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Bible Dictionaries
Jebusites
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary
or The Jebusites were descended from Canaan, the grandson of Noah, and were one of the native peoples of the land of Canaan. They lived in the central highlands, where their chief centre was Jerusalem, earlier known as Jebus (Genesis 10:15-16; Genesis 15:18-21; Exodus 3:8; Numbers 13:29; Joshua 11:3; Joshua 15:63; Joshua 18:28). Jerusalem’s position on a well fortified hill made the city extremely difficult to conquer (see JERUSALEM). Although Jerusalem fell at first to Joshua’s conquering Israelites, the Jebusites soon retook it, and they kept control of it till the time of David (Judges 1:8; Judges 1:21; Judges 19:10-11).
Jerusalem was so difficult to capture that the Jebusites confidently claimed that even the blind and crippled could beat off an attack. But David’s men gained entrance through a tunnel used to carry water from a spring outside the city walls. They then launched a surprise attack and took the city (2 Samuel 5:6-10).
In the years that followed, the Jebusites became absorbed into the Israelite population of Jerusalem. Eventually they disappeared as a distinct race.
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Fleming, Don. Entry for 'Jebusites'. Bridgeway Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/bbd/j/jebusites.html. 2004.
