Who Are The Jebusites?

Oops... they failed to kill all the Canaanites...........

http://www.meforum.org/1713/palestinians-jebusites-and-evangelicals

Who Are the Jebusites?

Historical mention of Jerusalem predates the city's appearance in Jewish history. Ancient texts such as the Egyptian execration texts (2000-1900 B.C.E.) refer to the city as Rushalimum. The word Jerusalem becomes more recognizable in a series of letters from around 1400 B.C.E. attributed to scribes acting on behalf of King Abdi-Hepa of Urusalim. The Jebusites inhabited the ancient site of Jerusalem, perhaps as early as 3200 B.C.E., but there is reference to Yabusu, an old form of Jebus, on a contract tablet that dates from 2200 B.C.E.

The first mention of the Jebusites in the Bible occurs as Genesis lists the descendents of Noah. Here, they are counted as direct descendents of a man named Canaan. Then in Exodus, as the Jews look to move to the land of Canaan that was promised to their patriarch Abraham, God promises to "drive out" the Jebusites and other tribes from the Promised Land. In Deuteronomy, God orders the Jews to destroy completely "the Hittites, the Girga(*)(*)(*)(*)es, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than yourselves," and forbids intermarriage with them.

Thus, while the promise to give the Promised Land to Abraham is unconditional, the pledge to remove its inhabitants such as the Jebusites is conditional upon Israel's obedience. In the book of Judges, Israel is recorded as disobeying the order to completely annihilate the Jebusites who have committed "abominations" before God, and the book relates how the Jebusites continued to mix with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem.[9] Looking at the Bible as a historical guide, this places Jews and Jebusites as coexisting in Israel about the eleventh century B.C.E. In 966 B.C.E., King David conquered Jebus, an event not only depicted in the Bible[10] but also confirmed independently by modern historians. There is no mention of the Jebusites' total annihilation.

The Christian narrative continues into the New Testament, initially treating the Jebusites under the more general rubric of the Canaanites. In Matthew 15:22, a Canaanite woman approaches Jesus because her daughter is possessed by a demon. Craig Blomberg, professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary, argues that Matthew picked the word "Canaanite" in order to conjure up images of past Canaanite evils. Jesus initially tells the woman that to assist her would be equivalent to helping a despised dog, but he eventually relents. The incident suggests a new disposition toward the Canaanites, including by extension the Jebusites.

Non-biblical ancient sources also discuss the Jebusites though often these merely amplify biblical accounts. The Hellenized Jewish historian Philo (20 B.C.E. to 40 C.E.), for example, referred to the Jebusites as a nation of "wickedness."[14] The Jewish historian Josephus (c. 37-c. 100 C.E.) also relies upon the Old Testament to discuss the Jebusites in the context of his account of David's conquest of Jerusalem.

It is because the Old Testament and ancient historians amplified such a clear record of the conquest of Jebus that the claim to Jebusite heritage has any significance at all. Claiming Jebusite descent is more significant than claiming linkage to other Canaanite groups such as the Amorites and the Girga(*)(*)(*)(*)es. Those asserting Jebusite heritage essentially argue that Jerusalem is rightfully theirs because Israel's own scriptures say that Jebusite possession predated the Jewish claim.

 

And I thought that they were the followers of the former FL governor!!

Thx, Margot.....that was my 1st impression, but I will read the whole OP next..

 

LOLOLOL... nope, but that would make sense.

 

I thought that you being from the SE (I think that you once said FL?) would appreciate that comment.

But I could also be more wrong, and they are those who followed the Beverly Hillbillies' patriarch to CA to swim in the cement pond?!

 

An OP more than 1 line is needed