Heth

About Heth

Heth, also known as the Hittites, was a descendant of Canaan, the son of Ham, according to the Table of Nations in Genesis 10 (Gen.10.15; 1Ch.1.13). The Hittites were a prominent people group in the ancient Near East, and they are frequently mentioned throughout the Old Testament. Abraham had dealings with the Hittites when he purchased the cave of Machpelah as a burial site for his wife Sarah (Gen.23). This cave later became the burial place for Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Israel (or 'Jacob') (Gen.25.9-10; 49.29-32; 50.13). Esau, Isaac's son, married two Hittite women, which caused grief for his parents (Gen.26.34-35; 27.46). The Hittites are listed among the inhabitants of the Promised Land that God would drive out before the Israelites (Exo.3.8,17; 13.5; 23.23,28; 33.2; 34.11; Deu.7.1; 20.17; Jos.1.4; 3.10; 9.1; 11.3; 12.8; 24.11; Jdg.3.5; 1Ki.9.20; 2Ch.8.7; Ezr.9.1; Neh.9.8). During the time of the united monarchy, the Hittites are mentioned in connection with David's reign, particularly in the story of Uriah the Hittite, one of David's mighty men (2Sa.11; 23.39; 1Ch.11.41). Solomon had trade relations with the Hittites and even married Hittite women (1Ki.10.29; 11.1; 2Ch.1.17). The Hittites are also mentioned in the prophetic books as a point of comparison or as part of a list of nations (Isa.1.1; Ezk.16.3,45).

Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.