Lexical Summary Kna'aniy: Canaanite Original Word: כְּנַעַנִי Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Canaanite, merchant, trafficker Patrial from Kna'an; a Kenaanite or inhabitant of Kenaan; by implication, a pedlar (the Canaanites standing for their neighbors the Ishmaelites, who conducted mercantile caravans) -- Canaanite, merchant, trafficker. see HEBREW Kna'an Brown-Driver-Briggs I. כְּנַעֲנִי adjective and name, of a people of I. כְּנַעַן; — usually masculine singular (הַ)כְּנַעֲנִי Genesis 38:2; Numbers 21:1 +; feminine singular הַכְּנַעֲנִית Genesis 46:10 = Exodus 6:15; 1 Chronicles 2:3 masculine plural (הַ)כְּנַעֲנִים Obadiah 20; Nehemiah 9:24; — 1. adjective ׳אִישׁ כ Genesis 38:2 (J). 2 with article as substantive, a. of individual, ׳מֶלֶךְעֲֿרָדהַכּ Numbers 21:1 (J) and hence Numbers 33:40 (P or R); feminine הַכְּנַעֲנִיתּ Genesis 46:10 = Exodus 6:15 (P) בַּתשֿׁוּעַ הַכְּנַעֲנִית 1 Chronicles 2:3. b. usually collective (with article) of pre-Israel in-habitants of כְּנַעַן (q. v.) Genesis 12:6; Genesis 24:3,37; Genesis 50:11 (all J), Numbers 21:3 (J), Joshua 13:3 (D), Judges 1:1,3,9,10,17, many of whom continued to live in the midst of Israel, Judges 1:27; Judges 1:28; Judges 1:29; Judges 1:29; Judges 1:30; Judges 1:32; Judges 1:33; Joshua 16:10 (twice in verse); Joshua 17:12,13,16,18 (all J E), 1 Kings 9:16; plural only Obadiah 20, and ישְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ הַכְּנַעֲנִים Nehemiah 9:24; ׳מִשְׁמְּחוֺת הַכּ Genesis 10:18, ׳גְּבוּל הַכּ Genesis 10:19 (both J), ׳אֶרֶץ הַכּ Exodus 13:11 (JE), Ezekiel 16:3; often of part of the inhabitants, וְכָל ישְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ ׳הַכּ Joshua 7:9 (JE), Deuteronomy 11:30; with other proper name, of a people, + הַמְּרִזִּי Genesis 13:7; Genesis 34:30 (both J), Judges 1:4,5, + הָאֱמֹרִי Deuteronomy 1:7; Joshua 5:1; Joshua 13:4 (all D); + הַחִוִּי 2 Samuel 24:7; + עֲמָלֵקִ (יׅ Numbers 14:25,43,45; especially in the list of peoples dispossessed by Israel, Genesis 15:21; Exodus 3:8,17; Exodus 13:5; Exodus 23:23,28; Exodus 33:2; Exodus 34:11; Numbers 13:29 (׳הַכּ dwelling by the sea and along Jordan [compare Deuteronomy 1:7; Deuteronomy 11:30; Joshua 5:1; Joshua 11:3; Joshua 13:4]; all these J E), Deuteronomy 7:1; Deuteronomy 20:17; Joshua 3:10; Joshua 9:1; Joshua 11:3; Joshua 12:8; Joshua 24:11 (all J E D), Judges 3:3,5; hence Ezra 9:1; Nehemiah 9:8. compare DrDt. p. 11, 13 f., 97, 133. II. כְּנַעֲנִי noun masculine trader, merchant (compare II. כְּנַעַן); only singular (but see below): — עוֺד ׳וְלֹא יִהְיֶה כ׳בְּבֵית י Zechariah 14:21 (probably); ׳וַחֲגוֺר נָָֽתְנָה לַכּ Proverbs 31:24 ("" סָדִין עָֽשְׂתָה וַתִּמְכֹּר). **plural suffix כִּנְעָנֶיהָ (si vera lectio) Isaiah 23:8 ("" סֹחֲרֶיהָ). In Zechariah 11:7,11 read perhaps (לִ)כְנַעֲנִיֵּי for (לָ)כֵן עֲנִיֵּי, ᵐ5 Ξαναναῖοι, Ξαναανῖτιν, StaZAW, 1881. 26 (who compare as to sense Hosea 12:8), compare Klo We Marti. Topical Lexicon Genealogical Background The Canaanites trace their lineage to Canaan, the grandson of Noah through Ham (Genesis 10:6 – 18). In the Table of Nations the term functions as an umbrella for several related peoples—Sidonians, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, and others—who occupied the narrow Levantine corridor between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. Scripture introduces them as early possessors of the land promised to Abram: “At that time the Canaanites were in the land” (Genesis 12:6). From the outset the word therefore serves to mark a theological tension between divine promise and current occupancy. Territorial Extent and Centers of Influence Genesis 10:19 places the borders of Canaan from Sidon in the north to Gaza in the south and eastward toward the Dead Sea region. Key urban hubs—Jericho, Hazor, Megiddo, Gezer, and Shechem—were Canaanite strongholds noted both for fortification and for commerce (Joshua 11:10; 17:11; Judges 1:29). Archaeological data from these sites corroborate the picture of walled cities, advanced metallurgy, and wide-ranging trade that Scripture alludes to by sometimes translating the same root as “merchant” (e.g., Job 41:6; Zechariah 14:21). Religious and Moral Character Mosaic texts describe the Canaanite ethos as saturated with idolatry, ritual prostitution, and child sacrifice (Leviticus 18:21 – 27; Deuteronomy 12:31). These abominations explain the divine decree of expulsion: “Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves” (Leviticus 18:24). Their cultic centers at Bethel, Megiddo, and Hazor revealed high places, standing stones, and altars to Baal and Asherah—physical reminders of the moral danger of syncretism. Role in Israel’s Conquest and Settlement Exodus anticipates the military confrontation: “I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites” (Exodus 33:2). Joshua 3:10 lists them first among the seven nations Israel must dispossess, underscoring their representative status. Major engagements include: • Central campaign: Jericho (Joshua 6) and Ai (Joshua 8). The defeat of Hazor, “head of all these kingdoms” (Joshua 11:10), symbolizes Yahweh’s supremacy over the Canaanite order. Survivors, Servitude, and Assimilation Despite decisive victories, remnant Canaanite enclaves endured (Judges 1:27 – 36). Israel’s failure to complete the expulsion led to three outcomes: 1. Forced labor (Joshua 16:10; Judges 1:28). Later monarchs pressed the remnant into corvée (1 Kings 9:20 – 21), illustrating both political domination and lingering spiritual risk. Prophetic and Eschatological Outlook Zechariah employs the name in a climactic vision of holiness: “On that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of Hosts” (Zechariah 14:21). The prophecy foresees a purified worshiping community, free of the commercialized ritual and moral compromise the Canaanites epitomized. By reversing the merchant connotation of the word, Zechariah anticipates Messiah’s cleansing of the temple (compare Matthew 21:12 – 13). Redemptive Typology 1. Promise versus possession: Canaanite presence highlights the already/not-yet tension of God’s covenant land grant. New Testament Echoes The Greek term Chananaia (Matthew 15:22) preserves the ethnic label when a “Canaanite woman” appeals to Jesus. Her faith and Christ’s favorable response anticipate the gospel’s reach to former outsiders, fulfilling the prophetic hope that the nations—including erstwhile Canaanites—will worship the God of Israel. Ministry Applications • Spiritual vigilance: Israel’s incomplete separation warns believers against tolerating sin that can become a snare (1 Corinthians 10:6 – 11). Key Representative References Genesis 13:7; Exodus 3:8; Numbers 13:29; Joshua 3:10; Judges 3:5 – 6; 1 Kings 9:20 – 21; Ezra 9:1; Nehemiah 9:8; Psalm 106:34 – 35; Zechariah 14:21. Forms and Transliterations בַּֽכְּנַעֲנִ֑י בַּֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔י בַּֽכְּנַעֲנִ֖י בכנעני הַֽ֠כְּנַעֲנִי הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֑י הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֑ית הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔י הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֖י הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֗י הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֛י הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֜י הַֽכְּנַעֲנִֽי׃ הַֽכְּנַעֲנִֽית׃ הַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙ הַכְּנַ֣עֲנִ֔ים הַכְּנַעֲנִ֣י הַכְּנַעֲנִ֤י הַכְּנַעֲנִ֥י הַכְּנַעֲנִ֨י הכנעני הכנעני׃ הכנענים הכנענית הכנענית׃ וְהַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֑י וְהַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔י וְהַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֖י וְהַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֗י וְהַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙ וְהַכְּנַעֲנִ֣י וְהַכְּנַעֲנִ֥י והכנעני כְּֽנַעֲנִֽים׃ כְּנַעֲנִ֖י כְּנַעֲנִים֙ כְנַעֲנִ֥י כִּנְעָנֶ֖יהָ כנעני כנעניה כנענים כנענים׃ לַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֖י לַֽכְּנַעֲנִֽי׃ לַכְּנַעֲנִ֨י לכנעני לכנעני׃ bak·kə·na·‘ă·nî bakkəna‘ănî bakkenaaNi chenaaNi hak·kə·na·‘ă·nî hak·kə·na·‘ă·nîm hak·kə·na·‘ă·nîṯ hakkəna‘ănî hakkəna‘ănîm hakkəna‘ănîṯ HakkenaaNi hakkeNaaNim HakkenaaNit kə·na·‘ă·nî ḵə·na·‘ă·nî kə·na·‘ă·nîm kəna‘ănî ḵəna‘ănî kəna‘ănîm kenaaNi KenaaNim kin‘ānehā kin·‘ā·ne·hā kinaNeiha lak·kə·na·‘ă·nî lakkəna‘ănî lakkenaaNi vehakkenaaNi wə·hak·kə·na·‘ă·nî wəhakkəna‘ănîLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 10:18 HEB: נָפֹ֔צוּ מִשְׁפְּח֖וֹת הַֽכְּנַעֲנִֽי׃ NAS: the families of the Canaanite were spread KJV: were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. INT: were spread the families of the Canaanite Genesis 10:19 Genesis 12:6 Genesis 13:7 Genesis 15:21 Genesis 24:3 Genesis 24:37 Genesis 34:30 Genesis 38:2 Genesis 46:10 Genesis 50:11 Exodus 3:8 Exodus 3:17 Exodus 6:15 Exodus 13:5 Exodus 13:11 Exodus 23:23 Exodus 23:28 Exodus 33:2 Exodus 34:11 Numbers 13:29 Numbers 14:25 Numbers 14:43 Numbers 14:45 Numbers 21:1 74 Occurrences |
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