Hivites: they were a people spoken of in Josh 9.7; 11.19 as located in the vicinity of Gibeon, in Gen 34.2 as near Shechem, and in Josh 11.3 as being at the foot of Mount Hermon.

Verses 17b-18 list five Phoenician cities, all of which can be identified.

Arkites: this refers to the inhabitants of a city mentioned only here in the Old Testament. It is known today as Arqa, which is north of Tripoli in Lebanon.

Sinites: the town is possibly in the neighborhood of Arqa, but it is mentioned only here and in 1 Chr 1.15 in the Old Testament, and confirmed in the texts of Ugarit.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .