Bible Dictionaries
Jebusites

Holman Bible Dictionary

(jehb' yoo ssihtess) Clan who originally controlled Jerusalem before David conquered the city. In the list of the descendants of Noah (Genesis 10:1 ) the Jebusites are traced through the line of Ham and Canaan and are listed alongside other clans such as the Amorites and Girgashites.

In Joshua 10:1 , the king of Jerusalem, Adonizedek, is considered one of the five Amorite kings who fought against Joshua.

In the time of the Judges, Jerusalem was attacked and burned by the men of Judah (Judges 1:8 ), but the Jebusites were not expelled. Centuries later David captured the city and made it his capital. David purchased a stone threshing-floor from a Jebusite named Araunah (2 Samuel 24:16-24 ), and this later became the site of Solomon's Temple. The remnants of the Jebusites became bondservants during Solomon's reign (1 Kings 9:20-21 ). Jebusite names appear to be Hurrian rather than Semitic. See Jerusalem .

M. Stephen Davis