and the Jebusites (Hebr. jevosi) [the people who lived in Jerusalem before the Israelites came there; see for a more detailed description of what the names of the peoples stand for],
seven peoples greater and more powerful than you,
You must utterly destroy (Hebr. charam charam) them [this list have six nations in three pairs]:
the Hittites and the Amorites
the Canaanites and the Perizzites,
the Hivites
and the Jebusites as the Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim) has commanded you [],
Joshua said, "This is how you will know that the living God (El-Chay) is among you, and that he will surely drive out:
the Canaanites,
the Hittites,
the Hivites,
the Perizzites,
the Girgashites,
the Amorites,
the Jebusites."
[Our spiritual struggle today is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces, see . By looking at the meanings of the names of these peoples, we can see the areas that believers today need to conquer in order to gain complete freedom:
Canaanites – were merchants, our relationship with money Hittites – fear and dread Hivites – city, village, life, alternative lifestyles, dependence on this world, worldliness Perizzites – unprotected cities, no protective wall Girgashites – one who lives in the earth/clay Amorites – a tall people, pride and boastful speech Jebusites – trampling on others, impurity There are three lists of these seven peoples, see ; ; . In the most common one, there are six of these, all except the Girgashites, see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; . In , the Moabites and Egyptians are also mentioned. There are two lists where the Canaanites are also missing, see ; . In the list in , the Hivites are not mentioned. The order is not the same but varies. Even in a Christian's life, there can be variation in the order of the areas that need to be conquered. The Israelites had different strategies for different peoples, and there are different strategies in spiritual warfare as well.]
[Previously, the opposition had consisted of individual cities, but now in this and the following chapter, the opposition comes from alliances of cities and their kings. The verse serves as an introduction in a similar way to .]
And it came to pass that when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan in the hill country [the central highlands that later became the territory of Judah and Ephraim], in the Lowlands [Hebr. Shefelah – the lowlands between the Mediterranean coast and the hill country of Judah] and along the entire coast of the Great Sea [the Mediterranean] in front of (all the way up to) Lebanon,
the Hittites and Amorites,
the Canaanites,
the Perizzites,
the Hivites, and the Jebusites
heard this [how the Israelites had captured the cities of Jericho and Ai],
to the Canaanites in the east and west [the lowlands in the east and west]
and the Amorites [the highlands in the south]
and the Hittites
and the Perizzites
and the Jebusites in the mountainous region [around Jerusalem (Jebos), which had not yet been conquered]
and the Hivites under [the mountain] Hermon in the land of Mizpah [northern Israel; Hebr. mitspah means watchtower/lookout].
in the hill country [central highlands] and in the Lowlands [Hebr. Shefelah – the lowlands between the Mediterranean coast and the hill country of Judah] and in the Arava and on the slopes and in the desert and in the south (Negev). The Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites,
and the border goes up to the valley of the son of Hinnom to the side of the Jebusites southward, that is, Jerusalem, and the border goes up to the top of the mountain that lies in front of the valley of Hinnom westward, which is the outer limit of the valley of Rephaim northward.
But the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, could not be driven out by the sons of Judah, and the Jebusites live with the sons of Judah in Jerusalem to this day.
And the border went down to the outermost part of the mountains that lie in front of the valley of the sons of Hinnom, which is in the valley of Rephaim to the north, and it went down from the valley of Hinnom to the side of the Jebusites to the south and went down to Ein-Rogel.
and Zela, Eleph
and Jevosi, that is Jerusalem,
Giva [later this becomes Saul's hometown]
and Kirjat. Fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin according to their families.
And you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I delivered them into your hand. [; ]
And the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem were not driven out by the sons of Benjamin, but the Jebusites live with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.
And the sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites—the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
They were at
Jebus and it was late in the day
[literally: "the day had gone down a lot," may refer to the sun being almost down].
The young man said to his master, "Come, I beg you, let us stop at the city of the
Jebusites and spend the night there!"
Jerusalem, also referred to as Jevus (), is strategically located along the east-west road from Jericho to the port city of Joppa and the north-south patriarchal road from southern Judah to Galilee in the north. During the time of the judges, the city had been defeated and partially burned down by Judah (). Immediately afterwards, however, in , it is said that they moved on to fight in other areas. The city could therefore be recaptured and rebuilt by the Jebusites. When David marched on the city, it covered an area of 10-15 hectares and was located on the southeastern ridge south of the Temple Mount (outside the medieval walls that now surround the city). The number of inhabitants inside the walls was a few thousand, but in the cities of that time it was common for a significant proportion of the inhabitants to live outside the actual city walls, either in simple houses or as semi-nomads. This means that the number of people who considered the Jebusite city their "home" may have been significantly higher. The enormous fortifications that were built as early as the patriarchal period attest to this. The city was well fortified with water supplied from the Gihon Spring on the eastern side. The steep valley sides were part of the city's defenses. The only side of the city that had no natural defenses was the north, and here they had built particularly strong walls. And the king [David] and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land. [After David's coronation in Hebron, he wants to retake Jerusalem.] But they spoke to David and said [arrogantly and confidently], "You shall not come in here, for if [you do], [even] the blind and the lame will drive you away!" They thought that David would never get into [the city].
Yes, David said on that day [when he attacked Jerusalem]: "Whoever wants to defeat the Jebusites, he shall reach the lame and the blind through the tunnel (the canal – Hebr. tsinor) whom David hates with his whole being (soul)!" [David also promises that whoever gets there first will lead his army, see .] That is why it is said: "The blind and the lame shall not enter the house." [The house may refer to David's palace or the administrative building, see verses 8, 9, and 11.]
[David probably uses the expression "the blind and the lame" to refer to all the Jebusites who are standing and mocking him up on the walls. He does so in response to what they have shouted; it is not a general attack on the blind and the lame. David treats Jonathan's disabled son Mephibosheth very well, see ; .
The word tsinor can mean pipe, tunnel, or canal. It fits the partially underground tunnel that ran from the well-fortified Gihon Spring into the city. The Gihon Spring was surrounded by a defensive tower with walls 4-7 meters wide. Next to the spring was a fortified large pool/basin where the water from the Gihon Spring was collected, and water could be drawn while standing on a platform above the pool. From the Spring Tower and the pool, two parallel walls ran up to the outer entrance to what is usually called Warren's shaft system. The walls are still preserved today up to a height of 8 meters and are 3 meters wide. From there, it was possible to enter the city via a tunnel dug through the rock. The tunnel is 1-2 meters wide and in places over 3 meters high. It is perhaps through this tunnel (Hebr. tsinor) that Joab managed to get in, see .]
And when the angel (messenger) stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord (Yahweh) regretted (repented, mourned-comforted) the evil and said to the angel who was destroying the people, "It is enough, stay your hand." And the angel (messenger) of the Lord (Yahweh) was at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
And Gad came to David that day and said to him, "Go up, set up an altar to the Lord (Yahweh) on the threshing floor of the Jebusite Aravnah."
All the people who remained of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not of the sons of Israel,
and also the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,
David went with all Israel to Jerusalem, that is,
Jebus (Jebus), where the
Jebusites lived.
David said, "Whoever strikes the Jebusites first shall be commander-in-chief and chief." Joab, the son of Zeruiah, came up first, and he became commander-in-chief.
God (Elohim) sent an angel against Jerusalem to destroy (ruin, wipe out – Hebr. shachat) it. But when the angel was doing the destruction, the Lord (Yahweh) saw it and regretted (sorrow-comforted – Hebr. nacham) the evil, and he said to the angel who was destroying (the Destroyer; definite form of the verb to destroy – Hebr. ha-shachat): "It is enough. Withdraw your hand." The angel of the Lord (Yahweh) was then standing at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
[Ornan is the Hebrew spelling of Aravnah, which is the name used in the parallel passage in . The threshing floor was located at what is now called the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.]
The angel of the Lord commanded [the prophet] Gad to tell David to go and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. [Gad was David's seer, see ]
When David saw that the Lord had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he offered his sacrifice there.
Solomon began to build the house of the Lord (Yahweh) in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, on the site that David had prepared, the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
All the people who remained of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not Israelites,
When these things had been accomplished, the leaders came to me and said, "The people of Israel and the priests and Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, but are doing according to their abominations (following their ungodly customs and practices) just like the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.
You found his heart faithful before you,
and you made a covenant with him:
to give his descendants the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites,
the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites.
[The Hivites are not mentioned in this list, which usually has seven ethnic groups, perhaps because their descendants, the Nethinim, served in the temple, see ; ; ]
You fulfilled your words,
for you are righteous.
I will remove his blood from his mouth,
and his abominable things from between his teeth,
and he too shall become a remnant for our God (Elohim)
and he shall become like a leader in Judah
and Ekron like a Jebusite.
