Topical Bible: The Canaanites: Partially Subdued by Israel

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Topical Encyclopedia

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 Promised Land, which God pledged to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Biblical Context and Divine Mandate

The mandate to conquer the Canaanites was given to the Israelites as part of God's covenant with them. In Genesis 15:18-21, God promised Abraham that his descendants would inherit the land of the Canaanites. This promise was reiterated to Moses and the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. In Deuteronomy 7:1-2 , God commanded the Israelites: "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."

Conquest and Partial Subjugation

The conquest of Canaan began under the leadership of Joshua, who succeeded Moses. The Book of Joshua details the initial victories over the Canaanite cities, including Jericho and Ai. Joshua 11:23 states, "So Joshua took the entire land, according to all that the LORD had spoken to Moses, and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. Then the land had rest from war."

However, the subjugation of the Canaanites was incomplete. Despite the initial successes, several Canaanite strongholds remained unconquered. Judges 1:27-28 records, "At that time Manasseh failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, 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."

Reasons for Incomplete Conquest

The incomplete conquest of the Canaanites is attributed to several factors. The Israelites' failure to fully obey God's command to drive out the inhabitants led to their cohabitation with the Canaanites. This disobedience resulted in the Israelites being influenced by Canaanite idolatry and practices, which God had explicitly warned against (Judges 2:1-3).

Additionally, the Canaanites' advanced military technology, such as iron chariots, posed significant challenges to the Israelites. Judges 1:19 notes, "The LORD was with Judah, enabling them to take possession of the hill country, but they could not drive out the people of the plains because they had chariots of iron."

Cultural and Religious Influence

The presence of the Canaanites among the Israelites had profound cultural and religious implications. The Canaanites were known for their polytheistic beliefs and practices, including the worship of Baal and Asherah. The Israelites' interactions with the Canaanites often led to syncretism, where elements of Canaanite religion were incorporated into Israelite worship, contrary to God's commandments.

The Book of Judges highlights the cyclical pattern of Israel's apostasy, oppression by surrounding nations, cries for deliverance, and subsequent deliverance by judges. This cycle was often precipitated by the Israelites' adoption of Canaanite religious practices, which provoked God's anger (Judges 2:11-15).

Legacy and Historical Significance

The Canaanites' partial subjugation by Israel is a significant theme in the Old Testament, illustrating the consequences of incomplete obedience to God's commands. The ongoing presence of the Canaanites served as a test of Israel's faithfulness and a reminder of the importance of adhering to God's covenant. The historical interactions between the Israelites and the Canaanites provide valuable insights into the challenges faced by the nascent Israelite nation as they sought to establish themselves in the land promised to their forefathers.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Joshua 10:1-11:23
Now it came to pass, when Adonizedec king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Judges 1:1-36
Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Israelites
... had the last effort of the Canaanites against their ... Moab and Ammon were subdued;
the Aramaic kinglets to the ... his own territories had been partially overrun by ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter i the israelites.htm

Babylonia and Assyria
... Kuri-galzu had refused to listen to the Canaanites when they ... The Philistines, however,
were soon subdued. ... The walls were partially destroyed, but this did not ...
/.../early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter vi babylonia and assyria.htm

The First Chaldaean Empire and the Hyksos in Egypt
... that Kimtarapashtum was the true reading of the name; his proposal, partially admitted
by ... Sargon the Elder is credited with having subdued Elam; the kings and ...
/.../chapter ithe first chaldaean empire.htm

Syria at the Beginning of the Egyptian Conquest
... the more civilized people which they had subdued. ... in subduing the West was partially
dissolved, and ... accuracy the distribution of the Canaanites, Amorites, and ...
/.../chapter iisyria at the beginning.htm