Canaanites

In the Bible

In the table of nations in Genesis 10, the Canaanites are first introduced as descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham (Genesis 10:6; Genesis 10:15-19). This genealogy lists Sidon, along with the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, and others, as descendants of Canaan. It is preceded by the account of Noah cursing Canaan (Genesis 9:25).

The name is used in two senses. In a broad sense, it refers to the entire population of the land of Canaan. In a narrow sense, it refers to one group among several peoples. Examples of the narrow usage include the following:

• The list of inhabitants of the land God promised to give to the descendants of Abraham (Genesis 15:19-21)
• The list of inhabitants of "a land flowing with milk and honey" (Exodus 3:8)
• The list of "seven nations" (Deuteronomy 7:1), where the Canaanites appear alongside the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

The twelve spies report that the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the Jordan (Numbers 13:29). Deuteronomy commands that they be utterly destroyed, with none left alive. It also forbids making covenants or intermarrying with them, citing idolatry as the reason (Deuteronomy 7:2-5; 20:16-18). Joshua records the wars of conquest. Judges 1 relates that in many places Israel failed to drive them out completely and came to live alongside them.

Background

The inhabitants of Canaan spoke a Semitic language closely related to Hebrew. They worshiped Baal, Asherah, and other deities. Texts excavated at Ugarit in northern Syria serve as a major source for understanding the religion of the region. The coastal peoples of Sidon and Tyre (the Phoenicians) are regarded as heirs of Canaanite culture. In some passages, such as Proverbs 31:24, the Hebrew word kena'ani carries the sense of "merchant." The etymology of the name is uncertain.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

Genesis 15:16 gives as the reason for delaying the conquest that "the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." While Scripture connects the conquest with judgment, it also records exceptions. Rahab is remembered as a person of faith (Hebrews 11:31; Matthew 1:5). The inhabitants of Gibeon survived by making a covenant with Israel (Joshua 9). The "woman of Canaan" in Matthew 15:22, the same person as the Syrophoenician woman in Mark, is the mother whose daughter Jesus heals. In a sermon, Paul recalls the destruction of the seven nations as part of God's history of salvation (Acts 13:19).

Interpretation and Debate

• Noah's curse: The text curses Canaan, not Ham. The passage was misused in the past to justify the enslavement of Africans. Today that interpretation is not accepted as a legitimate reading of Scripture.
• The command of utter destruction: Many conservative interpreters see it as God's judgment on sin (Leviticus 18:24-25). They also emphasize that it was a command given at a specific point in redemptive history and cannot serve as grounds for justifying violence today. Some, noting that inhabitants still remained in the time of the Judges, read it as the hyperbolic language typical of ancient Near Eastern war accounts. In historical-critical scholarship, many take a different view of the historicity of the conquest accounts on the basis of archaeological evidence. Scholars reach differing conclusions.

In the Korean Church

In preaching, the Canaanites are often used as a metaphor for the sins and old habits that believers must overcome. Such metaphors are applications distinct from the historical meaning of the text. The term "Canaan believers", which refers to Christians who have stopped attending church, comes from reading the Korean phrase an naga ("not going") backward and has no connection to the Canaanites.