Alice C. Linsley
Under Jebusite rule and earlier, Jerusalem was divided into two cities, the western part called Jeru (Yiru) and the eastern part called Salem (Shalem). Both of these names appear in Genesis: Genesis 21:14 speaks of Melchizadel the King of Salem and in Genesis 21:14 we read that "Abraham called that place...Yiru".
Prince Rotimi Obadofin believes that the Jebusites were Africans. He has written, “perhaps the Jebusites, that is the original of Jerusalem were Ijebu people of today, since Oke-Eri is owned and inhabited by Ijebu people.” Eri is connected with the huge archaeological monument of Eredo. Eridu is also the name of the oldest known Sumerian city.
Obadofin supports his position by suggesting that “since Queen of Sheba was said to be visiting home when she met king Solomon, I feel strongly that she must have been one of the descendants of those Ijebu (Jebusites) driven away from Jerusalem by king David." Read more here.
The Jebusites lived in Jerusalem and maintained shrines in other areas of Canaan as well. A Jebusite ruler called Araunah sold David a threshing floor upon which David constructed an altar. Araunah means "the lord".
The Jebusites are listed as a people of Canaan in Exodus 3:8, Joshua 12:8, Deuteronomy 7:1, II Chronicles and I Kings 9:20. Genesis 15:19-21 provides this list: "the Kenites, the Kenizzites, Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Raphaim, the Amorites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites."
We note that the Horites do not appear in any of these lists. That is because the Horites were not a people, but rather a caste of ruler-priests who lived dispersed among the peoples from the Chad Basin to the Tigris-Euphrates (cf. Gen. 15:18). The Septuagint incorrectly identified the Horites (“Choraios”) with the Hittites.
The only peoples that appear in all the people lists are the Amorites and the Jebusites. The Biblical writers agree that these two peoples inhabited Canaan from very early. They are related Kushite peoples, not different ethnic groups.
Jebusites are an Extant People
Today the Jebu are classified as Yoruba, but the term "Yoruba" applied only after the 18th century. The Jebu identify themselves as distinct from other Yoruba sub-groups by calling themselves Nago-Jebu. The Jebu are also called Ijebu, and in the Bible they are called "Jebusites."
According to African legend, the Yoruba migrated to the Atlantic coast of Nigeria from the east. Some stopped in the region of Lake Chad where they had kin in Bor'no (land of Noah). Their kin were likely the Kanuri tribe (descendants of Kain), which may explain why some Yoruba have tribal marks similar to those of the Kanuri.
A New York Times Report Confirms Jebusite Control of Waterways. In 1892, the New York Times reported on the Jebu tribe, which controlled the water systems of the Port of Lagos. The king of the Jebu levied taxes on all products carried through his territory. This is consistent with the biblical information concerning Abraham’s ruler-priest ancestors who controlled water systems in Nigeria (where Jebu still reside), Canaan and Mesopotamia. This also explains the relationship between Abraham and Melchizedek, a Jebusite ruler-priest, to whom Abraham offered tribute.
The Jebusite-Horite Connection
The Jebusites likely ranged from reddish-brown to black with dark hair and dark eyes. Some may have had green eyes.
The Jebusites may indeed be the Ijebu who are an extant people and related to the modern day Edomites who are called "Edo." Both peoples live in Nigeria and Benin. The Jebusites had close connections with the Horites of Edom. Melchizedek, the Priest-King of Jerusalem (Jebu/Yebu), was Jebusite and a kinsman to Abraham. Melchizedek was probably the brother-in-law of Joktan, Abraham's father-in-law.
Related reading: Kushite Diversity and Unity; The Jebusites Unveiled; History Channel's Bible Series Scores a C; History Channel's Bible Series: Episode 2; Hazor's Destruction: Another Theory