Ezekiel 16:3

An Amorite ... Hittite. The significance of these clauses has, until recent years, remained somewhat of a mystery. However, archaeological discoveries over many decades have thrown an abundance of light on the early history of the land of Palestine. It is now known that the Amorites were very early inhabitants of that region, and that the infiltrating Hittites from the north occupied some areas of Palestine before the Hebrews settled the land. Among the various peoples of Canaan were the Jebusites, who lived in the ancient city of Jebus, situated on part of the territory later the site of Jerusalem. Early pre-Israelite kings of Jerusalem had Amorite and Hittite names. This ethnic background was Jerusalem’s nativity. Ezekiel’s language is a strong taunt to the people of Jerusalem, who boasted descent from Abraham, but who acted as if descended from the earlier heathen inhabitants of what was afterward the land of Israel. Resemblance in character was of transcendent importance compared with mere lineal descent (see John 8:44).