Lexical Summary Kanneh: Kanneh Original Word: כַּנֶּה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Canneh For Kalneh; Canneh, a place in Assyria -- Canneh. see HEBREW Kalneh NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom kanah Definition probably a place in Bab. NASB Translation Canneh (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs כַּנֶּה proper name, of a location apparently in Mesopotamia, ׳וָעֶדֶן חָרָן וְכ Ezekiel 27:23, ᵐ5 Ξαναα; identification dubious; = כַּלְנֶה Thes and most; Co rds. כַּלְנֶה; MezStadt Harrân 34 proposes בְּנֵי עֶדֶן. כְּנָוֺת see כְּנָת p. 490. כָּנְיָהוּ see יְהוֺיָכִין p. 220, and יְכוֺנְיָה below כון. כִֶּנָּם, כִּנִּם see IV. כֵּן below II. כנן. below I. כנן (√ of following; parallel form of כון; be firm, substantial). Topical Lexicon Biblical Occurrence Canneh is named once in Scripture—Ezekiel 27:23—within the lament over Tyre: “Haran, Canneh, and Eden and the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad traded with you” (Berean Standard Bible). The single appearance places it squarely in the catalogue of international partners whose commerce fueled Tyre’s wealth and pride. Geographical Identification Ancient Near-Eastern texts and later classical writers point to a Mesopotamian setting. Most scholars locate Canneh on or near the upper Euphrates, identifying it with the older city called Calneh (Genesis 10:10) and possibly the Calneh mentioned in Amos 6:2. Assyrian records list a “Kulunu/Calno” south-east of Carchemish and north-west of Babylon—territory that lay along key caravan routes linking Assyria, Babylonia, and the Levant. Whether or not every reference denotes the exact same site, the city in Ezekiel belongs to the broader Babylonian-Assyrian sphere, strategically positioned for both river and overland trade. Historical Background From the early second millennium B.C. onward, Mesopotamian urban centers became hubs for textiles, spices, carved ivories, metals, and cultivated grains. Excavations of comparable Euphrates towns reveal complex canals, ziggurats, and archives filled with commercial tablets. Canneh’s traders would have been fluent in Akkadian, comfortable with cuneiform contracts, and familiar with regional deities—a world far removed from Israel’s covenant life yet repeatedly intersecting it through diplomacy, warfare, and commerce. Role in Tyrian Trade Tyre’s merchants specialized in maritime shipping; Mesopotamian merchants like those of Canneh supplied inland goods impossible to obtain by sea alone. Likely exports included: Ezekiel’s inventory underscores how far-reaching Tyre’s network had become: from Tarshish in the west to Sheba in Arabia and, here, Canneh in the east. The prophet portrays a cosmopolitan empire that trusted in commerce rather than in the Lord. Prophetic Significance Ezekiel 27 uses commercial poetry to depict Tyre as a majestic ship laden with cargo, only to founder under divine judgment. Each trading partner reinforces the breadth of Tyre’s influence and, by implication, the magnitude of its fall. Canneh’s inclusion reminds readers that no city, however distant or wealthy, is exempt from the ripple effects of another nation’s sin. The lament anticipates Revelation 18, where the downfall of Babylon likewise devastates a global marketplace. Both passages present a moral universe in which economic systems are accountable to God. Connections with Other Biblical Passages Genesis 10:10 lists Calneh as one of Nimrod’s early cities—part of the post-Flood spread of human culture eastward. Amos 6:2 challenges complacent Israel to “go to Calneh and see” the fate of stronger powers already judged. Ezekiel’s Canneh thus stands at the intersection of three themes: human ambition after Babel, prophetic warnings against pride, and the eventual collapse of ungodly commerce (Jeremiah 50–51; Revelation 18). Lessons for Faith and Ministry 1. Global economics operates under divine sovereignty. Christian engagement with trade, finance, and vocation must reflect ethical integrity, knowing that unchecked greed invites judgment. Canneh’s lone appearance is therefore far more than a stray geographic note; it is a window into the economic, political, and spiritual currents that shaped biblical times and still speak to the Church today. Forms and Transliterations וְכַנֵּה֙ וכנה vechanNeh wə·ḵan·nêh wəḵannêhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezekiel 27:23 HEB: חָרָ֤ן וְכַנֵּה֙ וָעֶ֔דֶן רֹכְלֵ֖י NAS: Haran, Canneh, Eden, the traders KJV: Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, INT: Haran Canneh Eden the traders 1 Occurrence |
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