Heth חֵת

Male Early Patriarch H2845 14 books

Son of Canaan and ancestor of the Hittites.

Who is Heth in the Bible?

Heth was a son of Canaan and the ancestor of the Hittites, a major civilization in the ancient Near East (Genesis 10:15, 1 Chronicles 1:13). The Hittites appear frequently throughout the Old Testament as inhabitants of Canaan and neighboring regions. Abraham purchased the cave of Machpelah from the "sons of Heth" in Hebron as a burial site for his wife Sarah, and this cave later became the family tomb for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their wives (Genesis 23, 25:9-10, 49:29-32). The Hittites also play a role in family narratives, as Esau married two Hittite women, which grieved his parents Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 26:34-35). Their significance in biblical history lies in their prominence as one of the peoples God promised to drive out before the Israelites as they entered the Promised Land.

Biography

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).

Family

In Scripture

14 biblical books ; 6 with study content
Genesis 5 verses
  • Genesis 10:15

    "And Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites,"

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  • Genesis 23:3

    "Then Abraham got up from beside his dead wife and said to the Hittites,"

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  • Genesis 23:5

    "The Hittites replied to Abraham,"

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  • Genesis 23:7

    "Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites."

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  • Genesis 23:10

    "Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth. So in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city, Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham,"

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1 Chronicles 1 verse
  • 1 Chronicles 1:13

    "And Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites,"

Exodus 5 verses
  • Exodus 3:8

    "I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites."

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  • Exodus 3:17

    "And I have promised to bring you up out of your affliction in Egypt, into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’"

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  • Exodus 13:5

    "And when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites—the land He swore to your fathers that He would give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you shall keep this service in this month."

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  • Exodus 23:23

    "For My angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will annihilate them."

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  • Exodus 23:28

    "I will send the hornet before you to drive the Hivites and Canaanites and Hittites out of your way."

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Numbers 1 verse
  • Numbers 13:29

    "The Amalekites live in the land of the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live by the sea and along the Jordan.”"

Deuteronomy 2 verses
  • Deuteronomy 7:1

    "When the LORD your God brings you into the land that 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—"

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  • Deuteronomy 20:17

    "For you must devote them to complete destruction—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you,"

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Joshua 5 verses
  • Joshua 1:4

    "Your territory shall extend from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great River Euphrates—all the land of the Hittites—and west as far as the Great Sea."

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  • Joshua 3:10

    "He continued, “This is how 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."

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  • Joshua 9:1

    "Now when news of this reached all the kings west of the Jordan—those in the hill country, the foothills, and all along the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon (the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites)—"

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  • Joshua 11:3

    "to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites at the foot of Hermon in the land of Mizpah."

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  • Joshua 12:8

    "the hill country, the foothills, the Arabah, the slopes, the wilderness, and the Negev—the lands of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites):"

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Names & Aliases

Form Language Script Meaning
Named Hebrew חֵת
(same form as previous) Hebrew חֵת
Group Hebrew חִתִּי a Chittite , or descendant of Cheth
Encyclopedia Article

Heth (2)

ISBE 1915 (Public Domain)

f> (1Ch 1:13) makes Heth the (2nd) son of Canaan. In Ge 23 the "sons of Heth" occupy Hebron, but they were known to have come there from the north. A reference to this seems to be preserved in the order of the names in Ge 10:15,16, where Heth is placed between Sidon and the Jebusites.

See HITTITES.

heth'-lon (chethlon; Peshitta chethron): Name of a place associated with Zedad on the ideal northern boundary of Israel, as given in Eze 47:15 and 48:1, but not named in <ref osis