Charles Ellicott Commentary Genesis 13:7

"And there was a strife between the herdsmen of Abram`s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot`s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelt then in the land." — Genesis 13:7 (ASV)

The Perizzite. We find mention in the Bible both of Perazites, translated villages, in 1 Samuel 6:18 and Esther 9:19; and of Perizzites, who are sometimes opposed to the Canaanites, as here and in Genesis 34:30, and sometimes described as one of the tribes settled in Palestine (Exodus 3:8; Exodus 3:17; Joshua 17:15; Judges 3:5). They are not mentioned among the races descended from Canaan and were probably the earlier inhabitants of the country who, being a pastoral people possessing no towns, were unable to resist the Hamite settlers but maintained themselves in the open country.

Perazite and Perizzite are probably the same word, and both signify lowlander, though finally they were driven to the mountains (Joshua 11:3). As the Canaanites devoted their main strength to a maritime life and trade, they would not attempt to eradicate these natives but would be content with driving them into the interior. Thus, as some districts would be occupied by the dominant Canaanites and others by these original inhabitants, two such large clans as those of Abram and Lot would find it difficult to discover enough unoccupied land to provide pasture for their cattle. The land must have been very thinly populated for it to have been possible for them to do this, even when they had arranged to dwell apart.