Table of Contents
Canaanites (c. 10,800–1,200 BCE)
- Location: Levant (modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan)
- Gods: Baal, El, Asherah
- Heroes: none in particular, though they often fought with the Israelites.
- Key places: Jericho View, Jerusalem View
- Summary: the Canaanites were a varied people with advanced cities and a religion of many gods. They were often in contact with the Israelites.
Etymology
Modern pronunciation: “Canaan” has been pronounced /ˈkeɪnən/ in English since around 1500, because of the Great Vowel Shift.
Hebrew origin: from Hebrew כנען (Kənaʿan), passed through Koine Greek Χανααν and Latin Canaan.
Akkadian: appears as Kinâḫna in the Amarna letters (14th century BC) and Egyptian texts.
Greek: found as “Khna” (Χνᾶ) in Hecataeus’ writings (c. 550–476 BC).
Hecataeus may have described “Khna” as a coastal region or people on the eastern Mediterranean, perhaps placing it near Egypt or Cyprus. Given his interest in peoples and places, he may also have noted something about the inhabitants, such as a name as traders or seafarers. That would fit the later Greek picture of the Phoenicians. His exact words and details are lost. Stephanus of Byzantium, a 6th-century AD lexicographer, quotes Hecataeus in his Ethnica when he discusses place names, and such quotes confirm “Khna” as an early Greek name for the region.
Phoenician coins: attested on 2nd century BC Phoenician coins from Berytus.
Where the name “Canaan” comes from is debated. One early explanation links it to the Semitic root knʿ, “to be low, humble, subjugated”. That may point to “lowlands”, in contrast with Aram (“highlands”), or to a province of Egypt’s empire in the Levant. Ephraim Avigdor Speiser suggested another source, the Hurrian word Kinaḫḫu, which refers to the colour purple. Then “Canaan” would mean the same as “Phoenicia”, a region known for its purple dye made from murex snails.
Canaanite Cities
1. Jericho
Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
Joshua 6:1 (KJV)
Jericho closed its gates.
So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
Joshua 6:20 (KJV)
The walls of Jericho fell.
And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there.
Joshua 2:1 (KJV)
Joshua sent spies to Jericho.
2. Ai
And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.
Joshua 7:2 (KJV)
Joshua sent men to spy out Ai.
And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day.
Joshua 8:28 (KJV)
Ai was burnt and left a heap.
And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.
Joshua 8:17 (KJV)
Ai and Bethel emptied out to chase Israel.
3. Hazor
And Joshua at that time turned back, and took Hazor, and smote the king thereof with the sword: for Hazor beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms.
Joshua 11:10 (KJV)
Hazor was the head of the kingdoms.
And they smote all the souls that were therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them: there was not any left to breathe: and he burnt Hazor with fire.
Joshua 11:11 (KJV)
Hazor was burnt.
And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles.
Judges 4:2 (KJV)
Jabin, king of Canaan, ruled from Hazor.
4. Hebron
And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.
Joshua 14:13 (KJV)
Hebron went to Caleb.
And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
Genesis 23:2 (KJV)
Sarah died at Hebron.
And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
2 Samuel 2:11 (KJV)
David ruled from Hebron.
5. Shechem
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
Joshua 24:1 (KJV)
Joshua gathered the tribes at Shechem.
And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
Genesis 12:6 (KJV)
The Canaanite was in the land when Abram came.
And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying,
Judges 9:1 (KJV)
Abimelech went to Shechem.
6. Bethel
And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
Genesis 28:19 (KJV)
Bethel was first called Luz.
And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel: and the LORD was with them.
Judges 1:22 (KJV)
The house of Joseph went up against Bethel.
And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
1 Kings 12:29 (KJV)
Jeroboam set a golden calf in Bethel.
7. Lachish
And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it:
Joshua 10:31 (KJV)
Joshua attacked Lachish.
And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
2 Kings 18:14 (KJV)
Hezekiah paid the king of Assyria at Lachish.
When the king of Babylon’s army fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah.
Jeremiah 34:7 (KJV)
Lachish was one of the last fortified cities of Judah.
8. Arad
And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.
Numbers 21:1 (KJV)
The king of Arad fought Israel.
And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.
Judges 1:16 (KJV)
The Kenites settled south of Arad.
And king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel.
Numbers 33:40 (KJV)
The king of Arad heard Israel was coming.
9. Gibeon
That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.
Joshua 10:2 (KJV)
Gibeon was a great city.
And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,
Joshua 9:3 (KJV)
Gibeon heard what Joshua had done.
Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.
2 Samuel 21:1 (KJV)
A famine came because Saul slew the Gibeonites.
10. Jerusalem
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;
Joshua 10:1 (KJV)
Adonizedec, king of Jerusalem, heard of Ai and Gibeon.
And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither.
2 Samuel 5:6 (KJV)
David went against the Jebusites of Jerusalem.
Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.
1 Kings 8:16 (KJV)
God chose David.
11. Gezer
Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people, until he had left him none remaining.
Joshua 10:33 (KJV)
Horam, king of Gezer, was defeated.
For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a present unto his daughter, Solomon’s wife.
1 Kings 9:16 (KJV)
Pharaoh took Gezer and gave it to his daughter.
And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.
Joshua 16:10 (KJV)
The Canaanites stayed in Gezer.
12. Megiddo
The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money.
Judges 5:19 (KJV)
The kings of Canaan fought at Megiddo.
And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised; for to build the house of the LORD, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.
1 Kings 9:15 (KJV)
Solomon built Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer.
In his days Pharaohnechoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king Josiah went against him; and he slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him.
2 Kings 23:29 (KJV)
Josiah died at Megiddo.
13. Shiloh
And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.
Joshua 18:1 (KJV)
The tabernacle was set up at Shiloh.
And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.
1 Samuel 1:3 (KJV)
Eli’s sons served as priests at Shiloh.
But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.
Jeremiah 7:12 (KJV)
God pointed to what he did to Shiloh.
Related pages
The Canaanites are on many pages of this site. Some pages are about their gods. Others are about the land and the people who came into it. Here I list them together.
The people and the land
- Canaanites and Noah: the Canaanites as descendants of Ham, and their link to Noah.
- Chronological Nations and Tribes: where the Canaanites fit among the nations.
- Genesis 10: Canaan in the table of nations.
- Praeadamitae: La Peyrère on the land of Canaan.
- Numbers: the chapters on Hormah and the command to drive out the Canaanites.
- Judges: the Canaanite cities and King Yavin.
- Cloud by day, luminous sign by night: the Canaanites already know of the pillar of cloud.
- How the Nephilim returned after the Flood: Rob Skiba on the Canaanites and the giants.
- Eight Sea Peoples and the rise of the Philistines: the Sea Peoples who settled among the Canaanites.
- The Phoenicians: the Phoenicians as part of Canaanite culture.
- Anunnaki Genesis Breakdown: Hebrew as a Canaanite and Phoenician language.
The Canaanite gods
- Baal: the storm and fertility god.
- The Baal Cycle: the myth of Baal and what it means for the Bible.
- Hadad: the storm god behind Baal.
- Mount Zaphon: Baal’s mountain in the north.
- Anath: the goddess of the Canaanite pantheon.
- Asherah: the consort of El.
- His Asherah: did Yahweh have a female counterpart?
- Channeling Asherah: a video on Asherah and her legacy.
- Trinity: El, YHWH, Asherah: how YHWH took over roles of the Canaanite gods.
- The Heavenly Family’s Big Split: El, Asherah and Baal as one family.
- Kronos called El: Philo on Kronos as El.
- Kronos/Saturn and Jacob/Israel: the same idea in Phoenician tradition.
- The Bible: blend and unify the gods into One: how later texts linked Kronos to Canaanite gods.
- Who Was Moloch?: what I can and cannot say about Moloch.
- Mount Hermon: the Canaanite and Ugaritic traditions of the mountain.
- The Temple of Zeus Hidden for Centuries in Egypt: Mount Kasios and its storm god.
Israel and the Canaanite religion
- The editorial insertion of Yahweh: older names of God tied to Canaanite traditions.
- King Hezekiah’s reforms: the Asherah poles he cut down.
- Moses: in Oahspe, mixing with the Canaanites weakened the old doctrines.
- Baal establishes hadan heavens: Baal behind the wars of Canaan and Israel.
- Abraham: the Canaanite myth of Elkunirsha.
- Elijah: the prophet who fought the prophets of Baal.
