The Canaanites (KAY-nuh-nyts) were a people mentioned in the Old Testament who settled in Canaan, the biblical name for what is now Palestine, around 2300 B.C. They were said to be descendants of Canaan, Noah’s grandson, and were portrayed as wicked and idolatrous. Known for their polytheistic beliefs, including practices like child sacrifice, they were seen as enemies of the Israelites, who eventually took over the land around 1200 B.C.
The Canaanites were a Semitic people, related to the Arabs, Assyrians, and Israelites, with archaeological evidence showing they had a highly advanced civilization. They built fortified cities to protect against invading tribes, though they were eventually conquered by the Israelites. Genesis 10:15-19 mentions 11 groups in Syria and Palestine descended from Canaan, so the term “Canaanites” can refer to a specific group (Joshua 11:3) or any of those listed in the Genesis 10 table of nations. Many scholars see them more as an ethnic group than a nation, and some even think they were a particular social class, like merchants, with much of this understanding based on Egyptian and Mari history.
- Gen 10:15-19
- And Canaan begat Sidon his first born, and Heth,
- And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,
- And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,
- And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite:
- and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.
- And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.
The moral and social corruption of Canaanite society and religion is clearly outlined in Leviticus chapter 18 and chapter 20 and Deuteronomy 9:5; 12:29-31, highlighting the sexual immorality linked to fertility cults and the cruelty of child sacrifice.
Historical accounts add further details of social oppression and violence (1 Kings 14:24; 21:26; 2 Kings 16:3; 17:8; 21:2). Taken together, these passages present God’s own reasoning for the events in Joshua, showing the conquest not as human-led genocide but as an act of divine judgment.
The Israelites adopted many Canaanite laws and customs, and the Hebrew language and literature reflect strong Canaanite influence. Before the Israelite invasion, some Canaanites settled northwest of Palestine, where they came to be known as Phoenicians.
The Ancient area of Canaan is modern day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and parts of Jordan and Syria.
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