References (58)
Canaan [Ham's fourth son, whom Noah cursed, see ] received:
Sidon [Hebr. Tsidon, from the verb tsod to hunt/fish; also the name of the coastal city of Sidon in present-day Lebanon], his firstborn, and
Chet [ancestor of the Hittites],
and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaim
Abraham rose from his dead [wife's body] and spoke to the sons of Heth [the Hittites; descendants of Heth, who was the son of Canaan, see ; ; ] and said:
The sons of Heth answered Abraham and said to him:
Abraham rose and bowed down [in respect and reverence] before the people of the land, the sons of Heth.
Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of all the sons of Heth, who had entered the gate of his city. [The place where all important business deals were made at that time.] He said,
Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out the silver to Ephron, as he had said in the presence of the sons of Heth. 400 shekels [a total of 4.6 kg] of silver in the current currency used by merchants.
as Abraham's property before the sons of Heth, before all the (witnesses) who had entered the city gate.
The field and the cave were established as Abraham's property, as a burial place, by the sons of Heth.
[This is the first and only piece of land in Israel that legally becomes the property of the Jews through Abraham. It can be regarded as a first fruit and assurance that the rest of God's promise concerning the land will also be fulfilled. This happens when the people take the land under Joshua's leadership 300 years later. However, the full borders mentioned in the Bible have never been in Jewish possession; they are probably the borders Israel will have during the millennial kingdom.]
Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him in the cave in
Machpela in the field that lies before Mamre, which
(formerly) belonged to Ephron, the son of Zohar, the Hittite,
the field that Abraham bought from the sons of Heth [], where Abraham buried his wife Sarah.
When Esau was 40 years old, he married Judith, the daughter of the Hittite Beeri, and [he also took a second wife] Basemath, the daughter of the Hittite Eilon.
And Rebekah said to Isaac, "I loathe my life (am weary of life) because of the daughters of Heth [whom Esau married, see ]. If [now also] Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, one of these daughters of the land, why should I live?"
Esau took [three non-Jewish] wives from among the daughters of Canaan [against the will of his father Isaac, see , ]:
Ada, daughter of Elon the Hittite,
and Oholivama, daughter of Anah, granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite
He commanded and said to them, "I am about to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
in the cave in the field of Machpelah, in front of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a property and burial place.
The field and the cave that are there, which were bought from the sons of Heth.
His sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought with the field as a property and burial place from the Hittite Ephron, in front of Mamre.
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.
I will send hornets (terror, discouragement) before you, which will drive away the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you.
[Hornets (Hebr. tsira) can also mean torment, but also refer to terror, confusion, discouragement, and pestilence, see .]
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 [],
From the desert [wilderness, in the south]
and this Lebanon [the white mountain ranges in the north]
and as far as the great river,
the Euphrates River [in the east],
throughout the land of the Hittites [western Syria and the dominant of the seven peoples of the land of Canaan, see ; ]
and to the Great Sea [the Mediterranean Sea – towards the opening] where the sun sets [in the west] will be your territory (your border, coast).
[This is a general description of the southern and northern borders towards the east and west. Here, the desert, mountains, river, and sea are mentioned, which gives a nice description of a land that consists of all kinds of nature! A more detailed account of each tribe's territory is given in , see also ; . Lebanon literally means "white," referring to the white, snow-covered mountain ranges in the north of present-day Lebanon. Here in is the only time it says "this Lebanon"; a similar expression is found in about "this Jordan." This may refer to the fact that the area was visible, with Lebanon representing the white snow-covered mountains in the north (including Hermon) that are visible from the Dead Sea on a clear day.
The land of the Hittites does not refer to their kingdom in present-day Turkey, but rather to the areas in western Syria that they occupied. This is also confirmed by contemporary Egyptian sources that refer to western and central Syria as "the land of the Hittites." In Abraham's time, the Hittites were located in the vicinity of Hebron in southern Israel. This people had colonies in the land of Canaan and were the strongest of the seven peoples there, see ; . It is likely that "the land of the Hittites" is used as a collective term for all these peoples, since they dominated the mountainous areas of Judea, but also included the area in western Syria.]
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 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 man went to the land of the Hittites and built a city and named it Loz, as it is called to this day.
And the sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites—the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
So David said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, "Who will go down with me to Saul at the camp?" And Abishai said, "I will go down with you."
And David sent and inquired about the woman. And they said, "Is this not Bathsheba (Batseba), the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" [He was one of David's officers who had gone out to battle with David's army. The name Bathsheba means "daughter of the promise."]
[Since it would be obvious that Uriah could not be the father of the child, David devised a plan.] David then sent word to [his general] Joab: "Send me the Hittite Uriah." And Joab sent Uriah to David.
And the men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people fell, from among David's servants, and also the Hittite Oriah died.
Who struck down Abimelech [], the son of Jerubbesheth [Gideon]? [Abimelech was Gideon's son, see . Gideon was also called Jerubbaal, see , here in a different spelling where the idol Baal is replaced with boshet, which means shame, see also Eshbaal/Ishbosheth (; ). Jerubesheth literally means 'shame shall contend'.] Was it not a woman who threw the upper millstone on him from the wall so that he died in Tabeeth? [Today the city of Tubas, 15 km northeast of Shechem, see ] Why did you go so close to the wall? Then you shall say, 'Your servant Orija the Hittite is also dead.'"
And the archers shot at your servants from the wall, and some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Orija is also dead."
Why have you despised the word of the Lord (Yahweh) to do what is evil in my sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and taken his wife to be your wife, and you have struck him down with the sword of the sons of Ammon.
And now the sword shall never depart from your house [conflicts and strife in the family] because you have despised me and have taken the wife of the Hittite Uriah to be your wife.
Orija, the Hittite.
All 37 [including those who died].
All the people who remained of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not of the sons of Israel,
And a chariot came up and went out from Egypt for 600 shekels [the price of 6.9 kg] of silver, and a horse for 150 [shekels of silver – equivalent to 1.7 kg]. And likewise to the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram, they brought them out for a fixed price.
[This passage frames the chiasmus in chapters 3-11. It was precisely the marriages to foreign women that he was not to do (; ), and this proved to be his downfall. In recent years, archaeologists have begun to analyze fingerprints on clay shards. In excavations where there are Canaanite temples (including Tell Burna 2022), it has been seen that idols, figurines, masks, and vessels for religious use were made by female potters, while ordinary vessels were made by men. Here, archaeology confirms that foreign women were involved in creating these occult objects.]
And King Solomon loved many foreign women, in addition to (besides) the daughter of Pharaoh [who is excluded, see ] – Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites –
because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord (Yahweh) and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the incident with Uriah the Hittite.
For the Lord (Adonai) had caused the Aramean army to hear the sound of chariots and the sound of horses and of a great army, and they said to one another, "Behold, the king of Israel has hired (for a fee, hired against us) the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to come against us."
Canaan was the father of Sidon, who was his firstborn, and Chet,
Uriah the Hittite,
Sabad, son of Alah,
Each chariot they brought in from Egypt cost 600 shekels [a total of 6.9 kg] of silver, and each horse 150 [shekels – i.e. 1.7 kg of silver]. Likewise, through their efforts, such chariots were imported for all the kings of the Hittites and for the kings of Aram.
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.
and say: Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh) to Jerusalem [and all Israel]: Your origin and your birth are in the land of the Canaanites; an Amorite was your [spiritual] father, and your [spiritual] mother was a Hittite. [; ]
You are your mother's daughter who despises her husband and her sons, and you are your sisters' sister who hates their husbands and their sons; your mother was a Hittite and your father was an Amorite.
