Hopefully in conjunction with Post 28, Log and Speck Revisited, you read Genesis 13, dealing with Lot and the relationship between Lot and Abram. If not, here is the opportunity to do so. If you did read it, this will give a chance to review some important points.
Genesis 13 (ESV) Abram and Lot Separate
1 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.
2 Now Abram (exalted father) was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb (South or parched) as far as Bethel (house of God) to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai (iniquity), 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of YHWH. 5 And Lot (covered, secret), who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife (h7379. רִיב rîyḇ; from h7378. רִיב rîyḇ) between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.
8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife (h4808. מְרִיבָה merîyḇâ; from h7378. רִיב rîyḇ) between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.* 9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”** 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Yarden Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of YHWH, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before YHWH destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Yarden Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom (scorch; burning). 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against YHWH.
14 YHWH said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to YHWH.
(* This could well be the referent passage, or one of the referent passages for Matthew 5:21-26 – this has not yet been investigated.)
(** Recall, we spoke before about Right hand left hand being idiomatic for making a choice – here Abram is giving Lot the first choice of where to go. Lot chose what looked good to him and moved his tent “as far as Sodom,” or “next to Sodom.” Of course it happened not long afterwards that Lot was living in the city, which was what we reviewed in the last Post.)
Some points for review, recalling that names have meaning which contributes to the understanding of the passage, or is a thematic tie-in to other passages, or both. We have read about Bethel and Ai before, where Abram had camped between the House of God and Iniquity. One’s tent is one’s home, and one’s home is also indicative of one’s lifestyle. That Lot placed his tent next to Sodom means that he was putting himself in a position to be influenced by the lifestyle of the people of Sodom, and it is made clear in the very next verse that those in Sodom were wicked. Thus we hear in Scripture warnings about putting ourselves in situations where we can be influenced by those living other than a Godly lifestyle. (Proverbs 1:8-19, 4:10-19, 13:20-21,16:17-33, 24:1-2; Psalm 26, 119:33-40; in addition to common warnings from YHWH to Israel to stay away from the nations that they will be conquering the land from, so as not to be influenced by their ways, which includes worship of idols [we have spoken before about idols being more than simply statues, carvings, etc., but anything that we care for too much, that is not God], and this includes intermarrying with them) e.g. Exodus 23:32-33, 34:12-17; Deuteronomy 7:1-16; Joshua 23:12-13; Judges 2:1-5).
YHWH obviously smiled on Abram after he gave the choice to Lot, and gave Abram the choice of all in any direction. But the end of verse seven, shown in indigo in the middle of the red passage above is one of those situations this writer would suggest to the reader to be almost an “add-on.” Is it really necessary information, and is it particularly necessary at this particular place? Now we are going to look at how this little sentence adds depth to the setting and will connect in many other places. Now we will return to a statement made on the second Page of the LogandSpeck website, the Page entitled “Site Vision.” To follow is a copy and paste from that page:
“Did you know that Scripture says that God sends a messenger to us, and if we obey what the messenger says to us, when the messenger walks in our presence and brings us to Prominence, Dismay, Violence, Defeat/Humiliation, Deceit/Deception, and Trampling, that God himself will eliminate it?”
We have referred obliquely to this before, but it is now time to explain more fully. And we may refer back to this concept in the future. We begin by saying that the indigo sentence at the end of verse seven, “At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.,” is there to give the reader more information than simply that there was “strife” between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. This writer would say that the Canaanites, representing Defeat/Humiliation⦁(Clines כָּנַע ḵâna‘ humble/subdue – see bottom of Post for Clines reference) and the Perizzites, representing Violence⦁⦁(Clines פָּרָז p̱ârâz = warrior), would tell us that this was a necessary separation between Abram and Lot because there was quite an intensity to the “strife.” But, this writer does not expect the reader to accept this at face value. There will be an in-depth investigation to follow, the point of which is a big reminder about names carrying meaning and being representative of character. Hopefully the following explanation will make this statement obvious. Recall, in the discussion of names, one example that was given of Isaac, Yitzchak, the son of Abraham and Sarah, whose name meant “to laugh, to sport, to make fun of,” and this name was given to him presumably related to Sarah’s laughter about the thought of having a son at the advanced age of the couple. However, his life demonstrated a number of other instances where the root word for his name came into play. Thus sometimes it is something that we live into and sometimes it is indicative of who we are going to be as well as who we are at birth.
So, to begin, let us look at some of the genealogy of the descendants of Noah. Recall that at the great flood, only eight adults lived, of the human race, Noah, his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their four wives. We turn to Genesis 9 to get some understanding of what occurred after that. Genesis 9:20 tells us that Noah became a “man of the soil,” and he planted a vineyard. He became drunk on the wine from that vineyard and lay uncovered (h1540. גָּלָה g̱âlâ) in his tent. Uncovered can mean that he himself was naked, but it can also mean that he was in a state not to be able to watch over his wife. It is used in all those passages in Leviticus 18 about “uncovering the nakedness,” meaning to have sexual relations. During the time he was “uncovered,” Ham “saw the nakedness” of his father. As a result, it is mentioned that Canaan, the son of Ham, is cursed, to be a “servant of servants” to his brothers. The most likely thing that occurred in this incident is that Ham impregnated Noah’s wife and Canaan was the child that came as a result, considering the timing of the mention of Canaan and his curse, but not all authorities agree on exactly what took place. There is much more to the story, including how Shem and Japheth “covered” their father, but not “covering” their brother. That is another discussion for another time. If you do not recall the discussion about “curse,” specifically as relates to the word used here of Noah for Canaan, h0779. אָרַר ’ârar, the EDBH definition for the word is “isolate, bring ruin, to weaken internally,” see the discussion in Post 17, “Testing.”
The purpose for sharing that story is that we will be looking at the descendants who became tribes/nations, so it was important to know that Noah cursed Canaan, which would be upon his descendants as well. As noted above, and in the discussion in Post 17, this “curse” does not mean what we often think it means, to “call down a curse,” as in polytheistic cultures. It may well have simply meant that Canaan was to be set apart from the rest of the family, that he was no longer welcomed as a full member of the clan. You can see by the meaning of the names listed below, that really seems to apply to all the sons of Ham. It may be that Canaan is simply in a more humbled state: Genesis 9:25-27 mentions that Canaan will be a “servant of servants,” and a “servant of Shem and Japheth.” (h5650. עֶבֶד ‘eḇeḏ = bondservant; slave) // although the wording is such that it could be interpreted differently, simply because of the pronouns used, and the wording, that Canaan would be the servant of YHWH. (Or both)//
Genesis 9:26-27 (ESV)
26 He also said,
“Blessed be YHWH, the God (Elohim) of Shem;
and let Canaan be his servant.
27 May God (Elohim) enlarge Japheth,
and let him dwell in the tents of Shem,
and let Canaan be his servant.”
Moving into Genesis 10, we learn first of the descendants of Japheth, then Ham, then Shem (theoretically this would be birth order). We have already shared that Shem became the large family of the Semitic peoples. We do later hear of some of the names from Japheth, but they are not pertinent to this discussion presently. The focus will be on the descendants of Ham. Their introduction is in Genesis 10:6-20. The sons of Ham are Cush (כּוּשׁ EDBH lessen in value), Egypt (מִצְרַ Clines p240 distress; torment; narrow place), Put (ESD foreign origin, ? “a bow”), and Canaan (subdue; humbling; defeating). We hear again in Scripture about some of the descendants of Cush, but here most of the focus is on Nimrod (מָרַד EDBH rebel; refuse subjection), who built Babel and Ninevah, both of which are seen later). Egypt had several sons, unfamiliar to us except Casluhim (two possible roots: (כָּסַל EDBH stubborn; foolish and סָלַח EDBH progress through forgiveness), from whom we are told came the Philistines (פָּלַשׁ EDBH penetrate)[Gn 10:13]. Our main focus here is on the children of Canaan, being Sidon (becoming Sidonians), Heth (becoming Hittites), as well as the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. We are told those clans dispersed. And we are not only told there, the extent of the land, but also, of course are told that Abraham was given the land of Canaan (see Gen. 15:18-21), to which was later referred “the land of milk and honey” to Israel. The one that we do not have accounted for in our earlier listing is the “Perizzites.” There is no clear indication where this people came from. EDBH lists פרז meaning “open; break through,” and lists cognates as meaning “break and spread: break in, spread, penetrate, break apart, separate from.” The word h6518. פָּרָז p̱ârâz is a HAPAX LEGOMENON, occurring only in Habakkuk 3:14 as “warrior,” thus the determination to to indicate the Perizzites as “Violence,” or some similar meaning.
Where the statement in the “Site Vision” Page came from, and whence our discussion will spring is Exodus 23:20-33
20 Behold, I am about to send an Angel before you, to guard you in the way, and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. 21 Be on guard before Him, and listen to His voice. Do not be rebellious against Him, for He will not forgive your transgressions; for My name is in Him. 22 For if you fully listen to His voice, and do all which I speak, I will be an enemy to those distressing you, and will be a foe to your foes. 23 When My Angel shall go before you and bring you in to the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Canaanite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite; then I will cut them off (h3582. כָּחַד ḵâḥaḏ EDBH cease existence). 24 You shall not bow down to their gods, and you shall not serve them. And you shall not do according to their works. But you shall surely tear them down, and you shall surely smash their pillars. 25 And you shall serve YHWH your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will remove sickness from your midst. 26 There shall not be one miscarrying, nor one barren in your land. I will fulfill the number of your days. 27 I will send My terror before you, and I will confound all the people among whom you come. And I will give the neck of your enemies to you. 28 And I will send hornets (scourge) before you which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite before you. 29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, that the land not become a waste, and the beast of the field multiply on you. 30 I will drive them out before you little by little, until you are fruitful and possess the land. 31 And I will set your border from the Sea of Reeds as far as the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness as far as the River. For I will give the people of the land into your hand. And you shall drive them out before you. 32 You shall not cut a covenant for them and for their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they cause you to sin towards Me. If you serve their gods, it will be a snare to you.
It became clear from this passage, the previous passage in the midst of the Abram and Lot separation, and one more, that it was important to understand the meaning of the “character” or “nature” of these peoples. Oftentimes it is simple and straightforward to determine the meaning from the names themselves, as we just did with the Perizzite, though we had little additional information. On the other hand, with the Hives, for example, we had to really dig to get a clear understanding of what was meant. We will walk through that process with you here, and then hopefully this will be understandable. Recognize that all of these except the Perizzites, are under the curse that Noah placed, and they will, all of them, be challenges to each of us. Please understand the meaning of this: the angel of God is leading us into times of testing. All of the “nations” are trials or tests that we will face in our lives. If we follow his voice and are not rebellious against him, he conquers these trials for us. If, however, we are rebellious, then we are on our own, without his help (and will likely continue to face the same trials, though more intensely the next time around).
All are “testing:”
Amorite – Prominence (Solomon is an example of such testing)
Hittite – Dismay
Perizzite – Violence
Canaanite – Defeat/Humiliation
Hivite – Deceit/Deception (see Josh 9, Jg 3)
Jebusite – Trampling
These are the Hebrew words:
Amorite h0567. אֱמֹרִי ’emôrîy <- h0559. אָמַר ’âmar
Hittite h2850. חִתִּי ḥiṯiy <- h2845. חֵת ḥêṯ <- h2865. חָתַת ḥâṯaṯ
Perizzite h6522. פְּרִזִּי p̱eriziy <- h6521. פְּרָזִי p̱erâziy <- h6519. פְּרָזָה p̱erâzâ <-/= h6518. פָּרָז p̱ârâz
Canaanite h3669. כְּנַעֲנִי ḵena‘ăniy <- h3667. כְּנַעַן ḵena‘an <- h3665. כָּנַע ḵâna‘
Hivite h2340. חִוִּי ḥiwwîy <- h2333. חַוָּה ḥawwâ = h2332. חַוָּה ḥawwâ <- h2331. חָוָה ḥâwâ
Jebusite h2983. יְבוּסִי yeḇûsîy <- h2982. יְבוּס yeḇûs <- h0947. בּוּס bûs
Assorted definitions from various sources…
Amorite:
EDBH אמר organize speech to be heard and understood; ESD prominence; publicity; CWSBD communicated by word or action; Clines command; boast; promise, speak
Hittite:
EDBH חתת break physically/emotionally; ESD dismay; terror; CWSBD to be shattered, to be dismayed, to dismay, to shatter, to scare; Clines dismayed; terrified; shattered
Perizzite:
EDBH פרז open; break through; ESD separate; CWSBD warrior, a throng, a village; Clines warrior.
Canaanite:
EDBH כנע subdue; ESD humiliate; subdue; CWSBD humble; subdue; Clines be humbled; be subdued; be overcome.
Hivite:
EDBH חוה protect; ESD declare; show; CWSBD announce, to tell, to explain; to reveal, to display. TWOT show, tent, make known, declaration [Ps 19:2 parallels H5042. נָבַע nāḇa‘, gush forth; pass on; spew out, spout] ? synonyms make evident, demonstrate; Clines declare something; inform.
Yebusite:
EDBH בוס tread down upon object; ESD trample, tread down; CWSBD to tread down, to trample underfoot; Clines trample; drenched with blood.
Notice that most of these instances in this passage are singular, but not all, thus most of the time we are being addressed as individuals, but occasionally as a group:
Exodus 23:20-26
20 Behold, I am about to send an Angel in your (sing.) presence, to guard you (sing.) in the way, and to bring you (sing.) to the place which I have prepared.
21 Be on guard (sing.) before Him, and listen (sing.) to His voice. Do not be rebellious (sing.) against Him, for He will not forgive your (pl.) transgressions; for My name is in Him.
22 For if you fully listen (sing.) to His voice, and do (sing.) all which I speak, I will be an enemy to those distressing you (sing.), and will be a foe to your (sing.) foes.
23 “When my angel/messenger goes in your (sing.) presence and brings you (sing.) to the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Canaanite, the Hivite and the Yebusiy/Jebusite, then I will eliminate it (sing.).
24 You (sing.) shall not bow down to their gods and you (sing.) shall not serve them. And you (sing.) shall not do according to their works. But you (sing.) shall surely tear them down, and you (sing.) shall surely smash their pillars.
25 And you (pl.) shall serve YHWH your God, and He will bless your (sing.) bread and your (sing.) water. And I will remove sickness from your (sing.) midst.
26 There shall not be one miscarrying, nor one barren in your (sing.) land. I will fulfill the number of your (sing.) days.
For those who know Hebrew:
Exodus 23:20-26
20 הִנֵּ֨ה אָנֹכִ֜י שֹׁלֵ֤חַ מַלְאָךְ֙ לְפָנֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמָרְךָ֖ בַּדָּ֑רֶךְ וְלַהֲבִ֣יאֲךָ֔ אֶל־הַמָּקֹ֖ום אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֲכִנֹֽתִי׃
21 הִשָּׁ֧מֶר מִפָּנָ֛יו וּשְׁמַ֥ע בְּקֹלֹ֖ו אַל־תַּמֵּ֣ר בֹּ֑ו כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יִשָּׂא֙ לְפִשְׁעֲכֶ֔ם כִּ֥י שְׁמִ֖י בְּקִרְבֹּֽו׃
22 כִּ֣י אִם־שָׁמֹ֤עַ תִּשְׁמַע֙ בְּקֹלֹ֔ו וְעָשִׂ֕יתָ כֹּ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֲדַבֵּ֑ר וְאָֽיַבְתִּי֙ אֶת־אֹ֣יְבֶ֔יךָ וְצַרְתִּ֖י אֶת־צֹרְרֶֽיךָ׃
23 כִּֽי־יֵלֵ֣ךְ מַלְאָכִי֮ לְפָנֶיךָ֒ וֶהֱבִֽיאֲךָ֗ אֶל־הָֽאֱמֹרִי֙ וְהַ֣חִתִּ֔י וְהַפְּרִזִּי֙ וְהַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔י הַחִוִּ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִ֑י וְהִכְחַדְתִּֽיו׃
24 לֹֽא־תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֤ה לֵאלֹֽהֵיהֶם֙ וְלֹ֣א תָֽעָבְדֵ֔ם וְלֹ֥א תַעֲשֶׂ֖ה כְּמַֽעֲשֵׂיהֶ֑ם כִּ֤י הָרֵס֙ תְּהָ֣רְסֵ֔ם וְשַׁבֵּ֥ר תְּשַׁבֵּ֖ר מַצֵּבֹתֵיהֶֽם׃
25 וַעֲבַדְתֶּ֗ם אֵ֚ת יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם וּבֵרַ֥ךְ אֶֽת־לַחְמְךָ֖ וְאֶת־מֵימֶ֑יךָ וַהֲסִרֹתִ֥י מַחֲלָ֖ה מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ׃
26 לֹ֥א תִהְיֶ֛ה מְשַׁכֵּלָ֥ה וַעֲקָרָ֖ה בְּאַרְצֶ֑ךָ אֶת־מִסְפַּ֥ר יָמֶ֖יךָ אֲמַלֵּֽא׃
Proverbs-22
Continuing the context, with singular and plural.
Exodus 23:27-33
27 I will send My terror in your (sing.) presence, and I will confound all the people among whom you (sing.) come. And I will give the neck of your enemies to you (sing.). 28 And I will send the hornet (scourge) in your (sing.) presence, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from your (sing.) presence [מִלְּפָנֶֽיךָ]. 29 I will not drive them out from before you (sing.) in one year, that the land not become a waste, and the beast of the field multiply on you (sing.). 30 I will drive them out before you (sing.) little by little, until you (sing.) are fruitful and possess the land. 31 And I will set your (sing.) border from the Sea of Reeds (H5486. סוּף sûp̱ – end) as far as the Sea of the Philistines (h6428. פָּלַשׁ p̱âlaš), and from the wilderness (h1696. דָּבַר ḏâḇar) as far as the River (h5102. נָהַר nâhar). For I will give the people of the land into your (pl.) hand. And you (sing.) shall {drive them out} (h1643. גֶּרֶשׂ g̱ereś) before you (sing.). 32 You (sing.) shall not cut a covenant with them and with their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your (sing.) land, lest they cause you (sing.) to sin towards Me. If you (sing.) serve their gods, it will be a snare to you (sing.).
[The hornet (scourge) will drive out Dismay, Defeat and Testing/Proving in your presence, but it must be done slowly (Matthew 12:43-45)]
[I set boundaries for you, from the troubles of (Egypt) the world, the (Philistines)mourning/wallowing, and from the wilderness (place of testing) to the confluence of (Assyria)success / fruitfulness (Euphrates)] (1 Co 10:13) – the Hebrew does not say some of these words, (in parentheses); they require background knowledge. The sea is often symbolic of chaos or troubles, as is water in general at times (e.g. the Creation event).
A daily Devotional this writer reads is by Francis Fénelon, (Archbishop Francois de Fénelon, 1651-1715), which are copies of letters of advice he shared with friends and confidants. The following letter came within days after the initial inspiration for the meaning of the nations listed. This served as another “witness” to this writer.
LETTER 37 God Gives Grace in Proportion to Our Trials
l feel a deep sense of sympathy for your loved one who is suffering so much. And l can certainly appreciate the concern of those God-given friends who are trying to help her bear her cross. Tell her not to lose faith in God. The grace He gives will be in direct proportion to the amount of suffering she must bear. No one else can do this except the Creator who made us and knows how to renew our strength by His grace. None of us are wise enough to properly apportion grace and suffering. We cannot see the extent of out future trials, nor the vast supplies of which God is storing up in us so that we can meet them. And because we cannot see those future trials, nor the grace that will be needed for them, we are tempted to become discouraged and despondent in our present situations. We see our trials rolling in toward us like great, overpowering, ocean waves. Our hearts fail us with fear at the prospect of drowning. We do not see that we stand within the point at which God, with a steady finger, has drawn the boundary line. Beyond that line the waves cannot pass. God often allows us to be tested as one is tested by a stormy sea. God stirs up the sea, and makes its great billows seem to threaten destruction. But He is always at hand to say, “Thus far shalt thou go and no farther.”
“God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able to bear it”(1 Corinthians 10:13)
Fénelon – Let Go.
To follow are some verses that may help:
Amorite
Genesis 14:7
7 Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh) [En-mishpat is spring of judgment; Kadesh is holy] and defeated all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were dwelling in Hazazon-tamar. [Proud-erect]
Hivite – A few Hivite verses quoted in context (many are not indicative of specific behavior, but are lists).
Genesis 34:1-5
The Defiling of Dinah
1 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land. 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her. 3 And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. 4 So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this girl for my wife.”
5 Now Jacob heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah. But his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob held his peace until they came.
Genesis 36:1-6
Esau’s Descendants
1 These are the generations of Esau (that is, Edom). 2 Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah (tent of the high place) the daughter of Anah (answer, heed) the daughter of Zibeon (h6648. צֶבַע ṣeḇa‘ diverse colors) the Hivite, 3 and Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, the sister of Nebaioth. 4 And Adah bore to Esau, Eliphaz; Basemath bore Reuel; 5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
6 Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his livestock, all his beasts, and all his property that he had acquired in the land of Canaan. He went into a land away from his brother Jacob.
Deuteronomy 20:10-20
10 “When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it. 11 And if it responds to you peaceably and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you. 12 But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. 13 And when YHWH your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword, 14 but the women and the little ones, the livestock, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as plunder for yourselves. And you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which YHWH your God has given you. 15 Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not cities of the nations here. 16 But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, 17 but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded, 18 that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against YHWH your God.
19 “When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. You may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field human, that they should be besieged by you? 20 Only the trees that you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down, that you may build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.
Joshua 9:1-27
The Gibeonite Deception
1 As soon as all the kings who were beyond the Yarden in the hill country and in the lowland all along the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Yebusiy, heard of this, 2 they gathered together as one to fight against Joshua and Israel.
3 But when the inhabitants of Gibeon (גבע elevate) heard what Yehoshua had done to Yericho and to Ai, 4 they on their part acted with cunning and went and made ready provisions and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended, 5 with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes. And all their provisions were dry and crumbly. 6 And they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant country, so now make a covenant with us.” 7 But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a covenant with you?” 8 They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” And Joshua said to them, “Who are you? And where do you come from?” 9 They said to him, “From a very distant country your servants have come, because of the name of the Lord your God. For we have heard a report of him, and all that he did in Egypt, 10 and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Yarden, to Sihon the king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth. 11 So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey and go to meet them and say to them, “We are your servants. Come now, make a covenant with us.”’ 12 Here is our bread. It was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey on the day we set out to come to you, but now, behold, it is dry and crumbly. 13 These wineskins were new when we filled them, and behold, they have burst. And these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.” 14 So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from YHWH. 15 And Yehoshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them.
16 At the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, they heard that they were their neighbors and that they lived among them. 17 And the people of Israel set out and reached their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. 18 But the people of Israel did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by YHWH, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders. 19 But all the leaders said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by YHWH, the God of Israel, and now we may not touch them. 20 This we will do to them: let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath that we swore to them.” 21 And the leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became cutters of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation, just as the leaders had said of them.
22 Joshua summoned them, and he said to them, “Why did you deceive (h7411. רָמָה râmâ – deceive, beguile) us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you dwell among us? 23 Now therefore you are cursed (h0779. אָרַר ’ârar), and some of you shall never be anything but servants, cutters of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.” 24 They answered Joshua, “Because it was told to your servants for a certainty that YHWH your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you—so we feared greatly for our lives because of you and did this thing. 25 And now, behold, we are in your hand. Whatever seems good and right in your sight to do to us, do it.” 26 So he did this to them and delivered them out of the hand of the people of Israel, and they did not kill them. 27 But Joshua made them that day cutters of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of YHWH, to this day, in the place that he should choose.
[[H1391. גִּבְעוֹן giḇ‘ôn: A proper noun designating Gibeon. A mighty city inhabited by Hivites (Horites?) who deceived Yehoshua and Israel into making a treaty of peace with them (Josh. 9:1-27). It was a powerful city (2 Sam. 10:2), and the surrounding peoples attacked it because it had made a treaty with Israel. Yehoshua and Israel, however, later fought with Gibeon and defeated a powerful coalition of Canaanite kings. God mightily intervened, and the sun “stood still” over Gibeon until their enemies were defeated (Josh. 10:1-15). The city was given to the tribe of Benjamin but became a Levitical city (Josh. 18:25). Several momentous events occurred in the city (2 Sam. 2:12-24; 20:8; 21:1-11). People from the city helped rebuild Yerushalayim’s walls (Neh. 3:7; 7:25). Yermiyahu cursed a false prophet from Gibeon (Jer. 28:1). It is located at El-Jib about 6 miles northwest of Yerushalayim.
Concordance
H1391. גִּבְעוֹן giḇ‘ôn proper noun
(Gibeon)
Josh. 9:3,17; 10:1,2,4-6,10,12,41; 11:19; 18:25; 21:17; 2 Sam. 2:12,13,16,24; 3:30; 20:8; 1 Kgs. 3:4,5; 9:2; 1 Chr. 8:29(see ’aḇiy giḇ‘ôn [H0025]); 9:35(see ’aḇiy giḇ‘ôn [H0025]); 14:16; 16:39; 21:29; 2 Chr. 1:3,13; Neh. 3:7; 7:25; Isa. 28:21; Jer. 28:1; 41:12,16.]]
H7411. רָמָה rāmāh:
A verb meaning to throw; to shoot (an arrow). It is used of the Lord’s throwing the Egyptian horsemen into the Red Sea (Ex. 15:1, 21). It indicates the shooters of bows, archers (Ps. 78:9; Jer. 4:29). A verb meaning to betray; to deceive. It means to lie, to deal craftily, to betray someone in a matter (Gen. 29:25; Josh. 9:22). It refers to covering for someone, pulling a trick (1 Sam. 19:17; 28:12; 2 Sam. 19:26). A certain crass, joking deception intended as humor is condemned (Prov. 26:19). Israel and her priests strayed from God and deceived Him (Lam. 1:19).
⦁ Genesis 29:25
25 And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Ya’akov said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived (H7411. רָמָה rāmāh) me?”
⦁ Proverbs 26:18-19
18 Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death
19 is the man who deceives (H7411. רָמָה rāmāh) his neighbor
and says, “I am only joking!”
Joshua 10:40 – 11:23
40 So Yehoshua struck the whole land, the hill country and the Negeb and the lowland and the slopes, and all their kings. He left none remaining, but devoted to destruction all that breathed, just as YHWH God of Israel commanded. 41 And Yehoshua struck them from Kadesh-barnea as far as Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, as far as Gibeon. 42 And Yehoshua captured all these kings and their land at one time, because YHWH God of Israel fought for Israel. 43 Then Yehoshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
Conquests in Northern Canaan
1 When Yabin, king of Hazor, heard of this, he sent to Yobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, 2 and to the kings who were in the northern hill country, and in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, and in the lowland, and in Naphoth-dor on the west, 3 to the Canaanites in the east and the west, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Yebusiy in the hill country, and the Hivites under Hermon (fr h2763. חָרַם ḥâram – destroy) in the land of Mizpah (fr h6822. צָפָה ṣâp̱â – watchman). 4 And they came out with all their troops, a great horde, in number like the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots. 5 And all these kings joined their forces and came and encamped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.
6 And YHWH said to Yehoshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow at this time I will give over all of them, slain, to Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.” 7 So Yehoshua and all his warriors came suddenly against them by the waters of Merom and fell upon them. 8 And YHWH gave them into the hand of Israel, who struck them and chased them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the Valley of Mizpeh. And they struck them until he left none remaining. 9 And Yehoshua did to them just as YHWH said to him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.
10 And Yehoshua turned back at that time and captured Hazor and struck its king with the sword, for Hazor formerly was the head of all those kingdoms. 11 And they struck with the sword all who were in it, devoting them to destruction; there was none left that breathed. And he burned Hazor with fire. 12 And all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, Yehoshua captured, and struck them with the edge of the sword, devoting them to destruction, just as Moses the servant of YHWH had commanded. 13 But none of the cities that stood on mounds did Israel burn, except Hazor alone; that Yehoshua burned. 14 And all the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the people of Israel took for their plunder. But every person they struck with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they did not leave any who breathed. 15 Just as YHWH had commanded Moshe his servant, so Moshe commanded Yehoshua, and so Yehoshua did. He left nothing undone of all that YHWH had commanded Moses.
16 So Yehoshua took all that land, the hill country and all the Negeb and all the land of Goshen and the lowland and the Arabah and the hill country of Israel and its lowland 17 from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. And he captured all their kings and struck them and put them to death. 18 Yehoshua made war a long time with all those kings. 19 There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took them all in battle. 20 For it was YHWH’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as YHWH commanded Moses.
21 And Yehoshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Yehudah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Yehoshua devoted them to destruction with their cities. 22 There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the people of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod did some remain. 23 So Yehoshua took the whole land, according to all that YHWH had spoken to Moshe. And Yehoshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.
Joshua 24:1-15
The Covenant Renewal at Shechem
1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says YHWH, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Yitzchak. 4 And to Yitzchak I gave Ya’akov and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Ya’akov and his children went down to Egypt. 5 And I sent Moshe and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterward I brought you out.
6 “‘Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 And when they cried to YHWH, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time. 8 Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Yarden. They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. 9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, 10 but I would not listen to Balaam. Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand. 11 And you went over the Yarden and came to Yericho, and the leaders of Yericho fought against you, and also the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Girgashite, the Hivite, and the Yebusiy. And I gave them into your hand. 12 And I sent the hornet (scourge) before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. 13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’
14 “Now therefore fear YHWH and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve YHWH. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve YHWH.”
Judges 3:1-6
1 Now these are the nations that YHWH left, to test (h5254. נָסָה nâsâ) Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. 2 It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before. 3 These are the nations: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanite and the Sidonian and the Hivite who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. 4 They were for the testing (h5254. נָסָה nâsâ) of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of YHWH, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moshe. 5 So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 6 And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.
2 Samuel 24:1-9
David’s Census
1 Again the anger of YHWH was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” 2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army, who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.” 3 But Joab said to the king, “May YHWH your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” 4 But the king’s word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to number the people of Israel. 5 They crossed the Jordan and began from Aroer, and from the city that is in the middle of the valley, toward Gad and on to Jazer. 6 Then they came to Gilead, and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittite; and they came to Dan, and from Dan they went around to Sidon, 7 and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivite and Canaanite; and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beersheba. 8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000.
1 Kings 9:15-25
15 And this is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon drafted to build the house of YHWH and his own house and the Millo and the wall of Yerushalayim and Hazor and Megiddo and Gezer 16 (Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured Gezer and burned it with fire, and had killed the Canaanite who lived in the city, and had given it as dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife; 17 so Solomon rebuilt Gezer) and Lower Beth-horon 18 and Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land of Yehudah, 19 and all the store cities that Solomon had, and the cities for his chariots, and the cities for his horsemen, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. 20 All the people who were left of the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Yebusiy, [[NOTE CANAANITE NOT HERE]] who were not of the people of Israel— 21 their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel were unable to devote to destruction—these Solomon drafted to be slaves, and so they are to this day. 22 But of the people of Israel Solomon made no slaves. They were the soldiers, they were his officials, his commanders, his captains, his chariot commanders and his horsemen.
23 These were the chief officers who were over Solomon’s work: 550 who had charge of the people who carried on the work.
24 But Pharaoh’s daughter went up from the city of David to her own house that Solomon had built for her. Then he built the Millo.
25 Three times a year Solomon used to offer up burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar that he built to YHWH, making offerings with it before YHWH. So he finished the house. (Solomon means peace – no Canaanites listed, no defeat, also no humiliation/humility)
1 Chronicles 1:1-27
From Adam to Abraham
1 Adam, Seth, Enosh; 2 Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared; 3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech; 4 Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
5 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 6 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 7 The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.
8 The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. 9 The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. 10 Cush fathered Nimrod. He was the first on earth to be a mighty man.
11 Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 12 Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim.
13 Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, 14 and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 15 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 16 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.
17 The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. And the sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech. 18 Arpachshad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber. 19 To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg (for in his days the earth was divided), and his brother’s name was Joktan. 20 Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 22 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan.
24 Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah; 25 Eber, Peleg, Reu; 26 Serug, Nahor, Terah; 27 Abram, that is, Abraham.
Olympus Digital Camera
2 Chronicles 8:1-9
Solomon’s Accomplishments
1 At the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house, 2 Solomon rebuilt the cities that Hiram had given to him, and settled the people of Israel in them.
3 And Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and took it. 4 He built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the store cities that he built in Hamath. 5 He also built Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars, 6 and Baalath, and all the store cities that Solomon had and all the cities for his chariots and the cities for his horsemen, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. 7 All the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel, 8 from their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel had not destroyed—these Solomon drafted as forced labor, and so they are to this day. 9 But of the people of Israel Solomon made no slaves for his work; they were soldiers, and his officers, the commanders of his chariots, and his horsemen.
Amorite and Hittite
Ezekiel 16:1-58
The Lord’s Faithless Bride
1 Again the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, make known to Yerushalayim her abominations, 3 and say, Thus says the Lord YHWH to Yerushalayim: Your origin and your birth are of the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite/Prominence and your mother a Hittite/Dismay. 4 And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born.
6 “And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ 7 I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare.
8 “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord YHWH, and you became mine. 9 Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. 10 I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. 12 And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. 14 And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord YHWH.
15 “But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his. 16 You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be. 17 You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore. 18 And you took your embroidered garments to cover them, and set my oil and my incense before them. 19 Also my bread that I gave you—I fed you with fine flour and oil and honey—you set before them for a pleasing aroma; and so it was, declares the Lord YHWH. 20 And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your whorings so small a matter 21 that you slaughtered my children and delivered them up as an offering by fire to them? 22 And in all your abominations and your whorings you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your blood.
23 “And after all your wickedness (woe, woe to you! declares the Lord YHWH), 24 you built yourself a vaulted chamber and made yourself a lofty place in every square. 25 At the head of every street you built your lofty place and made your beauty an abomination, offering yourself to any passerby and multiplying your whoring. 26 You also played the whore with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, multiplying your whoring, to provoke me to anger. 27 Behold, therefore, I stretched out my hand against you and diminished your allotted portion and delivered you to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior. 28 You played the whore also with the Assyrians, because you were not satisfied; yes, you played the whore with them, and still you were not satisfied. 29 You multiplied your whoring also with the trading land of Chaldea, and even with this you were not satisfied.
30 “How sick is your heart, declares the Lord God, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute, 31 building your vaulted chamber at the head of every street, and making your lofty place in every square. Yet you were not like a prostitute, because you scorned payment. 32 Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband! 33 Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from every side with your whorings. 34 So you were different from other women in your whorings. No one solicited you to play the whore, and you gave payment, while no payment was given to you; therefore you were different.
35 “Therefore, O prostitute, hear the word of YHWH: 36 Thus says the Lord YHWH, Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your whorings with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children that you gave to them, 37 therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from every side and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness. 38 And I will judge you as women who commit adultery and shed blood are judged, and bring upon you the blood of wrath and jealousy. 39 And I will give you into their hands, and they shall throw down your vaulted chamber and break down your lofty places. They shall strip you of your clothes and take your beautiful jewels and leave you naked and bare. 40 They shall bring up a crowd against you, and they shall stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. 41 And they shall burn your houses and execute judgments upon you in the sight of many women. I will make you stop playing the whore, and you shall also give payment no more. 42 So will I satisfy my wrath on you, and my jealousy shall depart from you. I will be calm and will no more be angry. 43 Because you have not remembered the days of your youth, but have enraged me with all these things, therefore, behold, I have returned your deeds upon your head, declares the Lord God. Have you not committed lewdness in addition to all your abominations?
44 “Behold, everyone who uses proverbs will use this proverb about you: ‘Like mother, like daughter.’ 45 You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and her children; and you are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. 46 And your elder sister is Samaria, who lived with her daughters to the north of you; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you, is Sodom with her daughters. 47 Not only did you walk in their ways and do according to their abominations; within a very little time you were more corrupt than they in all your ways. 48 As I live, declares the Lord YHWH, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. 49 Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it. 51 Samaria has not committed half your sins. You have committed more abominations than they, and have made your sisters appear righteous by all the abominations that you have committed. 52 Bear your disgrace, you also, for you have intervened on behalf of your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. So be ashamed, you also, and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.
53 “I will restore their fortunes, both the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters, and I will restore your own fortunes in their midst, 54 that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all that you have done, becoming a consolation to them. 55 As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters shall return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former state, and you and your daughters shall return to your former state. 56 Was not your sister Sodom a byword in your mouth in the day of your pride, 57 before your wickedness was uncovered? Now you have become an object of reproach for the daughters of Syria and all those around her, and for the daughters of the Philistines, those all around who despise you. 58 You bear the penalty of your lewdness and your abominations, declares the Lord.
Canaanite
We spoke earlier of Canaan’s “humbling” beginnings, his being a servant and “cursed.”
Genesis 28:1 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women.
Genesis 28:6-9 (ESV) Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women,” 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and gone to Paddan-aram. 8 So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac his father, 9 Esau went to Ishmael and took as his wife, besides the wives he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth.
Genesis 38:2 (ESV)
2 There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her and went in to her, – read context down through verse 30.
1 Chronicles 2:3 (ESV)
3 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan and Shelah; these three Bath-shua the Canaanite bore to him. Now Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death.
Matthew 15:21-28 (ESV) The Faith of a Canaanite Woman
21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
The Canaanites, indeed, tended not to be humble but had to be “humbled, subdued.” And this is why the example of the Canaanite woman in Matthew, being humble. (Just as Yeshua used the example of the Samaritan man, a hated group, in defining who is “neighbor.” Luke 10:25-37)
Perizzite
Genesis 34:30-31 (ESV) 30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me stink to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. My numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household.” 31 But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”
Joshua 24:11 (ESV)
11 And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand.
Judges 1:4-5 (ESV) 4 Then Judah went up and the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they defeated 10,000 of them at Bezek. 5 They found Adoni-bezek at Bezek and fought against him and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
1 Kings 9:20-22 (ESV) 20 All the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the people of Israel— 21 their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel were unable to devote to destruction—these Solomon drafted to be slaves, and so they are to this day.
Jebusite
Deuteronomy 7:1-2 (ESV) 1 “When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you, 2 and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. – continue through verse 5
Deuteronomy 20:16-18 (ESV Strong’s) 16 But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, 17 but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded, 18 that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God.
Joshua 3:10 (ESV)
10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
We are expected to purge these things from our lives. They will be tests that are presented to us, tests to be overcome. As God brought forth honor and wealth (prosperity) to Solomon (Shlomo), he was not “a man after God’s own heart” as was his father David (1S 13:14Acts 13:22), but rather sold his heart to “foreign wives” and sacrificed to their gods (1K 11:8).
It is a message that continues to be shared. The “gods” of this world are not to be our “gods.” We are not to fall prey to prosperity, deceit, violence, etc. Our prestige, our pocketbooks, our cell phones, our flat-screen TVs, our cars, all are “gods” of this world. We are to love YHWH with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, He being the “One God.” (Dt 6:4-5; Mk 12:29-30; et al) Because we are weak, on our own, we must focus on our Heavenly Father, who helps us conquer those trials, challenges, tests.
Judges 10:6-8 (ESV) Further Disobedience and Oppression
6 The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of YHWH and served the Baals (בעל take possession) and the Ashtaroth (עשׁר enrich; wealth), the gods of Syria (ארם rise; exalted), the gods of Sidon (צוד trap; execute a planned act), the gods of Moab (מואב “of father”), the gods of the Ammonites (עםון, עמם tribal; inbred; develop without outside influence), and the gods of the Philistines (פלשׁ immigrants; penetrate; force through). And they forsook YHWH and did not serve him. 7 So the anger of YHWH was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, 8 and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
⦁ The Concise Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew, David J.A. Clines, Sheffield Phoenix Press, Ltd., Sheffield, England, 2009, p179.
⦁⦁ op. cit., p366.
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