Topical Bible: Canaanites: Given to the Israelites

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The Canaanites were a group of ancient people who inhabited the land of Canaan, a region that roughly corresponds to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and parts of Jordan and Syria. The Canaanites are frequently mentioned in the Bible, particularly in the context of the Israelites' conquest of the Promised Land.

Biblical Background

The land of Canaan was promised to the descendants of Abraham by God. In Genesis 12:7 , the Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." This promise was reiterated to Isaac and Jacob, establishing a divine covenant that the land of Canaan would belong to the Israelites.

Canaanite Culture and Religion

The Canaanites were known for their polytheistic religion, which included the worship of deities such as Baal and Asherah. Their religious practices often involved rituals that were considered abominable by the Israelites, including child sacrifice and temple prostitution. The moral and spiritual corruption of the Canaanites is highlighted in Leviticus 18:24-25 , where God warns the Israelites not to defile themselves with the practices of the nations He is driving out before them.

Conquest of Canaan

The conquest of Canaan is a central theme in the Book of Joshua. After the death of Moses, Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land. In Joshua 1:2-3 , God commands Joshua, "Arise, cross over the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to the children of Israel. I have given you every place where the sole of your foot will tread, just as I promised to Moses."

The conquest involved a series of battles against various Canaanite city-states. The fall of Jericho, as described in Joshua 6, is one of the most famous accounts, where the walls of the city fell after the Israelites marched around them for seven days. The conquest was not only a military campaign but also a divine mandate to purify the land from idolatry and immorality.

Divine Judgment and Mercy

The destruction of the Canaanites is often viewed as an act of divine judgment. In Deuteronomy 9:4-5 , God tells the Israelites, "It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you."

Despite the command to destroy the Canaanites, there are instances of mercy and redemption. Rahab, a Canaanite woman from Jericho, is spared because of her faith and assistance to the Israelite spies (Joshua 2). Her inclusion in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:5) highlights God's grace and the possibility of redemption for those who turn to Him.

Legacy and Lessons

The narrative of the Canaanites serves as a reminder of the consequences of idolatry and moral corruption. It underscores the importance of faithfulness to God's commandments and the dangers of assimilating ungodly practices. The Israelites' interactions with the Canaanites also illustrate the tension between divine justice and mercy, a theme that resonates throughout the biblical narrative.

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Genesis 12:6,7
And Abram passed through the land to the place of Sichem, to the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
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Genesis 15:18
In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, To your seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:
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Genesis 17:8
And I will give to you, and to your seed after you, the land wherein you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
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Exodus 23:23
For my Angel shall go before you, and bring you in to the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.
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Deuteronomy 7:1-3
When the LORD your God shall bring you into the land where you go to possess it, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you;
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Deuteronomy 32:49
Get you up into this mountain Abarim, to mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel for a possession:
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Psalm 135:11,12
Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan:
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Library

How the Canaanites Brought the Israelites under Slavery for Twenty ...
... overlook them, now they were ruined by the Canaanites. ... meanly that authority which
God hath given thee into ... from the enemy; whereupon the Israelites, and Barak ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 5 how the canaanites.htm

The Israelites
... desert, out of the reach of the cultured Canaanites and the ... line of fortifications,
and through these permission was given that the Israelites should pass ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter i the israelites.htm

How the Israelites after this Misfortune Grew Wicked and Served ...
... of the evil doings that were common among the Canaanites. ... from God not to overlook
the Israelites in such a ... Hereupon Othniel, who had given such proofs of his ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 3 how the israelites.htm

How the Lands from which the Canaanites were Expelled, had Been ...
... 83, sq., where it is given as an answer to the Manich??an objection against the cruelty
and injustice of the extermination of the Canaanites by the Israelites. ...
/.../cassian/the works of john cassian /chapter xxiv how the lands.htm

How, after the Death of Joshua their Commander, the Israelites ...
... But the Israelites, though they were in heaviness at these ... they got large tributes
from the Canaanites, and were ... but they were very much given to cultivating ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 2 how after the.htm

The Blessing and the Curse.
... says, were spoken by Moses to all the Israelites shortly before ... than men, and at
last"as the Canaanites had become ... of the good land which God had given them. ...
/.../kingsley/westminster sermons/sermon xxiv the blessing and.htm

The Book of Jubilees
... the hostilities between the Egyptians and the Canaanites, during which ... and the
directions concerning apparel were given to the Israelites to differentiate ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the book of jubilees.htm

Israel in Canaan.
... When the Israelites entered it, every hill was crowned ... the seven Canaanite nations
who were given into their ... town was still held by the Canaanites, in especial ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson v israel in canaan.htm

How Solomon Fortified the City of Jerusalem, and Built Great ...
... than those nations; while all the Israelites were concerned ... and fifty rulers over
those Canaanites who were ... had obtained what we have already given an account ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 6 how solomon fortified.htm

Book 4 Footnotes
... had prostituted themselves to the lewd Israelites, and the ... of public or secret harlots
was given to Venus ... commission to extirpate all the Canaanites, root and ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/book 4 footnotes.htm