What is the meaning of Genesis 15:20? Hittites • In Genesis 15:20, the Lord promises Abram that the territory of the Hittites will one day belong to his descendants. The people hearing this would take it as a literal pledge of land because the Hittites were a well-known Canaanite nation settled in the central hill country (cf. Joshua 11:3). • Their presence is repeatedly noted when God outlines the borders of Israel’s inheritance—“I have come to rescue them… to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land… the place of the Canaanites, Hittites…” (Exodus 3:8). • By including the Hittites, God underscores His power to dispossess even strong, organized societies in order to fulfill His covenant (compare Deuteronomy 20:17). • Later, under Joshua, Israel did in fact confront Hittite cities, proving the promise reliable (Joshua 1:4; 24:11). Perizzites • The Perizzites were village-dwellers scattered through the lowlands and forested areas (see Judges 1:4-5). Mentioning them assures Abram that every pocket of Canaanite life, large or small, falls under the scope of God’s gift. • They appear consistently in covenant language: “When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess, and clears away many nations before you—the Hittites, Girgashites… and Perizzites…” (Deuteronomy 7:1). • Their inclusion teaches that God’s promise is not selective or symbolic; it is comprehensive and geographic. • The later expulsion of the Perizzites during Solomon’s reign (1 Kings 9:20-21) testifies that Genesis 15:20 was being fulfilled across generations. Rephaites • The Rephaites (also called Rephaim) were renowned for extraordinary stature and military reputation (cf. Deuteronomy 3:11). To Abram, hearing their name would highlight the seeming impossibility of the promise—yet God names even giants as destined for displacement. • Joshua 17:15 cites the “hill country of the Rephaites,” showing their land was eventually claimed by Israel, just as foretold. • By listing the Rephaites, the Lord affirms that no human strength can nullify His covenant. Psalm 135:10-12 echoes this theme, praising God “who struck down many nations… and gave their land as an inheritance.” summary Genesis 15:20 names the Hittites, Perizzites, and Rephaites to assure Abram—and us—that God’s covenant is specific, literal, and unstoppable. Each group represents real territory and real opposition that God committed to overcome. History recorded in Joshua, Judges, Kings, and the Psalms confirms that every detail of this promise was, and will be, carried out exactly as God said. |
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