The Hittite Empire and Its Significance in the Bible
The Hittite Empire was a significant power in the ancient Near East, and its legacy is woven throughout the biblical narrative. The biblical account first introduces the Hittites as descendants of Heth, son of Canaan (Genesis 10:15) [4]. They are described as inhabiting the region between the Euphrates and Damascus, with key cities at Carchemish and Kadesh [2].
In the biblical narrative, the Hittites are often listed among the nations that inhabited Canaan before the Israelites. Deuteronomy 7:1 and 20:17 enumerate the Hittites among the seven nations that Israel was commanded to destroy upon entering the Promised Land [3, 5]. However, the biblical account also records interactions between the Israelites and the Hittites that were peaceful. For example, Abraham purchased a burial site from the Hittites in Hebron (Genesis 23:3-20) [1, 10].
The Hittite Empire itself was a major power in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) during the second millennium BCE. Its influence extended into Syria and Canaan, where Hittite colonies were established [6]. The empire's collapse around 1200 BCE did not eradicate the Hittite presence in the region, as people known as Hittites continued to live in Israel [6].
The biblical prophets also referenced the Hittites. Ezekiel 16:3 describes Jerusalem's origins as being tied to the Amorites and Hittites, indicating a complex cultural heritage for the city [7, 11]. The presence of Hittites in the biblical account serves as a reminder of the complex cultural and political landscape of the ancient Near East.
The significance of the Hittites in the biblical narrative is multifaceted. They represent one of the many nations that Israel encountered and interacted with, often in complex and nuanced ways. The biblical account preserves a record of these interactions, highlighting both the conflicts and the peaceful exchanges between the Israelites and the Hittites [1, 10].
The historical record confirms the biblical depiction of the Hittites as a significant power. Egyptian and Assyrian inscriptions attest to the Hittites' military prowess and extensive dominion [8]. The biblical account, therefore, is not isolated in its recognition of the Hittites' importance in the ancient world.
The legacy of the Hittite Empire in the biblical narrative underscores the rich cultural and historical context in which the Israelites lived. Their interactions with the Hittites, among other nations, shaped the Israelites' understanding of themselves and their place within the ancient Near Eastern world [9].
Sources
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Hittits — (descendans of Heth), The, the nation descended from Cheth (Authorized Version [623]Heth), the second son of Canaan. Abraham bought from the "children of Heth" the field and the cave of Machpelah, belonging to Ephron the Hittite. 'They were then settled at the town which was afterwards, under its new name of Hebron, to become one of the most famous cities of Palestine, and which then bore the name of Kir-jath-arba. (Genesis 23:19; 25:9) When the Israelites entered the promised land, we find the Hittites taking part against the invader, in equal alliance with”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Hittites — Palestine and Syria appear to have been originally inhabited by three different tribes. (1.) The Semites, living on the east of the isthmus of Suez. They were nomadic and pastoral tribes. (2.) The Phoenicians, who were merchants and traders; and (3.) the Hittites, who were the warlike element of this confederation of tribes. They inhabited the whole region between the Euphrates and Damascus, their chief cities being Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Kadesh, now Tell Neby Mendeh, in the Orontes valley, about six miles south of the Lake of Homs. These Hittite”
- Deuteronomy “but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; as Yahweh your God has commanded you; -- Deuteronomy 20:17”
- Genesis “Genesis 15:20 (NASB) — and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim”
- Deuteronomy “When Yahweh your God brings you into the land where you go to possess it, and casts out many nations before you, the Hittite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations greater and mightier than you; -- Deuteronomy 7:1”
- Deuteronomy (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Deuteronomy 7:1: 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 ”
- Ezekiel (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Ezekiel 16:3: birth . . . nativity--thy origin and birth; literally, "thy diggings" (compare Isa 51:1) "and thy bringings forth." of . . . Canaan--in which Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob sojourned before going to Egypt, and from which thou didst derive far more of thy innate characteristics than from the virtues of those thy progenitors (Eze 21:30). an Amorite . . . an Hittite--These, being the most powerful tribes, stand for the whole of the Canaanite nations (compare Jos 1:4; Amo 2:9), which were so abominably corrupt as to have been doomed to utter extermination ”
- Joshua (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Joshua 1:4: all the land of the Hittites--These occupied the southern extremities and were the dominant tribe of Canaan. Their superior power and the extent of their dominions are attested by the mention of them under the name of Khita, on the Assyrian inscriptions, and still more frequently on the Egyptian inscriptions of the eighteenth and nineteenth Dynasties. What life and encouragement must have been imparted to Joshua by the assurance that his people, who had been overwhelmed with fear of that gigantic race, were to possess "all the land of the Hittites"!”
- Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 10:15: 10:15-18 Sidon settled in Phoenicia, north of Canaan. • Hittites: The Hittites in Genesis were a coalition of cities within Canaan (see 26:34-35; 27:46; Ezek 16:3). They were probably not the same as the Hittites of Anatolia (Asia Minor), whose empire was one of the great empires of antiquity during the patriarchal period. • The Jebusites were ancient inhabitants of Jerusalem (Josh 15:63; Judg 19:10-11; 2 Sam 5:6-9). • The Amorites lived throughout the mountains of Palestine in Canaan (see Gen 15:16; 48:22; Num 13:29; Deut 3:8; Josh 10:5; Judg 1:35; 10:8; Ezek 1”
- Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 23:3: 23:3-4 Abraham bargained with local Hittite elders for a piece of land for a burial site. These Hittites had apparently migrated south to Canaan from the great Hittite empire in eastern Asia Minor (modern Turkey; cp. 10:15). • Abraham was a stranger and a foreigner among these people; his hope was in God’s promise that he would eventually possess the land.”
- Ezekiel (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ezekiel 16:44: 16:44-45 Jerusalem’s “parents” were a Hittite and an Amorite. Hittites and Amorites were previous occupants of Canaan who were cut off from the land because of their sins (cp. Gen 15:16). The pagan city of Jerusalem was captured and incorporated into Israel in David’s time (2 Sam 5:6-10). Jerusalem’s subsequent behavior was in keeping with her heredity.”