The name sits in two short scenes: Genesis 6, just before the flood, and Numbers 13, in the spies’ report from Canaan.
Anakim and Canaan form a second Biblical layer.
The spies return from Canaan and report:
They are described as descendants of Anak and as tall, formidable inhabitants of Canaan.
Egyptian Execration Texts name similar Anak / Canaan enemies.
Deuteronomy and Joshua then place Anakim in Canaan’s hill country.
The context suggests that this Libna lay somewhere in the Sinai Desert which the Israelites are described as traversing prior to entering the land of Canaan.
Ham was the father of Cush, Mizraim, Phut and Canaan.
According to the Book of Genesis, after Noah became drunk and Ham dishonored his father, upon awakening Noah pronounced a curse on Ham's youngest son, Canaan, stating that his offspring would be the "servants of servants".
Of Ham's four sons, Canaan fathered the Canaanites, while Mizraim fathered the Egyptians, Cush the Cushites, and Phut the Libyans.
In a passage unrelated to the curse on Canaan, the sixth-century Babylonian Talmud says that Ham and his descendants were cursed with black skin, which modern scholars have interpreted as an etiological myth for skin color.
In consequence, some 19th century theologians emphasized that the biblical Noah restricted his curse to the offspring of Ham's youngest son Canaan, while Ham's son Mizraim, the ancestor of the Egyptians, was not cursed.
Unfortunately, column 18 has been lost, but is purported to have contained the beginning of the Abram story from Genesis 11–12, as column 19 begins with Abram already in Canaan.
After leaving Egypt and settling back in Canaan Abram and Lot grow flocks together.
1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get you out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house, unto a land that I will shew you:2And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:3And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curseth you: and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.4So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was 75 years old when he departed out of Haran.5And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.6And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh.
In this passage, when Abram (later known as Abraham) and Sarai (later known as Sarah) entered Egypt due to a famine in the land of Canaan, Abram feared that the Egyptians would kill him because Sarai was very beautiful.
Canaan: God tells Abram to go to the land of Canaan, which is the promised land.
Egypt: Abram and his wife Sarai go to Egypt to live there for a while due to the famine in Canaan.
29And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.30But Sarai was barren; she had no child.31And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.32And the days of Terah were 205 years: and Terah died in Haran.
1Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.2The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.3And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.4And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.5By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.6And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.7And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.8And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.9He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.10And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.11Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,12And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.13And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,14And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.15And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,16And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,17And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,18And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.19And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.20These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.21Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.22The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.23And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.24And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber.25And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.26And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazar-maveth, and Jerah,27And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,28And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,29And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.30And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.31These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.32These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.
8And Elohim spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,9And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;10And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.11And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.12And Elohim said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:13I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.14And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:15And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.16And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between Elohim and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.17And Elohim said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.18And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.19These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.
Based on the writing style this part is likely a later addition:20And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:21And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.22And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers without.23And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.24And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.25And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brothers.26And he said, Blessed be Yahweh of Elohim of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.27God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
Noah’s curse falls on Canaan, Ham’s son, and not on Ham himself.
The story may reflect real tension between Israel and Canaan.
Ham’s act and the curse on Canaan bring up honor, shame and consequences that pass down the generations.
The curse on Canaan could be a vision or oracle that Noah spoke in an altered state, rather than a punishment:
The phrase “cursed be Canaan” (אָרוּר כְּנַעַן) has no divine command before it.
Here the text gives no direct moral cause for cursing Canaan.
His curse on Canaan may not be a judgment.
This verse refers to the spies sent into Canaan, who report encountering descendants of the Nephilim, giants, long after the flood.