Topical Bible: Holy Land: Original Inhabitants of, Expelled for Wickedness

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Topical Encyclopedia

The term "Holy Land" refers to the geographical region that holds significant religious importance, particularly in the context of biblical history. This land, often identified with modern-day Israel and surrounding areas, was originally inhabited by various groups collectively known as the Canaanites. These original inhabitants were expelled due to their wickedness, as described in the biblical narrative.

Canaanites and Other Inhabitants

The Canaanites were a collection of ancient peoples who lived in the land of Canaan, a region that included parts of present-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria. The Bible identifies several specific groups among the Canaanites, including the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (Exodus 3:8). These groups were known for their polytheistic beliefs and practices, which often included idolatry, child sacrifice, and other acts considered abominable by the standards of the Israelites.

Divine Judgment and Expulsion

The expulsion of the Canaanites is framed within the context of divine judgment. According to the biblical account, God promised the land of Canaan to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as part of His covenant with them (Genesis 15:18-21). However, the fulfillment of this promise was contingent upon the moral and spiritual state of the land's inhabitants.

The Canaanites' practices were seen as deeply corrupt and offensive to God. In Leviticus 18:24-25 , the Lord warns the Israelites not to defile themselves with the practices of the nations He is driving out before them, stating, "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. The land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its iniquity, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants."

Israelite Conquest

The conquest of Canaan by the Israelites, under the leadership of Joshua, is depicted as an act of divine justice. The Israelites were commanded to destroy the Canaanite nations completely, to prevent the corruption of their own society through the adoption of Canaanite practices (Deuteronomy 7:1-2). Joshua 11:20 explains, "For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts to engage Israel in battle, so that they would be completely destroyed without mercy and be annihilated, as the LORD had commanded Moses."

Moral and Theological Implications

The expulsion of the Canaanites is often discussed in terms of its moral and theological implications. From a biblical perspective, the narrative underscores the holiness and justice of God, who judges nations based on their actions. It also serves as a warning to the Israelites to remain faithful to God's commandments, lest they suffer a similar fate (Deuteronomy 8:19-20).

The account of the original inhabitants of the Holy Land and their expulsion for wickedness is a complex and multifaceted topic within biblical studies. It highlights themes of divine justice, covenantal promise, and the moral responsibilities of God's chosen people.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 15:16
But in the fourth generation they shall come here again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

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.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Leviticus 18:25
And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof on it, and the land itself vomits out her inhabitants.
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Deuteronomy 18:12
For all that do these things are an abomination to the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD your God does drive them out from before you.
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Library

The Course Pursued by the Apostles after the Ascension of Christ.
... together," [242] as the account of the holy Gospels shows. ... a certain providence led
from the land of the ... of whom Rufinus, I. 9, gives the original account; and ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter i the course pursued by.htm

The First Book
... this: let us at last return to our original proposition ... went out of Egypt to enter
the promised land, yet not one of them entered it save two holy men alone ...
//christianbookshelf.org/salvian/on the government of god/the first book.htm

Paul and Barnabas in Lystra.
... derived from traditionary accounts of the original institution of ... but that, for wise
and holy reasons, he ... food and gladness." Canaan was a land "flowing with ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture xv paul and barnabas.htm

Book ii.
... to Alexandria from another country, and had original laws of ... Jews placed an ass's
head in their holy place;" and ... sea, and the fowls of the dry land; that this ...
//christianbookshelf.org/josephus/against apion/book ii.htm

Justinian.
... Vandal persecutors, almost equal to their original, Genseric, had ... your mind, the
organ of the Holy Spirit,[125 ... carried on an unceasing struggle over land and sea ...
/.../allies/the formation of christendom volume vi/chapter iv justinian.htm

The Dialogue against the Luciferians.
... to enumerate; Arius also, the presbyter, the original source of ... expelled, and the
dove of the Holy Spirit announces ... barren oats lord it in the land." What is ...
/.../the principal works of st jerome/the dialogue against the luciferians.htm

Book 1.
... himself, from some stories of an uncertain original, I will ... but spread out their
hands in their holy places, and ... had been driven out of the land by Tefilmosis ...
//christianbookshelf.org/josephus/against apion/book 1.htm

St. Gregory the Great.
... missionary, all the needs of a land in conversion ... place was assigned to the most
holy or opulent ... as the eastern bishops submitted their original hierarchy, of ...
/.../allies/the formation of christendom volume vi/chapter v st gregory the.htm

From the Close of the General Conference of 1820 to the Beginning ...
... These long neglected people, the original lords of the soil ... citizens, and do not
infract any law of the land. ... labors with the energies of the Holy Spirit, so ...
/.../chapter 6 from the close.htm

Period iii. The Critical Period: AD 140 to AD 200
... to other nations in the character of the Holy Spirit. ... the appearance of having been
taken from an original source (cf ... who led the people out of the land of Egypt ...
/.../a source book for ancient church history/period iii the critical period .htm