Lexical Summary
Kna'an: Canaan
Original Word:כִּנַעַן
Part of Speech:proper name, masculine; proper name, masculine; noun masculine
Transliteration:Kna`an
Pronunciation:kuh-NAH-an
Phonetic Spelling:(ken-ah'-an)
KJV: Canaan, merchant, traffick
Word Origin:[fromH3665 (כָּנַע - humbled)]
1. humiliated
2. Kenaan, a son a Ham
3. also the country inhabited by him
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Canaan, merchant, traffic
Fromkana'; humiliated; Kenaan, a son a Ham; also the country inhabited by him -- Canaan, merchant, traffick.
see HEBREWkana'
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I.
90 and
( , Phoenician =Phoenicia; = , Hecataeus, see MüllerFr.Hist.Gr.i,17 and others; EgyptianKa-n-±-na WMMAs.u.Europa,205 ff.; Tel AmarnaKina—na, Kina——i, etc., BezBM Tablets, 150 WklTA 39; etymology dubious GFMPAOS Oct. 1890. lxvii ff.; see also GASmGeogr. 4 f. BuhlGeogr. § 42); — as
,Genesis 9:18,22,25,27;Genesis 10:15 (as ancestor of Canaanites and Phoenicians; all J);Genesis 10:6 (P);1 Chronicles 1:8,13 (fromGenesis 10:6,15).
, into which Hebrews came, and where they settled, subduing the inhabitants;Judges 5:19,Judges 4:2,23,24 (twice in verse); hencePsalm 135:11;Exodus 15:15 (song in E); compareJudges 3:1;Psalm 106:38idols of Canaan, i.e. of the former inhabitants; especially ,Genesis 44:8;Genesis 46:31;Genesis 47:1,4,13,14,15;Genesis 50:5,13 (all J),Genesis 35:6;Genesis 42:5,7,13,29,32;Genesis 45:17,25;Joshua 24:3 (all E),Genesis 11:31;Genesis 12:5 (twice in verse);Genesis 13:12 (opposed to vb),Genesis 16:3;Genesis 17:8 (all P) + 40 t. P,Judges 21:12;1 Chronicles 16:18 =Psalm 105:11; alsoNumbers 34:2 (P);Genesis 28:1daughters of Canaan = women of the land, soGenesis 28:6;Genesis 28:8;Genesis 36:2 (all P); is personifiedHosea 12:8 = apostate Israel;Isaiah 19:18 = the Hebrew language (without evil implication).
, especially PhoeniciaIsaiah 23:11; compareZephaniah 2:5.
II. (s) (because Canaanites, especially Phoenicians, were traders); —Zephaniah 1:11;Ezekiel 16:29 (omitted by B and others Co),Ezekiel 17:4a land of merchants; compare near the end.
Topical Lexicon
Historic and Geographic Setting“Canaan” designates the land stretching from the River of Egypt to the Lebo-Hamath corridor, bounded on the east by the Jordan and on the west by the Mediterranean (Numbers 34:2-12;Joshua 13:1-7). The term embraces both the coastal plain and the internal highlands, including such varied topography as the Shephelah, the hill-country of Ephraim and Judah, the Jezreel Valley, and the Phoenician seaboard. Strategic caravan routes such as the Via Maris placed Canaan at the crossroads of Africa and Asia, making it a stage on which divine revelation would engage the surrounding nations.
Genealogical Origin
Canaan is listed as the fourth son of Ham and grandson of Noah (Genesis 10:6). His descendants spread through Sidon, Heth, the Jebusite, Amorite, Girgashite, Hivite, Arkite, Sinite, Arvadite, Zemarite, and Hamathite peoples (Genesis 10:15-18), tying the collective name “Canaan” both to a person and to a confederation of tribes. The curse pronounced by Noah—“Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers” (Genesis 9:25)—sets the theological trajectory that culminates in Israel’s conquest.
Patriarchal Promises
Yahweh’s covenantal focus fixes upon this land long before Israel’s emergence as a nation. To Abram the Lord declared, “To your offspring I will give this land” (Genesis 12:7; cf. 13:14-17; 15:18-21; 17:8). Isaac (Genesis 26:3-4) and Jacob (Genesis 28:13) received the same promise. The patriarchs dwelled as sojourners, purchasing only burial plots (Genesis 23) but walking the territory in faith as “heirs with the same promise” (Hebrews 11:9).
Moral Climate and Religious Practices
Moses warned Israel not to imitate the Canaanite cults: child sacrifice, ritual prostitution, necromancy, and divination (Leviticus 18:3, 24-30;Deuteronomy 18:9-14). These abominations justified the divine judgment enacted through Israel’s occupation (Leviticus 18:25). Archaeological data confirm fertility rites, high-place worship, and infant sacrifice to deities such as Molech and Baal. The moral degeneracy of Canaan contrasts with the holiness demanded of Israel, underscoring the call to be a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6).
Conquest and Allotment under Joshua
Joshua 1–12 records the decisive campaigns: Jericho, Ai, the southern and northern coalitions. “So Joshua took the entire land, according to all that the LORD had spoken to Moses” (Joshua 11:23). Chapters 13–21 detail tribal allotments, rooting each tribe in covenantal inheritance. Yet pockets of Canaanites remained—Gezer (Joshua 16:10), Jerusalem (Judges 1:21), and the northern Phoenician coast—foreshadowing recurrent syncretism.
Continued Presence and Influence
Because Israel failed to expel every enclave, Canaanite culture permeated the monarchy period. Solomon’s forced labor levy included “all the people who were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—who were not Israelites” (1 Kings 9:20-21). Prophets denounced lingering Canaanite values under symbolic labels: “For all of them are adulterers like a burning oven” (Hosea 7:4) and “On that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of Hosts” (Zechariah 14:21), foreseeing ultimate purification.
Prophetic Destiny
Isaiah 19:17 predicts that “the land of Judah will bring terror to Egypt; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be afraid,” hinting that Canaan would stand secure under Messianic rule. Ezekiel, in his lament for Jerusalem’s apostasy, traces her ancestry metaphorically to “your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite” (Ezekiel 16:3), indicting the city for reverting to Canaanite ways and reaffirming the covenant’s moral dimension.
Typological and Theological Significance
1. Inheritance Rest:Hebrews 4:8-11 interprets entry into Canaan as a type pointing to final rest in Christ.
2. Spiritual Warfare: Israel’s battles model the believer’s conflict against sin and principalities (Ephesians 6:12). Complete obedience remains essential lest “Canaanites” linger in the heart.
3. Covenant Faithfulness: The land promise undergirds God’s irrevocable covenant with Abraham, serving as evidence of divine veracity (Romans 11:29).
New Testament Echoes
Though the Greek term Χανααν appears sparingly (Acts 7:11;Acts 7:19 references Egypt, but Stephen recounts Canaan in verse 45), the concept permeates Scripture; Matthew substitutes “land” for “Canaan” in genealogies (Matthew 1). Jesus’ ministry along the Phoenician coast (Tyre and Sidon, descendants of Canaan) previews Gentile inclusion (Matthew 15:21-28).
Practical Ministry Lessons
• Promise and Patience: God may delay fulfillment, yet His word proves sure, as the four-century span between promise (Genesis 15:13) and conquest illustrates.
• Holiness amid Culture: The Canaanite legacy warns churches to guard against incremental compromise.
• Missionary Outlook: Just as Rahab left Canaanite idolatry for Israel’s God, modern converts forsake former identities, becoming fellow heirs (Ephesians 2:12-19).
Key References
Genesis 9:25-27; 10:15-19; 12:5-7; 17:8;Exodus 3:8;Leviticus 18:24-30;Numbers 13–14;Deuteronomy 7:1-6;Joshua 1–24;Judges 1:27-36;1 Kings 9:20-21;Psalm 105:11;Isaiah 23;Zechariah 14:21;Hebrews 4:8-11.
Canaan, therefore, is more than a geographical term; it is a theological arena where God’s holiness, judgment, mercy, and redemptive purpose intersect, reaching their climax in Christ and projecting forward to the ultimate inheritance reserved for the saints.
Forms and Transliterations
וּכְנַ֗עַן וּכְנָֽעַן׃ וכנען וכנען׃ כְּנַ֔עַן כְּנַ֖עַן כְּנַ֗עַן כְּנַ֙עַן֙ כְּנַ֡עַן כְּנַעַן֒ כְּנָ֑עַן כְּנָ֔עַן כְּנָֽעַן׃ כְנַ֔עַן כְנַ֖עַן כְנָ֑עַן כְנָֽעַן׃ כנען כנען׃ cheNaan kə·na·‘an kə·nā·‘an ḵə·na·‘an ḵə·nā·‘an kəna‘an kənā‘an ḵəna‘an ḵənā‘an keNaan ū·ḵə·na·‘an ū·ḵə·nā·‘an ucheNaan ūḵəna‘an ūḵənā‘an
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