Horites

Biblical Passages

• Genesis 14:6: The kings allied with Chedorlaomer, on a campaign to the south, are said to have struck "the Horites in their mount Seir, unto Elparan." This campaign leads into the account in which Lot is taken captive and then rescued by Abraham.
• Genesis 36:20–30: This passage describes the Horites as those "who inhabited the land" and presents the sons of Seir (Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan) as "the dukes of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom." In the same chapter, this list appears alongside the genealogy of Esau.
• Deuteronomy 2:12, 2:22: The KJV renders the name in these verses as "Horims." The text states that they originally dwelt in Seir but that the children of Esau destroyed them and dwelt in their place, and it attributes this to the work of the LORD.
• 1 Chronicles 1:38–42: This passage repeats the genealogy of the sons of Seir found in Genesis 36.

Background

Mount Seir is a highland region southeast of the Dead Sea that later became the land of the Edomites. Genesis 36 shows traces of intermingling between the two groups. A woman bearing the same name as Lotan's sister Timna (36:22) became the concubine of Esau's son Eliphaz and bore Amalek (36:12). Esau's wife Aholibamah is likewise introduced as "the daughter of Anah" (36:2, 25). Many interpreters regard these figures as members of Horite families. However, 36:2 identifies Aholibamah's family as "Hivite," which is discussed as a textual problem.

The meaning of the name and the identity of the people remain uncertain. A traditional interpretation links the name to the Hebrew hor ("hole, cave") and explains it as "cave dwellers." Some scholars identify the Horites with the Hurrians known from ancient Near Eastern documents. Others are cautious about this identification, noting that the Horite names in Genesis 36 are largely Semitic. It has also been observed that in some verses of the Septuagint the Hivites and the Horites are interchanged.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

Deuteronomy 2 records the account of the Horites together with the accounts of Moab and Ammon driving out earlier inhabitants and taking possession of their land. This passage reflects the view that even the acquisition of land by nations outside Israel falls under God's sovereignty. Accordingly, Israel is commanded not to encroach on the land of the children of Esau (Deuteronomy 2:4–5). The Horites do not appear directly in the New Testament. Some interpreters connect this theme with Acts 17:26, which states that God has determined "the bounds of their habitation" for the nations.

Interpretation and Issues

• The meaning of "destroyed": Deuteronomy 2 states that the children of Esau destroyed the Horites. Genesis 36, however, includes the Horite chiefs within the genealogies of the land of Edom and records intermarriage. For this reason, some interpreters hold that conquest and assimilation occurred together.
• Distinction from accounts of giants: Deuteronomy 2:10–11 mentions the tall Emims and the Rephaim (rendered "giants" in the KJV), and verse 12 immediately turns to the Horites. Because of this, stories have circulated claiming that the Horites were also giants. The text, however, does not say that the Horites were giants.