And all the people that were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which were not of the children of Israel,

1 KINGS 9:20KJV
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1 Kings 9:20 (KJV)

What does 1 Kings 9:20 mean?

1 Kings 9:20 lists the groups of people who remained in the land after Israel took possession of it—specifically, the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—who were not descendants of Israel. The verse sets up a distinction between these non-Israelite peoples and the children of Israel.

This verse is part of a passage where the writer explains what happened to the original inhabitants of Canaan after Solomon became king. The context is Solomon’s building projects and the labor force he used. By naming these groups, the verse highlights who was left in the land and prepares the reader for the next verses, which describe how Solomon used these people for forced labor.

The Hebrew behind 1 Kings 9:20

  • The word for "people" is עָם (ʿam), often used for a group or nation. Here, it refers to the remaining non-Israelite populations.
  • "Left" is יָתַר (yāṯar), meaning those who survived or remained after Israel’s conquest. This word emphasizes that these groups were not entirely driven out.
  • The names אֱמֹרִי (ʾĕmōrî, Amorites), חִתִּי (ḥittî, Hittites), פְּרִזִּי (pərizzî, Perizzites), חִוִּי (ḥiwwî, Hivites), and יְבוּסִי (yəḇūsî, Jebusites) are all specific Canaanite peoples mentioned throughout the Old Testament as original inhabitants of the land.
  • "Children" is בֵּן (bēn), meaning "sons" or "descendants," and "Israel" is יִשְׂרָאֵל (yiśrāʾēl), the nation descended from Jacob. The phrase "not of the children of Israel" stresses the ethnic and covenantal distinction.

Why 1 Kings 9:20 matters

  • This verse clarifies that not all the original Canaanite peoples were removed from the land during Israel’s conquest; some remained and became subject to Israelite rule.
  • By listing these specific groups, the verse connects back to earlier biblical promises and commands about the land and its inhabitants, showing the ongoing presence of these peoples in Israel’s history.
  • The verse sets up the explanation in the following verses about how Solomon organized labor for his building projects, distinguishing between Israelites and non-Israelites in their roles.

Where else these words appear

“Perizzites” Hebrew H6522 · used in 23 verses

  • Genesis 13:7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
  • Exodus 34:11 Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
  • Joshua 17:15 And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.

“Hivites” Hebrew H2340 · used in 25 verses

  • Genesis 10:17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,
  • Exodus 33:2 And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:
  • Joshua 11:19 There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle.

“Jebusites” Hebrew H2983 · used in 39 verses

  • Genesis 10:16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,
  • Joshua 9:1 And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;
  • 2 Samuel 24:16 And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.

“Hittites” Hebrew H2850 · used in 47 verses

  • Genesis 15:20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,
  • Numbers 13:29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.
  • 2 Samuel 11:21 Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.