The Canaanites were a group of ancient people who inhabited the land of Canaan, a region that roughly corresponds to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and parts of Jordan and Syria. The term "Canaanite" is often used in the Bible to describe the various tribes and peoples living in this region before the Israelite conquest. The Canaanites are frequently mentioned in the Old Testament as the inhabitants of the Promised Land, which God promised to the descendants of Abraham.

The Canaanites were known for their polytheistic religion, which included the worship of deities such as Baal and Asherah. Their religious practices often involved rituals that were considered abominable by the Israelites, including child sacrifice and temple prostitution. In Deuteronomy 7:1-2 , God commands the Israelites, "When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess, and He drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—seven nations larger and stronger than you—and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must devote them to complete destruction."

The Canaanites' moral and religious practices were a significant reason for God's command to the Israelites to drive them out of the land. The Israelites were warned not to adopt the Canaanites' ways, as seen in Leviticus 18:3 : "You must not follow the practices of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. You must not walk in their customs."

Hivites

The Hivites were one of the several Canaanite tribes mentioned in the Bible. They are often listed among the nations that inhabited the land of Canaan before the Israelite conquest. The Hivites are first mentioned in Genesis 10:17 as descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham. They are also noted in Genesis 34, where Shechem, a Hivite prince, defiles Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, leading to a violent retaliation by her brothers Simeon and Levi.

The Hivites are perhaps best known for their cunning deception of the Israelites during the conquest of Canaan. In Joshua 9, the Gibeonites, who were Hivites, tricked Joshua and the Israelites into making a peace treaty with them 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?'" Despite the deception, the Israelites honored the treaty, and the Gibeonites became servants to the Israelites.

The Hivites were eventually absorbed into the Israelite nation, and their presence is noted in the context of Solomon's reign, where they were among the peoples subjected to forced labor (1 Kings 9:20-21).

Jebusites

The Jebusites were another Canaanite tribe, known primarily for their control of Jerusalem, which was originally called Jebus. They are first mentioned in Genesis 10:16 as descendants of Canaan. The Jebusites are frequently listed among the nations that the Israelites were commanded to dispossess from the Promised Land.

Jerusalem, under Jebusite control, was a fortified city that resisted Israelite conquest until the time of King David. In 2 Samuel 5:6-7 , it is recorded, "Now the king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites who inhabited the land. And the Jebusites said to David, 'You will never get in here; even the blind and lame can repel you,' thinking, 'David cannot get in here.' Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David)."

After David's conquest, Jerusalem became the political and spiritual center of Israel. The Jebusites were not entirely driven out but were assimilated into the Israelite population. The Jebusite Araunah's threshing floor became the site where Solomon later built the Temple (2 Samuel 24:18-25).

The Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites represent the diverse and often adversarial cultures that the Israelites encountered in their divinely ordained mission to settle the land of Canaan. Their interactions with these peoples are a significant part of the biblical narrative, illustrating themes of faithfulness, obedience, and the consequences of disobedience to God's commands.