The Hivites are one of the several Canaanite tribes mentioned in the Old Testament. They are first introduced in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10:17, where they are listed as descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham. The Hivites are frequently mentioned in the context of the land that the Israelites were to conquer and possess.

In Genesis 34, the Hivites are notably involved in the narrative of Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah. Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, defiles Dinah, leading to a violent retaliation by her brothers Simeon and Levi. This incident highlights the complex and often hostile interactions between the Israelites and the Hivite people.

The Hivites are also mentioned during the conquest of Canaan under Joshua. In Joshua 9, the Gibeonites, who are identified as Hivites, deceive the Israelites into making a peace treaty with them by pretending to be from a distant land. This treaty is honored by the Israelites, despite the deception, due to the oath they swore before God. Joshua 9:15 states, "And Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them."

The Hivites are listed among the nations that God commanded the Israelites to drive out of the Promised Land. In Exodus 3:8 , God declares, "I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites."

Canaanites

The Canaanites are a significant group in the Old Testament, representing the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, which God promised to the descendants of Abraham. The term "Canaanite" is often used broadly to describe various tribes living in the region, including the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, among others.

The Canaanites are first mentioned in Genesis 9:18, where Canaan is identified as the son of Ham and the grandson of Noah. The curse of Canaan, pronounced by Noah in Genesis 9:25, has been a subject of much theological discussion and is often seen as a prophetic declaration of the future subjugation of the Canaanite peoples.

Throughout the Pentateuch, the Canaanites are depicted as a people whose idolatrous practices and moral corruption are in stark contrast to the covenantal holiness required of the Israelites. In Leviticus 18:3 , God instructs the Israelites, "You must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. You must not walk in their customs."

The conquest of Canaan is a central theme in the book of Joshua, where the Israelites, under Joshua's leadership, are commanded to take possession of the land. The Canaanites are portrayed as formidable adversaries, yet their defeat is assured by divine promise. Joshua 3:10 states, "Joshua said, 'By this you will know that the living God is among you and that He will surely drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites.'"

Despite the command to drive out the Canaanites, remnants of these peoples remained in the land, leading to ongoing conflicts and the Israelites' eventual adoption of some Canaanite practices, which the biblical narrative often attributes to Israel's spiritual decline. The Canaanites, therefore, serve as both a literal and symbolic representation of the challenges to Israel's faithfulness to God.