And the man went into the land of the Hittites
With his family; Kimchi says this was not one of the seven nations of Canaan; and it is very clear from this narrative, that the land this man went to was not in the land of Canaan; though it is certain a people of this name formerly dwelt there, ( Genesis 15:20 ) ( 23:3 ) ( 26:34 ) ; and the land of Canaan is called the land of the Hittites, ( Joshua 1:4 ) ; these either might flee to another country upon Joshua's entry into the land of Canaan, or a colony of them from thence might settle elsewhere, to which this man chose to go, who might be originally of them:
and built a city;
his family was numerous, and he a man of wealth, and was allowed to carry all his substance with him:
and called the name of it Luz;
in memory of the place he left, and had long lived in. There is a city called Loussa, among the cities which Josephus says F19 were taken by the Jews from the Arabians; and which is very probably the Lysa of Ptolemy F20, which he places in Arabia Petraea, and might be the same with this Luz; and, if so, this shows the land this man went into was in Edom, which is not unlikely; there is another Luza, which Jerom F21 says fell to the lot of the sons of Joseph, near Sichem, three miles from Neapolis:
which [is] the name thereof unto this day:
the time of the writing of this book; (See Gill on Judges 1:21).