The Canaanites were a group of ancient peoples 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 Old Testament as the inhabitants of the land promised by God to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The biblical narrative describes the Canaanites as a people whose practices and idolatry were abominable to the Lord, leading to their eventual destruction by the Israelites.

Divine Command for Destruction

The command to destroy the Canaanites is rooted in the covenantal promises made by God to the patriarchs and the subsequent instructions given to the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. In Deuteronomy 7:1-2, the Lord explicitly commands the Israelites to utterly destroy the Canaanite nations: "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."

This command is reiterated in Deuteronomy 20:16-18, where the Israelites are instructed to leave no survivors in the cities of the Canaanites: "However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes. You must completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God."

Rationale for the Command

The rationale for this command is multifaceted. Primarily, it is presented as a divine judgment against the Canaanites for their idolatry and moral corruption. Leviticus 18:24-25 warns the Israelites not to defile themselves with the practices of the Canaanites, stating that the land itself became defiled and that God would punish its inhabitants: "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. Even the land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants."

Furthermore, the command serves as a protective measure for the Israelites, ensuring that they would not be led astray by the Canaanites' idolatrous practices. Exodus 23:32-33 warns, "You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. They must not remain in your land, lest they cause you to sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you."

Execution of the Command

The execution of this command is detailed in the Book of Joshua, where the Israelites, under Joshua's leadership, engage in a series of military campaigns to conquer the land of Canaan. Joshua 6:21 describes the destruction of Jericho: "At the edge of the sword they devoted to destruction everything in the city—man and woman, young and old, ox, sheep, and donkey."

Despite these commands, the Israelites did not fully carry out the destruction of the Canaanites, as noted in Judges 1:27-28: "At that time Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, and Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, because the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land. When Israel became stronger, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor, but they never drove them out completely."

Theological Implications

The command to destroy the Canaanites is a subject of significant theological reflection and debate. It underscores the holiness and justice of God, who judges nations according to their deeds. It also highlights the seriousness with which God views idolatry and moral corruption, as well as His desire to preserve the purity of His covenant people. The narrative serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of sin and the importance of obedience to God's commands.Deuteronomy 7:2,24
And when the LORD your God shall deliver them before you; you shall smite them, and utterly destroy them; you shall make no covenant with them, nor show mercy to them:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

The Census of Israel
... The wisdom which commanded the counting of Israel at the ... to stand before the Lord
God of Israel to testify ... able than Moses to fight the Canaanites and conquer ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/the census of israel.htm

Divine Sovereignty.
... upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel; and they ... namely, the Hittites, and the
Amorites, the Canaanites, and the ... as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee: 18 ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture xlv divine sovereignty.htm

Concerning the Power of the Civil Magistrate in Matters Purely ...
... because the Jews did so to the Canaanites, by the ... so those that depart from the inward
Israel are to be ... The Lord commanded indeed sometimes to flee, and the ...
/.../proposition xiv concerning the power.htm

Letter Xl. St. Ambrose Begs Theodosius to Listen to Him, as He ...
... Thee a watchman unto the house of Israel, in order ... you ought not to have commanded
what Julian commanded. ... either over the Amorites, or the Canaanites, or were ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/letter xl st ambrose begs.htm

Israel's Hope Encouraged;
... sight of him would overcome us and destroy us; but ... hoping, until they have believed;
but Israel has believed, and therefore God has commanded them to ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/israels hope encouraged.htm

Balaam
... And then, beyond all, after all the Canaanites and other ... he cannot earn Balak's gold
by cursing Israel, he can ... If he has commanded a thing, he has commanded it ...
/.../kingsley/the gospel of the pentateuch/sermon xiv balaam.htm

The Sovereignty of God in Reprobation
... hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle ... might destroy them as the
LORD commanded Moses" (Josh ... Here was a large number of Canaanites whose hearts ...
/.../pink/the sovereignty of god/chapter five the sovereignty of.htm

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners Or, a Brief Relation of ...
... my heart would be unclean, and the Canaanites would dwell ... He would not suffer them
to fall without the range ... such sins only that might not destroy, but humble ...
/.../bunyan/grace abounding to the chief of sinners/grace abounding to the chief.htm

The Sovereignty of God in Operation
... hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle ... might destroy them, as the
Lord commanded Moses" (Josh ... purposed to "destroy utterly" the Canaanites-it was ...
/.../pink/the sovereignty of god/chapter six the sovereignty of.htm

How Joshua, the Commander of the Hebrews, Made War with The
... Divided Their Land By Lot To The Tribes Of Israel. ... while the Israelites did this,
and the Canaanites did not ... He commanded them also to bring together all the ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 1 how joshua the.htm

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