And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,

GENESIS 10:17KJV
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Genesis 10:17 (KJV)

What does Genesis 10:17 mean?

Genesis 10:17 lists three groups—the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite—as descendants of Canaan, who was a son of Ham. This verse is part of a genealogy that traces the origins of various peoples and nations after the flood.

The book of Genesis is recounting the family lines that spread out after Noah’s time, with these names representing ancient peoples or tribes. The focus here is on Canaan’s descendants, and the verse is part of a larger section often called the “Table of Nations,” which explains where different groups in the ancient world came from according to the biblical account.

Where else these words appear

“Arkite” Hebrew H6208 · used in 2 verses

“Sinite” Hebrew H5513 · used in 2 verses

“Hivite” Hebrew H2340 · used in 25 verses

  • Genesis 34:2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.
  • 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 12:8 In the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and in the springs, and in the wilderness, and in the south country; the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: