Topical Bible: Hivites

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Topical Encyclopedia

The Hivites are one of the several Canaanite tribes mentioned in the Old Testament, known for inhabiting the land of Canaan prior to the arrival of the Israelites. They are frequently listed among the nations that the Israelites were commanded to drive out of the Promised Land. The Hivites are first mentioned in Genesis 10:17 as descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham, making them part of the broader Canaanite family.

Biblical References and Historical Context

The Hivites are mentioned in several key passages throughout the Old Testament. In Genesis 34, they are associated with the city of Shechem, where Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, defiles Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. This incident leads to a violent reprisal by Dinah's brothers, Simeon and Levi.

In the conquest narratives of the Book of Joshua, the Hivites are listed among the nations that inhabit the land promised to the Israelites. Joshua 9 recounts the cunning strategy of the Gibeonites, who were Hivites, to secure a peace treaty with Israel by pretending to be from a distant land. Joshua 9:7 states, "The men of Israel replied to the Hivites, 'Perhaps you dwell near us. How can we make a treaty with you?'" This treaty, once discovered, was honored by the Israelites, although the Gibeonites were subjected to servitude.

The Hivites are also mentioned in Joshua 11:3, where they are described as dwelling in the region of Mount Hermon in the land of Mizpah. This indicates that the Hivites occupied a significant portion of the northern Canaanite territory.

Cultural and Religious Practices

The Hivites, like other Canaanite tribes, practiced polytheism and were known for their idolatrous worship, which was in direct opposition to the monotheistic worship of Yahweh commanded to the Israelites. The Israelites were warned against adopting the religious practices of the Hivites and other Canaanite peoples. In Exodus 23:23-24 , God instructs, "For My angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will annihilate them. You must not bow down to their gods or serve them, nor follow their practices. Instead, you are to demolish them and smash their sacred stones to pieces."

Role in Israel's History

The presence of the Hivites in the land of Canaan posed a significant challenge to the Israelites, both militarily and spiritually. The Israelites' interactions with the Hivites, particularly the Gibeonites, highlight the complexities of maintaining covenant faithfulness amidst foreign influences. The treaty with the Gibeonites, while initially deceptive, became a lasting relationship, as seen in later texts where the Gibeonites are integrated into Israelite society, serving as woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and the altar of the Lord (Joshua 9:27).

The Hivites' continued presence in the land serves as a reminder of the incomplete conquest of Canaan and the ongoing struggle of the Israelites to fully obey God's commands regarding the inhabitants of the land. Despite their initial deception, the Gibeonite Hivites are later seen as loyal allies to Israel, as evidenced in the account of King Saul's breach of the treaty, which resulted in divine retribution during the reign of King David (2 Samuel 21:1-14).

Conclusion

The Hivites, as part of the Canaanite nations, played a significant role in the narrative of Israel's conquest and settlement of the Promised Land. Their interactions with the Israelites, particularly through the Gibeonite treaty, illustrate the challenges of maintaining covenantal purity and the complexities of ancient Near Eastern diplomacy. The biblical portrayal of the Hivites underscores the importance of obedience to God's commands and the consequences of failing to fully carry out His instructions.

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Hivites

wicked; wickedness

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Hivites

(villagers), The, descendants --the six in order-- of Canaan the son of Ham. (Genesis 10:17; 1 Chronicles 1:15) We first encounter the actual people of the Hivites at the time of Jacob's return to Canaan. (Genesis 34:2) We next meet with the Hivites during the conquest of Canaan. (Joshua 9:7; 11:19) The main body of the Hivites were at this time living in the northern confines of western Palestine-- "under Hermon, in the land of Mizpeh," (Joshua 11:3) --"in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entering in of Hamath." (Judges 3:3) comp. 2Sam 24:7

ATS Bible Dictionary

Hivites

See CANAANITES.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

One of the original tribes scattered over Palestine, from Hermon to Gibeon in the south. The name is interpreted as "midlanders" or "villagers" (Genesis 10:17; 1 Chronicles 1:15). They were probably a branch of the Hittites. At the time of Jacob's return to Canaan, Hamor the Hivite was the "prince of the land" (Genesis 24:2-28).

They are next mentioned during the Conquest (Joshua 9:7; 11:19). They principally inhabited the northern confines of Western Palestine (Joshua 11:3; Judges 3:3). A remnant of them still existed in the time of Solomon (1 Kings 9:20).

Strong's Hebrew

2340. Chivvi -- probably "villagers," a Canaanite tribe
... Word Origin probably from the same as chavvah Definition probably "villagers," a
Canaanite tribe NASB Word Usage Hivite (14), Hivites (11). Hivite. ...
/hebrew/2340.htm - 6k

Library

Chapter xxxiv
... Though right in refusing the proposition of the Hivites"for had Israel accepted,
his descendants would have disappeared among the more numerous Canaanites ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxxiv.htm

Joshua's Conquest.
... While there were many war-like people crowded into Palestine, seven, the Hittites,
the Girgashites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, the Amorites ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter viii joshuas conquest.htm

North and South
... Canaanites and Hivites, and Jebusites have to be driven out; yea, in fact, the whole
world seems still to lie in darkness, and under the dominion of the wicked ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/north and south.htm

Now of These one Fell under a Curse, and the Two Others Inherited ...
... For the Canaanites and Hittites and Peresites and Hivites and Amorites and Jebusites
and Gergasites and Sodomites, the Arabians also and the dwellers in ...
/.../the demonstration of the apostolic preaching/chapter 20 now of these.htm

'The Waters Saw Thee; they were Afraid'
... shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive
out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the waters saw thee they.htm

The Call of Moses
... bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and
the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the call of moses.htm

Of the Meaning of the Sacrifice Abraham was Commanded to Offer ...
... and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and
the Rephaims, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Hivites, and the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 24 of the meaning of.htm

Canaan
... their own. In the north they were known as Hivites, at Hebron they were called
Anakim, at Jerusalem they were Jebusites. The Amorite ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter ii canaan.htm

Here Next Followeth the History of Moses
... into a good land and spacious, into a land that floweth milk and honey, unto the
places of Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/here next followeth the history.htm

The Sovereignty of God in Reprobation
... There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites
the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle. ...
/.../pink/the sovereignty of god/chapter five the sovereignty of.htm

Thesaurus

Hivites (24 Occurrences)
... 20). Multi-Version Concordance Hivites (24 Occurrences). Genesis 10:17 and
the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite; (See RSV NIV). ...
/h/hivites.htm - 15k

Perizzites (23 Occurrences)
... unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the
Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the ...
/p/perizzites.htm - 15k

Jebusites (29 Occurrences)
... unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the
Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the ...
/j/jebusites.htm - 17k

Hivite (25 Occurrences)
... In the list of Canaanite peoples given in Genesis 15:19-21, the Hivites are omitted
in the Hebrew text, though inserted in Septuagint and S. Gesenius suggests ...
/h/hivite.htm - 17k

Girgashites (7 Occurrences)
... hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the
Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the ...
/g/girgashites.htm - 8k

Per'izzites (21 Occurrences)
... Judges 3:5 So the people of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the
Amorites, the Per'izzites, the Hivites, and the Jeb'usites; (DBY RSV). ...
/p/per'izzites.htm - 13k

Perizzite (22 Occurrences)
... Judges 3:5 The children of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, and
the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites: (Root in ...
/p/perizzite.htm - 16k

Jeb'usites (30 Occurrences)
... Judges 3:5 So the people of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the
Amorites, the Per'izzites, the Hivites, and the Jeb'usites; (DBY RSV). ...
/j/jeb'usites.htm - 16k

Bethhoron (12 Occurrences)
... Close to Ai, Joshua's most recent conquest, was Beeroth, a small town inhabited
by Hivites; and no doubt because in the natural order of events Beeroth might ...
/b/bethhoron.htm - 30k

Beth-horon (12 Occurrences)
... Close to Ai, Joshua's most recent conquest, was Beeroth, a small town inhabited
by Hivites; and no doubt because in the natural order of events Beeroth might ...
/b/beth-horon.htm - 30k

Resources

What was the significance of the Jordan crossing? | GotQuestions.org

Who were the Canaanites? | GotQuestions.org

Why was Israel called the land of milk and honey? | GotQuestions.org

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Hivites (24 Occurrences)

Genesis 10:17
and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite;
(See RSV NIV)

Exodus 3:8
And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
(KJV DBY WBS RSV NIV)

Exodus 3:17
And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.
(KJV DBY WBS RSV NIV)

Exodus 13:5
And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month.
(KJV WBS RSV NIV)

Exodus 23:23
For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.
(KJV DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 23:28
And I will send the hornet before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
(See NAS NIV)

Exodus 33:2
and I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite--
(See RSV NIV)

Exodus 34:11
Observe thou that which I am commanding thee this day; behold, I am driving out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
(See RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 7:1
When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;
(KJV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 20:17
But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:
(KJV DBY WBS RSV NIV)

Joshua 3:10
And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
(KJV DBY WBS RSV NIV)

Joshua 9:1
Now on hearing the news of these things, all the kings on the west side of Jordan, in the hill-country and the lowlands and by the Great Sea in front of Lebanon, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites,
(BBE RSV NIV)

Joshua 9:7
The men of Israel said to the Hivites, "What if you live among us. How could we make a covenant with you?"
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 11:3
And to the Canaanites on the east and on the west, and to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites in the hill-country, and the Hivites under Hermon in the land of Mizpah.
(BBE RSV NIV)

Joshua 11:19
There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took all in battle.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 12:8
In the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and in the springs, and in the wilderness, and in the south country; the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites:
(KJV BBE DBY WBS RSV NIV)

Joshua 24:11
And you went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand.
(KJV BBE DBY WBS RSV NIV)

Judges 3:3
namely, the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Judges 3:5
The children of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

2 Samuel 24:7
and came to the stronghold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites; and they went out to the south of Judah, at Beersheba.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

1 Kings 9:20
As for all the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the children of Israel;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

1 Chronicles 1:15
and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite;
(See NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 8:7
As for all the people who were left of the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 17:9
In that day your towns will be like the waste places of the Hivites and the Amorites which the children of Israel took for a heritage, and they will come to destruction.
(BBE RSV)

Subtopics

Hivites

Hivites: A Part of, Left to Prove Israel

Hivites: A Tribe of Canaanites

Hivites: Conquered by Joshua

Hivites: Descended from Canaan

Hivites: Dwelling Place of

Hivites: Dwelt Near Lebanon

Hivites: Esau Intermarried With

Hivites: Esau Intermarries With

Hivites: Israel Commanded to Destroy

Hivites: Land of, Promised to Israel