The cities of the Hittites therefore should have been destroyed and their inhabitants wiped out so that they would not be a danger to Israel’s loyalty to God and cause them to incur God’s disfavor. (Deut. 20:16-18) But Israel carried out God’s command imperfectly. After Joshua passed off the scene they disobediently failed to clear out these nations, which remained as a thorn in the side and a constant harassment to them.—Num. 33:55, 56.

LATER HISTORY

Because Israel did not obey God by destroying the Canaanite nations completely, God declared: “I, in turn, have said, ‘I shall not drive them away from before you, and they must become snares to you, and their gods will serve as a lure to you.’” (Judg. 2:3) It appears that those Canaanites remaining among Israel were tolerated and, in some rare instances, even given positions of respect and responsibility. Also, it seems that, of the Canaanite nations, only the Hittites maintained prominence and strength as a nation.—1 Ki. 10:29; 2 Ki. 7:6.

Two Hittites were soldiers, possibly officers, in David’s army, namely, Ahimelech and Uriah. It was Bathsheba the wife of Uriah the Hittite with whom David had relations and then ordered Uriah to be put into a dangerous position in battle, where he was killed. For this David was punished by God. Uriah was a man zealous for the victory of Israel over its enemies, and one who observed the Law.—1 Sam. 26:6; 2 Sam. 11:3, 4, 11, 15-17; 12:9-12.

King Solomon levied men from among the Hittites for slavish forced labor. (2 Chron. 8:7, 8) However, his foreign wives, among whom were Hittite women, caused Solomon to turn away from Jehovah his God (1 Ki. 11:1-6) The Hittites are mentioned in the Bible as having kings and warring ability as late as the reign of King Jehoram of Israel (917-905 B.C.E.). (2 Ki. 7:6) However, the Syrian, Assyrian and Babylonian conquests of the land apparently shattered the Hittites as a power.

After the restoration of Israel from exile in 537 B.C.E., the people of Israel and even some of the priests and Levites married women of the Canaanite nations and gave their daughters to Canaanite men, among these being Hittites. This was in violation of God’s law. For this, Ezra reproved them, moving them to an agreement to put away their foreign wives.—Ezra 9:1, 2; 10:14, 16-19, 44.

FIGURATIVE USE

Jehovah, speaking through the prophet Ezekiel, used the term “Hittite” in a figurative sense in speaking to Jerusalem. He said: “Your origin and your birth were from the land of the Canaanite. Your father was the Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite.” Jerusalem, the capital of the nation, upon which Jehovah placed his name was, when Israel entered the land, a city occupied by the Jebusites. But since the most prominent tribes were the Amorites and the Hittites, these are apparently used as representative of the nations of Canaan, including the Jebusites. So Jehovah seems to be saying that the city had a lowly heritage, but that Jehovah had caused it to be beautified so that, through King David, sitting on “Jehovah’s throne” (1 Chron. 29:23), with the ark of the covenant on Mount Zion, and finally, the glorious temple built by David’s son Solomon, the fame of Jerusalem came to be spread about among the nations. But Jerusalem became like the Canaanite nations around her, corrupt and immoral, for which Jehovah finally brought desolation upon her.—Ezek. chap. 16.

SECULAR ATTEMPTS AT IDENTIFICATION

Historians and archaeologists have tried to identify the Hittites of the Bible in secular history. Their primary basis for making identifications has been linguistic, the comparison of words apparently having similar sound or spelling.

In the Assyrian cuneiform texts frequent reference is made to “Hatti” in a context that usually places it in Syria or Palestine. These may be references to the Biblical Hittites. However, on the basis of this term “Hatti,” scholars try to identify the Bible Hittites with the so-called “Hittite Empire” that had its capital in Asia Minor, far to the N and W of the land of Canaan. This they try to do in the following manner, but in doing so they have labeled three different groups of people “Hittites.”

THREE GROUPS “IDENTIFIED”

In Anatolia (a part of what is now called Turkey) in Asia Minor, many ancient texts have been unearthed at Bogazkoy, formerly called “Hattusas.” It was the capital of a land that modern scholars have called “Hatti,” evidently basing the name on the similarity of sound of the words “Hattusa” and “Hatti.” On this basis scholars have called the language of certain texts discovered at Bogazkoy “Hattic” or “Hittite.” Modern theory holds that these early people were overrun by conquerors who brought in a different language, according to scholars an Indo-European language. This language used cuneiform script. Later a yet different language using hieroglyphic script superseded the cuneiform script. Some examples of texts in this language are said to have been found in both Asia Minor and northern Syria. Scholars say that these three languages represent three groups. But there is no proof that any of these were the Bible Hittites; in fact, the similarity between the names “Hittite” and “Hattusa” is very meager evidence on which to identify as the Hittites of the Bible these people so far N and W of Palestine.

UNCERTAINTY

As a matter of fact, the cuneiform language discovered in Anatolia (Asia Minor) was not called “Hittite” in any of the texts. Naming it “Hittite” was an invention of scholars. And so, as to the hieroglyphic writing found (as claimed) in Asia Minor and northern Syria, one scholar says that the conventional term “Hittite” is irrelevant and confusing when applied to it. Another says: “The beginnings of the Hittite hieroglyphic writing are still rather obscure, but all indications point toward the Aegean cultural area as its source of origin.” (A Study of Writing, by I. J. Gelb, 1952, p. 83) The Aegean Sea lies between Asia Minor and Greece. This would seem to remove it from the realm of the Hittites of the Bible.

One historian, E. A. Speiser, concludes: “The problem of the Hittites in the Bible is . . . complex. To begin with, there is the question as to which type of Hittites may be involved in any given Biblical passage: Hattians, Indo-European Hittites of the cuneiform records, or hieroglyphic Hittites.”—The World History of the Jewish People, 1964, Vol. One, p. 160.

From the foregoing it can be seen that any supposed identification of the Hittites of the Bible with the “Hittite Empire” that had as its capital city Hattusas is merely conjecture and has not been proved. Because of this uncertainty, references in this publication to the secular “Hittites” are generally set in quotation marks to remind the reader that such identification is not proved, and that we do not feel that the evidence is strong enough to view such identification as conclusive.

HIVITES

(Hiʹvites).

A people descended from Canaan the son of Ham. (Gen. 10:6, 15, 17; 1 Chron. 1:13, 15) Hivites inhabited the city of Shechem in the days of the patriarch Jacob. The sons of Jacob, led by Simeon and Levi, killed every male and plundered the city because Shechem the son of Hamor the chieftain had defiled their sister Dinah.—Gen. 34:1-29.

When Israel entered the Promised Land the Hivites constituted one of the seven Canaanite nations that God promised to drive out before them. (Ex. 3:8, 17; 13:5; 23:23, 28; 33:2; 34:11) These nations were said to be more populous and mighty than Israel. (Deut. 7:1) Moses commanded the Israelites to devote them to destruction, leaving none alive when capturing their cities, because of their detestable practices and their pagan gods. Otherwise they would prove to be a snare and would cause Israel to come into God’s disfavor.—Lev. 18:27, 28; Deut. 18:9-13; 20:15-18.

Before Joshua led the armies of Israel across the Jordan into Canaan he first emphasized that the ark of the covenant represented God’s presence among them. At this time the Jordan River was at flood stage. The miraculous parting of the waters as the priests carrying the Ark stepped into the river was pointed to by Joshua as a sign that God would give them victory over the seven Canaanite nations.—Josh. 3:10-13.

The Bible records Joshua’s total destruction of the cities of those nations. (Josh. chaps. 10, 11) Hivites residing “at the base of [Mount] Hermon in the land of Mizpah” were among the tribes joining the Canaanite kings against Joshua at the bidding of Jabin king of Hazor. (Josh. 11:1-3) Hivites are listed among those fighting against Israel and suffering defeat. (Josh. 9:1, 2; 12:7, 8; 24:11) However, there was one group of the Hivite nation that was spared. (Josh. 9:3, 7) This group was the Gibeonites, evidently representing three other Hivite cities as well. These alone feared Jehovah, recognizing that he was fighting for Israel. By a stratagem they managed to enter into a covenant with Israel’s leaders and so were not killed but were made menial servants of Israel. (Josh. 9:1-15, 24-27) This is one instance of the fulfillment of Noah’s curse upon Canaan, in that the Gibeonites and their associates, though not destroyed, became slaves of the Shemites.—Gen. 9:25-27.

Jehovah indicated his approval of Israel’s faithful keeping of their covenant with these Hivites by fighting for Gibeon’s protection against the surrounding Canaanite nations that came against them as a result of their covenant with Israel. (Josh. 10:1-14) From this time on the Gibeonites dwelt peaceably with Israel. (2 Sam. 21:1-6) They are called “Amorites” at 2 Samuel 21:2, but this is evidently because “Amorite” was a term often applied to the Canaanite nations in general, since the Amorites were one of the most powerful tribes. (See AMORITE.) At the time of Joshua’s conquest these approved Hivites resided in the city of Gibeon, located not far NW of Jerusalem, also in Chephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath-jearim. Gibeon is described as ‘a great city, like one of the royal cities, and greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty ones.’—Josh. 10:2; 9:17.

After Joshua’s death Israel failed to continue to clear out the Canaanite nations as God had commanded, even intermarrying with them. Hence, the Bible record reads: “Now these are the nations that Jehovah let stay so as by them to test Israel, . . . The five axis lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, even the Sidonians and the Hivites inhabiting Mount Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon as far as to the entering in of Hamath. . . . and they [the Israelites] took up serving their gods.”—Judg. 3:1-6.

This passage locates the Hivites as mountain dwellers in the Lebanon range clear up to the northernmost part of the Promised Land. (Num. 34:8; Josh. 11:1, 3) When Joab and his men took a census at King David’s command “they came to the fortress of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites.” (2 Sam. 24:7) Tyre was evidently just below the southern end of the Hivite territory.

During Solomon’s nationwide building program he used Canaanites, including Hivites, for forced labor under the direction of Israelite overseers. This further fulfilled Noah’s prophetic curse on Canaan.—1 Ki. 9:20-23; 2 Chron. 8:7-10.

HIVITES, HORITES AND HURRIANS

At Genesis 36:2 Zibeon, the grandfather of one of Esau’s wives, is called a Hivite. But verses 20 and 24 list him as a descendant of Seir the Horite. It is possible that, in Genesis 36:2, a copyist confused the Hebrew letters rehsh (====) and waw (====), which are very similar in appearance. Perhaps, therefore, verse 2 should read “Zibeon the Horite.”

On the other hand, the word “Horite” may be derived from Hebrew hohr, “cave” or “hole,” and may mean merely “cave dweller.” This would eliminate any discrepancy between the texts at Genesis 36:2 and verses 20, 24. Nevertheless, it seems more likely that the Horites were a separate nation.—See HORITE.

Archaeologists have unearthed ancient writings that scholars have interpreted as proof that a nation called “Hurrians” inhabited the regions of Armenia, Anatolia and Syria and parts of Palestine from patriarchal times, and they believe that this people included the Hivites, Horites and Jebusites. They equate “Horite” with “Hivite” and believe that somehow the Hurrians came to be called Hivites. Their theory is based to a great extent on linguistic similarities, particularly in proper names. The name “Horite” is, therefore, generally thought by them to be related to “Hurrian” rather than to mean “cave dweller.”

The Bible, however, seems to make a definite distinction between these tribes, and does not mention the name Hurrian. Therefore it is wiser to await further evidence before accepting such identification as conclusive.

HIZKI

(Hizʹki) [O my strength].

A Benjamite listed among the sons of Elpaal.—1 Chron. 8:1, 17, 18.

HIZKIAH

(Hiz·kiʹah) [Jehovah has strengthened or is strength].

One of the three sons of Neariah, a descendant of King Solomon.—1 Chron. 3:10, 23.

HOARFROST

A silvery-white deposit of ice needles formed by direct condensation at freezing temperatures. The ice crystals are long and needle-shaped and usually are perpendicular to the objects on which they occur, and most abundant along their edges. The moisture in the atmosphere freezes without passing through the liquid state, condensing on trees, plants and other objects, usually in the night. It is often found on windows.

The manna provided by Jehovah for the Israelites during their forty years of wandering in the wilderness is described thus at Exodus 16:14: “The layer of dew evaporated and here upon the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flaky thing, fine like hoarfrost upon the earth.” Jehovah speaks to Job of the “hoarfrost of heaven,” doubtless because it is produced from the atmosphere by condensation. (Job 38:29) Of Jehovah, the psalmist says: “Hoarfrost he scatters just like ashes.” (Ps. 147:16) Jehovah gives forth the hoarfrost with as much ease as a man scatters ashes with his hand. It covers or encrusts trees, grass, houses, and so forth, with a covering, just as though ashes had been scattered over them by Jehovah’s invisible hand.

HOBAB

(Hoʹbab) [beloved].

Moses’ brother-in-law; son of Reuel (Jethro) and a Midianite, of the tribe of Kenites. (Num. 10:29; Ex. 3:1; Judg. 1:16) When the time came for the Israelites to move from the region of Mount Sinai toward the Promised Land, Moses requested that Hobab accompany them so as to serve as “eyes” or as a scout for the nation because of his familiarity with the area. Although Hobab declined at first, apparently he did accompany the Israelites, for his descendants, the Kenites, took up dwelling in the wilderness of Judah to the S of Arad and are mentioned as still living in that area in the time of Saul and David.—Num. 10:29-32; Judg. 1:16; 1 Sam. 15:6; 27:10; 30:26, 29.

The Hebrew text of Judges 4:11, however, identifies