Who are the…
Perizzites

Hebrew: פְּרִזִּי —meaning: villagers; dwellers in the open country —occurrences: 23

The Perizzites are not mentioned in any geneaology in the Bible, so we do not know exactly where they originally came from. Scripture also does not specifically report any Perizzite kings. However, there is a possiblity that King Adoni-Bezek (Lord of Bezek) was a Perizzite. They are one of the various people groups located in the ancient land of Canaan at the time of Abraham, Joshua and through the time of Ezra and Nehemiah.

The idolatrous Perizzites were designated by God to be displaced by the Israelites, except for any chose to repent of their sins and follow Yahweh, possibly integrating with His chosen people.

Yahweh cut a covenant with Abram, saying,
“To your seed I have given this land,
From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:
the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.” —Genesis 15:18-21 LSB excerpt

They are not known to have the fortified walled cities of the Canaanites, and they are not called “Canaanites.” They dwelled in unwalled towns and inhabited fertile agricultural rural regions such as south and southwest of Mount Carmel.

The Perizzites likely lived in the central hill country of Canaan, particularly around Bethel, Ai, Shechem, and possibly Bezek, in rural, unfortified settlements. Their territory overlapped with other Canaanite groups. Joshua 17:15 refers to the Perizzites and Rephaim in the “land of the Perizzites” in the context of the tribe of Manasseh.

People groups in Canaan at the time of Joshua Map by Jim Padgett, Sweet Publishing, CC BY-A 4.0.

Without specific archaeological corroboration, exact Perizzite boundaries remain speculative, but the central highlands of Canaan are the most consistently referenced region in biblical texts. The Central Hill Country encompasses modern-day Samaria and parts of Judea (West Bank), including areas around Bethel, Ai, and Shechem. This is supported by their association with the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, whose territories were in central Canaan.

“They were the graziers, farmers, and peasants of the time.” They were to be driven out of the land by the descendants of Abraham (Genesis 15:20; Exodus 3:8, 17; 23:23; 33:2; 34:11).

They are afterwards named among the conquered tribes (Joshua 24:11). However, against God’s command to the Israelites, they still lingered in the land. The Israelites comprised their duty before God, perhaps thinking that the Perizzites were harmless and useful. Eventually the Perizzites were reduced to servitude by King Solomon. However this action was also outside the expressed will of God.

As for all the people who were left of…the Perizzites…who were not of the sons of Israel, namely, their sons who were left after them in the land whom the sons of Israel were unable to devote to destruction, from them Solomon raised up forced laborers to this day. —1 Kings 9:20-21 excerpt

The Perizzites were idolatrous people and their “abominations” were still a serious problem at the time of the return of the Judeans from exile in Babylon, and the Perizzites were no longer slaves. This is at the time of Ezra, the scribe (Ezra 9:1–2) and governor Nehemiah. Some of the returned exiles took Perizzite daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons. This sin included Israelite princes, officials, Levites, and priests. Thus they polluted the nation with pagan ideas, idolatry, and abominable practices.

…indeed, the hands of the princes and the officials have been foremost in this unfaithfulness. —Ezra 9:2 excerpt

Ezra and all God-fearing Judeans were appalled at this. Ezra fell on his knees before God crying out,

“O my God, I am ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have multiplied above our heads and our guilt has become great even to the heavens.” —Ezra 9:6 excerpt