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, Ge 15:20; and the land of Canaan is called the land of the Hittites, Jos 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 were taken by the Jews from the Arabians; and which is very probably the Lysa of Ptolemy , 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 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 "Jud 1:21".
Antiqu. l. 14. c. 1. sect. 4. Geograph. l. 5. c. 17. De loc. Heb. fol. 92.