SPECIAL TOPIC: The Pre-Israelite Inhabitants of Palestine

A. There are several lists of peoples.
  1. Genesis 15:19-21 (10)      
    a. Kenite d. Hittite g. Amorite j. Jebusite
    b. Kenizzite e. Perizzite h. Canaanite  
    c. Kadmonite f. Rephaim i. Girgashite  
  2. Exodus 3:17 (6)      
    a. Canaanite d. Perizzite    
    b. Hittite e. Hivite    
    c. Amorite f. Jebusite    
  3. Exodus 23:28 (3)      
    a. Hivites      
    b. Hittites      
    c. Hittites      
  4. Deuteronomy 7:1 (7)      
    a. Hittites d. Canaanites g. Jebusites  
    b. Girgashites e. Perizzites    
    c. Amorites f. Hivites    
  5. Joshua 24:11 (7)      
    a. Amorite d. Hittite g. Jebusite  
    b. Perizzite e. Girgashite    
    c. Canaanite f. Hivite    
B. The origin of the names is dubious because of lack of historical data. Genesis 10:15-19 includes several of them as related to Canaan, a son of Ham.
C. Brief descriptions of the peoples mentioned
1.   Kenite — BDB 884, KB 1098
      — non-Israelite
— name related to "forger" or "smith," which could refer to metal working
     or music (cf. Gen. 4:19-22)
— connected to the area of Sinai north to Hebron
— name connected to Jethro, Moses' father-in-law (cf. Jdgs. 1:16; 4:11)
2.   Kenizzite — BDB 889, KB 1114
      — relative of Jews
— a clan of Edom (cf. Gen. 15:19)
— lived in Negev
— possibly absorbed into Judah (cf. Num. 32:12; Jos. 14:6,14)
3.   Kadmonite — BDB 870 II, KB 1071 II
      — non-Israelite, possibly a descendant of Ishmael (cf. Gen. 25:15)
— name relates to "easterner"
— lived in Negev
— possibly related to "the men of the east" (cf. Job 1:3)
4.   Hittite — BDB 366, KB 363
— non-Israelite
— descendant of Heth
— from kingdom of Anatolia (Asia Minor, Turkey)
— were present very early in Canaan (cf. Genesis 23; Jos. 11:3)
5.   Perizzite — BDB 827, KB 965
      — non-Israelite, possibly Hurrians
— lived in forested area of Judah (cf. Gen. 34:30; Jdgs. 1:4; 16:10)
6.   Rephaim — BDB 952, KB 1274
      — non-Israelite, possibly giants (cf. Gen. 14:5; Num. 33:33; Deut. 2:10-11,20)
— lived on eastern bank of Jordan (cf. Gen. 15:20; Jos. 12:4; 13:12; Deut. 2:8-
     11,20; 3:13) or western bank (cf. Jos. 15:8; 17:15; 2 Sam. 5:18,22; 23:13;
     1 Chr. 20:4)
— line of warriors/heroes
7.   Amorite — BDB 57, KB 67
      — northwestern Semitic people-group from Ham (cf. Gen. 10:16)
— became general designation for inhabitants of Canaan (cf. Gen. 15:16; Deut.
     1:7; Jos. 10:5; 24:15; 2 Sam. 21:2)
— the name may mean "the west"
— the ISBE, vol. 1, p. 119, says the term denotes
     a. the inhabitants of Palestine generally
     b. the population of the hill country as opposed to the coastal plain
     c. a specific people group with their own king
8.   Canaanite — BDB 489, KB 485
      — from Ham (cf. Gen. 10:15) 
— general designation of all the tribes in Canaan west of the Jordan
— meaning of Canaan uncertain, possibly "merchant" or "red-purple dye"
— as a people group they dwelt along the coastal plain (cf. Num. 13:29)
9.   Girgashite — BDB 173, KB 202
      — from Ham (cf. Gen. 10:16) or at least "from a son of
     [i.e., the country of] Canaan," ISBE, vol. 2, p. 1232)
10.   Jebusite — BDB 101, KB 382
      — from Ham (cf. Gen. 10:16)
— from city of Jebus/Salem/Jerusalem (cf. Jos. 15:63; Jdgs. 19:10)
— Ezek. 16:3,45 asserts they were a mixed race from Amorite and Hittite
11.   Hivites — BDB 295, KB 297
      — from Ham (cf. Gen. 10:17)
— translated by LXX as Horite (cf. Gen. 34:2; 36:20-30; Jos. 9:7)
— possibly from the Hebrew word "cave," therefore, cave dwellers
— they lived in the highlands of Lebanon (cf. Jos. 11:3; Jdgs. 3:3). In 2 Sam.
     24:6-7 they are listed next to Tyre and Sidon

Copyright © 2014 Bible Lessons International