Deuteronomy 7:3

7:1-26 Before Israel could occupy the land of promise (cp. Gen 13:14-17; 15:18-21), the nations already living there had to be removed. The land was the Lord’s, and only he could determine who the inhabitants should be. 7:1 The Hittites were native to Anatolia (now north-central Turkey). They established colonies in far-flung areas such as Syria and were also linked to Canaan in the list of ancient nations (see Gen 10:15; 23:3-20). The Hittite empire came to a sudden end around 1200 BC, but people known as Hittites continued to live in Israel (e.g., Uriah the Hittite, 2 Sam 11:3; 23:39). It is impossible to prove that the Hittites of Anatolia were the same as those mentioned in the OT, but some commonality is probable. • Girgashites were an otherwise unknown Canaanite people (Gen 10:16-17). • Amorites: See study note on Deut 1:4. • The Canaanites were the native people of Canaan; their habitation there can be traced back to 3000 BC. They descended from Noah’s son Ham (see Gen 9:18-27). • The Perizzites are not listed in the Table of Nations (Gen 10:16-17), so they might not have been related to the Canaanites. • Many scholars identify the Hivites as the Horites (or Hurrians; see study note on Deut 2:1), a non-Semitic people found throughout the ancient Near East. • The Jebusites were associated with Jerusalem (Judg 1:21; 2 Sam 5:6-8). David bought a piece of land from Araunah the Jebusite to build an altar (2 Sam 24:15-25); this property later became the site of the Temple (2 Chr 3:1).