Topical Bible: Canaanites by the Egyptians

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The Canaanites, as referenced in the Bible, were a significant group of ancient people inhabiting 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 Old Testament, and their interactions with the Israelites are a central theme in the biblical narrative. From a historical and archaeological perspective, the Canaanites were a Semitic-speaking people with a rich culture and complex society.

Biblical References:

The Canaanites are first mentioned in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10, where Canaan is listed as a descendant of Ham, one of Noah's sons: "Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites" (Genesis 10:15-18). This passage establishes the Canaanites as a significant group among the descendants of Ham, with various tribes and city-states.

The land of Canaan is described as the Promised Land, which God pledged to give to Abraham and his descendants. In Genesis 12:5-7, God promises Abram (later Abraham) that his offspring will inherit this land: "So 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, Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, 'To your offspring I will give this land.' So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him" (Genesis 12:5-7).

Egyptian Perspective:

From the Egyptian perspective, the Canaanites were both trading partners and adversaries. The Egyptians referred to the region of Canaan as "Retjenu" or "Djahi" and had extensive interactions with the Canaanite city-states. Egyptian records, such as the Amarna Letters, reveal correspondence between the Egyptian pharaohs and Canaanite rulers, indicating a complex relationship involving diplomacy, trade, and military campaigns.

The Egyptians conducted several military campaigns into Canaan, particularly during the New Kingdom period. Pharaohs such as Thutmose III and Ramses II sought to exert control over the region, which was strategically important for trade routes and as a buffer against other powerful empires. The Battle of Kadesh, fought between Ramses II and the Hittites, underscores the geopolitical significance of the Canaanite territories.

Cultural and Religious Practices:

The Canaanites were known for their polytheistic religion, which included the worship of deities such as Baal, Asherah, and El. These religious practices often brought them into conflict with the Israelites, who were commanded by God to worship Him alone. The biblical narrative frequently highlights the Israelites' struggles to remain faithful to God amidst the influence of Canaanite religious practices.

In Deuteronomy 7:1-5, God instructs the Israelites regarding their interactions with the Canaanites: "When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess, and He drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you—and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy. Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your children away from following Me to serve other gods, and the anger of the LORD will burn against you and will swiftly destroy you. This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire" (Deuteronomy 7:1-5).

Archaeological Evidence:

Archaeological findings have provided insight into Canaanite culture, including their urban centers, fortifications, and religious practices. Excavations at sites such as Ugarit and Megiddo have uncovered artifacts and inscriptions that shed light on Canaanite society and its interactions with neighboring civilizations, including Egypt.

The Canaanites, as depicted in both biblical and Egyptian sources, were a complex and influential people whose legacy is intertwined with the history of the Israelites and the broader ancient Near Eastern world. Their interactions with the Egyptians highlight the dynamic and often contentious relationships that characterized the ancient world.

Nave's Topical Index

1 Kings 9:16
For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelled in the city, and given it for a present to his daughter, Solomon's wife.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

How Moses Sent Some Persons to Search Out the Land of the ...
... Canaanites The Multitude Were Disturbed And Fell Into Despair; And Were Resolved
To Stone Moses, And To Return Back Again Into Egypt, And Serve The Egyptians. ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 14 how moses sent.htm

Fight of the Hebrews with the Canaanites Without the Consent
... Accordingly they resolved to fight with the Canaanites, and said that God gave ... their
deliverance from the indignities they endured under the Egyptians, as to ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 1 fight of the.htm

How Solomon Fortified the City of Jerusalem, and Built Great ...
... prove that our books and those of the Egyptians agree together in many things. 3.
But king Solomon subdued to himself the remnant of the Canaanites that had ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 6 how solomon fortified.htm

From the Flood to Abraham
... Out of these descendants of Ham arose the Canaanites, the Babylonians and the Egyptians
who developed the three great civilizations of antiquity. ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter iii from the flood.htm

That the Judgment of God and Men as to Human Acts of violence, is ...
... [256] The Manich??ans, like the deistical writers of the last century, attacked the
spoiling of the Egyptians, the slaughter of the Canaanites, and such ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/chapter ix that the judgment of.htm

Jewish Chronology Continued.
... children are: Canaan, [1071] from whom came the Canaanites; Mizraim, from whom the
Egyptians; Cush, from whom the Ethiopians; and Phut, from whom the Libyans. ...
/.../the refutation of all heresies/chapter xxvii jewish chronology continued.htm

Chapter xxxviii
... For it is to be observed repeatedly that, though the Canaanites were already ... For
the Egyptians of old were noted for their aversion to strangers, especially to ...
/.../leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxxviii.htm

Questions.
... 11. What wonders were wrought on the Egyptians? 12. ... 8. Who were the chief gods
of the Canaanites? 9. How were the Israelites governed? 10. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/questions.htm

The Antiquities of the Jews
... Divided Asunder For The Hebrews, When They Were Pursued By The Egyptians, And So ...
From Mount Sinai, And Conducted The People To The Borders Of The Canaanites. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/josephus/the antiquities of the jews/

Of the Advent of Jesus; of the Fortunes of the Jews, and their ...
... [567] Apis is the name given by the Egyptians to the ... from Abram the Hebrew, that
is, the man who had crossed the river,--a name given to him by the Canaanites. ...
/.../lactantius/the divine institutes/chap x of the advent of.htm