Destruction Decreed. The Hittites were one of the seven nations named as due to be devoted to destruction. These nations were described as “more populous and mighty” than Israel. So the seven nations at that time must have numbered more than three million persons, and the Hittites in their mountain stronghold would be a formidable foe. (De 7:1, 2) They manifested their enmity by assembling with the other nations of Canaan to fight Israel (led by Joshua) when they got news of Israel’s crossing the Jordan and destroying the cities of Jericho and Ai. (Jos 9:1, 2; 24:11) 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 Israel to incur God’s disfavor. (De 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.​—Nu 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.’” (Jg 2:3) It appears that those Canaanites remaining among Israel were tolerated and, in some rare instances, were 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.​—1Ki 10:29; 2Ki 7:6.

(Hiʹvites).

A people descended from Canaan the son of Ham. (Ge 10:6, 15, 17; 1Ch 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.​—Ge 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. (De 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 false gods. Otherwise they would prove to be a snare and would cause Israel to come into God’s disfavor.​—Le 18:27, 28; De 18:9-13; 20:15-18.

The Bible records Joshua’s total destruction of the cities of those nations. (Jos 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 the king of Hazor. (Jos 11:1-3) Hivites are listed among those fighting against Israel and suffering defeat. (Jos 9:1, 2; 12:7, 8; 24:11) However, there was one group of the Hivite nation that was spared. (Jos 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. (Jos 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 Semites.​—Ge 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. (Jos 10:1-14) From this time on the Gibeonites dwelt peaceably with Israel. (2Sa 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.’​—Jos 10:2; 9:17.

After Joshua’s death Israel failed to continue to clear out the Canaanite nations as God had commanded, but even intermarried 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.”​—Jg 3:1-6.