Who were the Girgashites in the Bible?

A people established early in Canaan, the origin of whom is not known, except that they were descended from Canaan. Gen. 10:16; Gen. 15:21; Deut. 7:1; Joshua 3:10; Joshua 24:11; 1 Chr. 1:14; Neh. 9:8.

The descendants of Canaan the son of Ham, of whom the Jubusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites were branches. They were "spread abroad, and the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza: as thou goest unto Sodom and Gomorrha, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha." Gen. 10:15-19. In Gen. 15:18-21, where the land promised to Abram extends to the river Euphrates, there are ten nations mentioned: the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaims, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. Deut. 7:1; Joshua 3:10. Here and elsewhere the Canaanites are only one people of many; whereas in other places the term Canaanite appears to include any of the inhabitants of Canaan, as in Joshua 17:12-13; Neh. 9:24; Obadiah 20; Zech. 14:21. The same Hebrew word is translated 'merchant' in Job 41:6; Prov. 31:24; Isa. 23:8; so the passage in Zech. 14:21 may signify "there shall no more be the merchant in the house of the Lord of hosts." cf. John 2:16.

As for the races mentioned after these, little more is to be said than what lies on the surface of scripture: "And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite, and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, and the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite" (vers. 16-18). The Jebusites held Jerusalem, though defeated by Joshua, but not dispossessed till David. The Amorite was in the mountain land of Judah, but pushed east where on their full or expulsion the two and a half tribes settled east of the Jordan. The Girgashites disappeared from view. Of the Hivites we have the remarkable tale the Book of Joshua tells, and of its consequences, at least of those in Gibeon; for there were others further north and outside, near whom settled the latter five families, or on the coast, and also in the isle of Aradus.

The notices of the Canaanite families are more minute, as God considered His people whose duty it was to execute judgment and dispossess them of the promised land. However they might be "spread abroad" or dispersed, and seen to flourish for a while, the curse was on them, from the first on moral grounds, aggravated at last by enormities against God and man which to His eyes called for extermination.

The names here, as everywhere, are doubtless significant. They suggest those powers of evil which preoccupy and would prevent our enjoyment of our God-given inheritance in Christ. The Hittite, "child of terror" — how spiritual dread makes cowards of us all! The Girgashites, "dwellers in clay;" alas, we are prone to settle down in the dust of earth, instead of rising to our heavenly portion. The Amorite, "the talker," rather than the doer of the Word. The Canaanite, "the trafficker," companion to the talker, who turns the very truth of God into merchandise. The Perizzite, "the countryman," suggesting perhaps the thought of great power, nobility, false pride; and the Hivite, "the villager," suggesting the opposite, a false humility; while the Jebusite, "the treader down," never rests until all divine things are put beneath the feet. All these are to be cast out. Any alliance with them is to be utterly refused. Their religion and their ways are to be abhorred. They are not to be feared because of their greatness, but relentlessly are they to be overthrown (Deut. 7).

But centuries before British-Israel theory was ever thought of, this prophecy received a partial and striking fulfilment. Canaan was the land that was bitterly opposed to God’s people. Joshua led the armies of Israel into Canaan, conquered these Canaanitish nations, dispossessed them of their territory, and established the Israelites in the land of God’s promise. Surely this was in measure a fulfilment of the prophecy, “Thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.” We have a list of their enemies in Genesis 15:19—Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaims, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, Jebusites. The children of Israel, when they got possession of the land God had promised to Abraham, would not be slow to see how wonderfully God had fulfilled His promise in this particular.

Then the Lord brought Israel over Jordan, where they defeated Jericho, then the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites (v.11). All of these victories were manifestly not because of the superior power of Israel, but the Lord "sent the hornet before you" (v.12). This is figurative of the fact of God's so dealing with the enemies that they were frightened as though attacked by hornets and thus rendered helpless to fight. Two kings of the Amorites are specifically mentioned as defeated without the help of Israel's sword or bow. Thus God had given Israel a land for which they did not labor and cities they had not built, and vineyards and olive groves they had not planted.

A people descended from Canaan, son of Ham. Gen. 10:16, They dwelt in the mountains, as their name signifies, and were apparently at times in the mountains both east and west of the Jordan. Num. 13:29; Joshua 5:1; Judges 1:34-36; Judges 10:8; 1 Kings 4:19. Being the most dominant and the most corrupt people or tribe they sometimes represent the Canaanites generally. Gen. 15:16; 1 Kings 21:26. When Abraham was at Hebron some confederated with him. Gen. 14:13. A remnant out of the Gentile nations was thus associated with the heir of promise, though Lot (a type of Israel after the flesh) had separated from him.

When Israel approached the promised land, they were in the east, and refused to let Israel pass; but they were overcome, their cities taken, and the people slain, with Sihon their king. Num. 21:21-26; Deut. 2:24; Amos 2:9-10. Some must have escaped, for we read of them later, and one of the controversies Jehovah had with Israel was for worshipping their gods. Ezra 9:1-2. Solomon made them tributary. 1 Kings 9:20-21; 2 Chr. 8:7-8. The Gibeonites were a remnant of the Amorites. 2 Sam. 21:2. After this nothing is heard of them. The low state of Jerusalem (Judah) by nature is described by stating her origin, her father being an Amorite and her mother a Hittite, but God in grace had compassion upon her in her degradation, and raised her into great glory; though, alas, she was shamefully unfaithful. Ezek. 16:3-43.

The youngest branch of the Hamitic race now comes before us, already branded with curse (Gen. 9:25), and a bondman of bondmen to his brethren. Yet no doom long seemed more unlikely. They were enterprising beyond any, and no more disposed to tarry at home than the sons of Cush. Who spread themselves abroad as they? Canaan, who naturally gave the general designation, had a more special application to the "lowlanders" of the country. They are carefully pointed out as races which possessed themselves of the land destined for Israel. As the song of Moses so forcibly expresses it (Deut. 32:8), "When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. For Jehovah's portion is his people, Jacob is the lot of his inheritance."

There were some in the land when it was promised to Abraham. Gen. 15:19.

Ger ge senes’ - probably Greek for Girgashites