JEBUSITES. - Gentile name of an ancient clan (Heb. [ha]-Jēbhūti, always with the article, except in II Sam. 5:8; I Chron. 11:6; Zech. 9:7, and in the singular; Septuagint: ὁ Ἰεβουσαῖς), settled in Canaan (Gen. 10:16; I Chron. 1:14), always included, as a secondary group, in the northern list of the peoples that Israel was to conquer (Deut. 7:1; 20:17; cf. Gen. 15:21; Ex. 3:8, 17, etc.). Together with the Amorites and the Hittites they dwelt in the mountainous region (Num. 13:30), but their center was the slope of the hill (kheteph ha-Jēbhūti) of the city of Jerusalem, which they designated, according to an ancient usage, Jēbhūs (Judg. 19:10; I Chron. 11:4). Their king was killed by Joshua (Josh. 10:23-26), but the J. resisted all the attacks of the tribe of Benjamin, to which the city had been assigned (Josh. 18:28), as well as those of the neighboring tribe of Judah (Josh. 15:63; Judg. 1:21; 19:11), and they remained in the city even after David's conquest (II Sam. 5:6-7).
Araunah, from whom David bought the area for the building of the Temple, was a Jebusite (II Sam. 24:16, 18; II Chron. 3:1). Forced into construction work by Solomon (I Kings 9:20), the J. ended up being dispersed and assimilated by the Israelites.
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