Ancient region; descendants of Ham; promised to Abraham's descendants

Canaan

Named in 146 verses across 19 books, first in Genesis 10:18.

כְּנַ֫עַןCanaan

כְּנַעֲנִיCanaanite

ΧαναάνCanaan

ΧανααναῖοςCanaanite

Also called Canaanite.

The name means “merchant; trader; or that humbles and subdues.” Hitchcock's Bible Names, 1869

About Canaan Written by AI

Canaan refers to both a region and a people group in the Bible. As a region, Canaan was the ancient name for the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and parts of Syria and Jordan. It was the land God promised to give to Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 12:5-7; 17:8). The Canaanites were the descendants of Canaan, the grandson of Noah through Ham (Genesis 10:18-19). They were known for their idolatry and wickedness, which led to God commanding the Israelites to drive them out of the land (Deu.20.17). The term "Canaanite" was also used to refer to merchants or traders (Job.41.6; Proverbs 31:24), possibly due to their reputation for trading. After the Exodus, the Israelites conquered parts of Canaan under Joshua's leadership, but they failed to completely drive out the Canaanites (Judges 1:27-36). This led to ongoing conflicts and religious influences throughout Israel's history. The prophets often rebuked Israel for adopting Canaanite practices and worshipping their gods (Ezk.16.3).

Drafted by an AI model for STEPBible's TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Check it against the verses below.

Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897

This entry is on the name Canaan, and may cover more than one person or place by that name.

(1.) The fourth son of Ham (Gen. 10:6). His descendants were under a curse in consequence of the transgression of his father (9:22-27). His eldest son, Zidon, was the father of the Sidonians and Phoenicians. He had eleven sons, who were the founders of as many tribes (10:15-18).

(2.) The country which derived its name from the preceding. The name as first used by the Phoenicians denoted only the maritime plain on which Sidon was built. But in the time of Moses and Joshua it denoted the whole country to the west of the Jordan and the Dead Sea (Deut. 11:30). In Josh. 5:12 the LXX. read, “land of the Phoenicians,” instead of “land of Canaan.”

Read the rest of the entry

The name signifies “the lowlands,” as distinguished from the land of Gilead on the east of Jordan, which was a mountainous district. The extent and boundaries of Canaan are fully set forth in different parts of Scripture (Gen. 10:19; 17:8; Num. 13:29; 34:8). (See CANAANITES, PALESTINE.)

M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897), public domain, from CrossWire. Shown as written; its Scripture quotes are from older translations.

31.694, 34.844 See it on a map

Where the Bible names it

Genesis 10:18
the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Later the Canaanite clans were scattered,
Genesis 10:19
and the borders of Canaan extended from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
Genesis 11:31
And Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai the wife of Abram, and they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan. But when they arrived in Haran, they settled there.
Genesis 12:5
And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and people they had acquired in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,
Genesis 12:6
Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the Oak of Moreh at Shechem. And at that time the Canaanites were in the land.
Genesis 13:7
And there was discord between the herdsmen of Abram and the herdsmen of Lot. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were also living in the land.
Genesis 13:12
Abram lived in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
Genesis 15:21
Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”
Genesis 16:3
So after he had lived in Canaan for ten years, his wife Sarai took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to Abram to be his wife.
Genesis 17:8
And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”
Genesis 23:2
She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went out to mourn and to weep for her.
Genesis 23:19
After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field at Machpelah near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 24:3
and I will have you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am dwelling,
Genesis 24:37
My master made me swear an oath and said, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I dwell,
Genesis 28:1
So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. “Do not take a wife from the Canaanite women,” he commanded.
Genesis 28:6
Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to take a wife there, commanding him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,”
Genesis 28:8
And seeing that his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women,
Genesis 31:18
and he drove all his livestock before him, along with all the possessions he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land in Canaan.
Genesis 33:18
After Jacob had come from Paddan-aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped just outside the city.
Genesis 34:30
Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble upon me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people of this land. We are few in number; if they unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”
Genesis 35:6
So Jacob and everyone with him arrived in Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 36:2
Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite,
Genesis 36:5
and Oholibamah gave birth to Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 36:6
Later, Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the people of his household, along with his livestock, all his other animals, and all the property he had acquired in Canaan, and he moved to a land far away from his brother Jacob.
Genesis 37:1
Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had resided, the land of Canaan.
Genesis 38:2
There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua, and he took her as a wife and slept with her.
Genesis 42:5
So the sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, since the famine had also spread to the land of Canaan.
Genesis 42:7
And when Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We are here to buy food.”
Genesis 42:13
But they answered, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”
Genesis 42:29
When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they described to him all that had happened to them:
Genesis 42:32
We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’
Genesis 44:8
We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found in the mouths of our sacks. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?
Genesis 45:17
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do as follows: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan.
Genesis 45:25
So the brothers went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 46:6
They also took the livestock and possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt.
Genesis 46:12
The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.
Genesis 46:31
Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and inform Pharaoh: ‘My brothers and my father’s household from the land of Canaan have come to me.
Genesis 47:1
So Joseph went and told Pharaoh: “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen.”
Genesis 47:4
Then they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live in the land for a time, because there is no pasture for the flocks of your servants, since the famine in the land of Canaan has been severe. So now, please allow your servants to settle in the land of Goshen.”
Genesis 47:13
There was no food, however, in all that region, because the famine was so severe; the lands of Egypt and Canaan had been exhausted by the famine.