← H2339 H2341 →

חִוִּי

𐤇𐤅𐤉

Chivi

H2340 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

An individual member of the חִוִּי, or collectively, the Hivite people, who are represented in biblical texts as one of the indigenous groups inhabiting the land of Canaan prior to and during the period of Israelite settlement. The term primarily denotes ethnic or tribal affiliation, not a geographic or civic identity. The Hivites appear in several narrative and genealogical contexts, sometimes as inhabitants of particular locales (e.g., Shechem, Gibeon, Mount Lebanon), but the term itself refers to their ethnic group.

Semantic Range

a Hivite (member of the Hivite tribe), the Hivite people collectively; occasionally, people inhabiting particular locales (e.g., Shechem, Gibeon); not a common noun but strictly an ethnonym

Root / Etymology

Root: uncertain. While some have suggested a connection to חַוָּה (possibly meaning 'tent-dweller' or 'villager'), the root and etymology of חִוִּי are uncertain and no definitive link has been established. The form aligns morphologically with other ethnonyms in Hebrew, but its Semitic derivation remains opaque.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, חִוִּי designates a people group among several indigenous groups such as the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, etc., whom the Israelite texts present as inhabiting the land prior to its conquest. References to the Hivites occur in various biblical books (Genesis, Joshua, Judges), with populations attributed to specific regions (e.g., Shechem in Genesis 34; Gibeon in Joshua 9; Lebanon area in Joshua 11:3; Judges 3:3). There is little historical or archaeological evidence identifying the Hivites outside biblical texts, leading scholars to debate their historicity and distinctiveness. The Septuagint and later translations often render the name phonetically; in English tradition, the name 'Hivite' is used, but this is a transliteration of the Hebrew and does not reflect a particular meaning. The term should not be confused with geographic or civic designations like 'villager,' and attempts to link with חַוָּה (‘tent’) or ‘Eve’ are speculative. In post-biblical and later Jewish literature, 'Hivite' did not persist as a recognizable ethnic or geographic category. The use of 'Hivite' as an English term simply reflects the Hebrew and does not capture underlying meaning.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

perhaps from חַוָּה; a villager; a Chivvite, one of the aboriginal tribes of Palestine; Hivite.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

חוי (uncertain) (ḥ-w-y (uncertain)) — uncertain; possibly live, dwell (speculated)

Root uncertain uncertain; possibly to live, dwell (speculated)

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H2340-01 הַֽ/חִוִּ֥י hachivi HTd/Ngmsa the Hivite the Hivite the Chivi 16
H2340-02 וְ/הַ/חִוִּ֖י vehachivi HC/Td/Ngmsa and the Hivite and the Hivite and the Chivi 9

Occurrences in Scripture

25 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H2340-01 Genesis 10:17 הַֽ/חִוִּ֥י hachivi HTd/Ngmsa the Hivite the Hivite the Chivi
H2340-01 Genesis 34:2 הַֽ/חִוִּ֖י hachivi HTd/Ngmsa the Hivite the Hivite the Chivi
H2340-01 Genesis 36:2 הַֽ/חִוִּֽי hachivi HTd/Ngmsa the Hivite the Hivite the Chivi
H2340-02 Exodus 3:8 וְ/הַ/חִוִּ֖י vehachivi HC/Td/Ngmsa and the Hivite and the Hivite and the Chivi
H2340-02 Exodus 3:17 וְ/הַ/חִוִּ֖י vehachivi HC/Td/Ngmsa and the Hivite and the Hivite and the Chivi
H2340-02 Exodus 13:5 וְ/הַ/חִוִּ֣י vehachivi HC/Td/Ngmsa and the Hivite and the Hivite and the Chivi
H2340-01 Exodus 23:23 הַ/חִוִּ֖י hachivi HTd/Ngmsa the Hivite the Hivite the Chivi
H2340-01 Exodus 23:28 הַ/חִוִּ֧י hachivi HTd/Ngmsa the-Hivite the Hivite the Chivi
H2340-01 Exodus 33:2 הַ/חִוִּ֖י hachivi HTd/Ngmsa the Hivite the Hivite the Chivi
H2340-02 Exodus 34:11 וְ/הַ/חִוִּ֖י vehachivi HC/Td/Ngmsa and the Hivite and the Hivite and the Chivi
← H2339 Hebrew Lexicon H2341 →