and of the Hittites
The Hittites were an ancient people who played a significant role in the history of the Near East. They are often mentioned in the Old Testament as one of the groups inhabiting the land of Canaan. Historically, the Hittites established a powerful empire in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) and were known for their advancements in law, politics, and military technology, including the use of chariots. The biblical mention of the Hittites as descendants of Canaan suggests a broader understanding of the term "Canaanite," encompassing various ethnic groups in the region. The Hittites' interactions with the Israelites are documented in several passages, such as Genesis 23, where Abraham purchases a burial site from Ephron the Hittite. This connection highlights the complex relationships between the Israelites and the indigenous peoples of Canaan. The Hittites' presence in the biblical narrative serves as a reminder of the diverse cultural and ethnic landscape of the ancient Near East, as well as the fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham regarding the land his descendants would inherit.

• The verse roots us in the genealogies that begin with Adam (1 Chronicles 1:1) and move through Noah’s sons (1 Chronicles 1:4). By naming Canaan, Scripture reminds us that the peoples who later inhabit the land take their origin from a real historical person, Noah’s grandson (Genesis 10:6).

• Sidon appears first because he is the eldest son and, in ancient culture, often the one whose lineage defines a region. Genesis 10:15 echoes this priority: “Canaan became the father of Sidon his firstborn.”

• Sidon also refers to a coastal city that will become a major Phoenician port (Joshua 19:28–29). The city’s founding by Sidon explains why its people share Canaanite ancestry and why Israel is later warned not to adopt their idolatry (Judges 10:6).

• By linking a city’s origin to a specific forefather, the text underlines God’s providential ordering of nations (Acts 17:26).

• “Firstborn” stresses both birth order and significance. In Scripture the firstborn normally bears the weight of inheritance and leadership (Deuteronomy 21:17).

• Chronicling Sidon as Canaan’s firstborn sets up an expectation: his descendants will be prominent among Canaanite peoples encountered by Israel (1 Kings 16:31).

• God sovereignly tracks these lines so Israel can see how promises of land to Abraham (Genesis 15:18–21) intersect with actual family trees. That context makes later commands to drive out Canaanite nations not random but rooted in God’s revealed plan (Exodus 23:31–33).

• The verse shifts from city founder to an entire ethnic group. The Hittites become one of the most recognized Canaanite nations (Genesis 23:3–20).

• Mentioning them early prepares the reader for their repeated appearance in Israel’s story—from Abraham’s purchase of a burial plot (Genesis 25:9–10) to Solomon’s trade alliances (1 Kings 10:29).

• Archaeology affirms a sprawling Hittite empire farther north, yet 1 Chronicles emphasizes the branch that settled in Canaan. Scripture’s alignment with historical findings underscores its reliability.

• The listing here quietly anticipates spiritual conflict: God’s people must choose covenant faithfulness over assimilation with Hittite practices (Deuteronomy 7:1–6).

1 Chronicles 1:13, by noting that “Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites”, traces two influential Canaanite lines back to a single ancestor. The verse grounds later biblical narratives in concrete genealogy, highlights God’s sovereignty in arranging nations, and alerts readers to the coming clash between Israel’s covenant calling and Canaanite cultures rooted in Sidon and the Hittites.

(13) Canaan begat Zidon his firstborn.--Or, in modern phrase, Zidon is the oldest city of Canaan. It is usually mentioned along with Tyre, the ruling city in later times. Sennacherib speaks of the flight of Luli, "king of Zidon," from Tyre. Esarhaddon mentions Baal of Tyre as a tributary. Of the eleven "sons of Canaan all but three or four have been identified in the cuneiform inscriptions of Assyria.

And Heth--that is, the Hittite race, called Heta by the Egyptians, and Hatti by the Assyrians. (See 1Chronicles 1:8, Note.) The Hittites were once the dominant race of Syria and Palestine. Carchemish, on the Euphrates, and Kadesh, as well as Hamath, appear to have been Hittite cities. Their kings had commercial relations with Solomon (1Kings 10:29). Inscriptions, in a kind of mixed hieroglyph, have been found at Hamath and Carchemish, but they still await decipherment.

(14) The Jebusite.--The men of Jebus, or Jerusalem (1Chronicles 11:4). . . .

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