D W Supporter

The Canaanites were a tribe which inhabited the land that was to become the Nation of Israel. They worshiped many gods but primarily the goddess Astarte and her consort Baal, evil deities. The Canaanites were guilty of the most horrible crimes --- incest, adultery, homosexuality, bestiality, even child sacrifice at each of their rituals. God, in the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) condemned such evil behavior and demanded that it be brought to an end. In Genesis 12 through 15, God chose a particular people, now known as Jews, to remove the Canaanites and to inhabit that land. God sent two angels to warn Lot and his family (Genesis 19:1-3) of the impending doom of the people of Canaan. God warned Israel that if they failed to remove the Canaanites, he would "vomit" them out of his mouth. Alas, the Jews, the future Israelites, permitted the Canaanites to dwell among them, one of the many, many times Israel ignored God, some even participating in their evil. 

The world is now full of persons of the "Canaanite" persuasion. Sadly, we Christians participate, in part, in their destructiveness. How can a Christian witness to the world when so many of us are immersed in sin?

September 23 2013 • 4 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

Who were the Canaanites?

The fourth son of Ham and grandson of Noah. (Ge 9:18; 10:6; 1Ch 1:8) He was the progenitor of 11 tribes who eventually inhabited the region along the eastern Mediterranean between Egypt and Syria, thereby giving it the name "the land of Canaan."​—Ge 10:15-19; 1Ch 16:18;

Of the 11 Canaanite tribes (Ge 10:15-19), the Amorites appear to have occupied a principal position in the land. Aside from the land conquered by them east of the Jordan in Bashan and Gilead, the references to the Amorites show that they were strong in the mountainous country of Canaan proper, both in the north and in the south. (Jos 10:5; 11:3; 13:4) Perhaps second in strength were the Hittites, who, though found as far south as Hebron in Abraham's time (Ge 23:19, 20), later seem to have been mainly to the north, in the direction of Syria.​—Jos 1:4; Jg 1:23-26; 1Ki 10:29.

Of the other tribes, the Jebusites, the Hivites, and the Girgashites are next most frequently mentioned at the time of the conquest. The Jebusites were evidently centred in the mountainous region around Jerusalem. (Nu 13:29; Jos 18:16, 28) The Hivites were scattered from as far south as Gibeon (Jos 9:3, 7) on up to the base of Mount Hermon in the north. (Jos 11:3) The territory of the Girgashites is not indicated.

The remaining six tribes, the Sidonians, Arvadites, Hamathites, Arkites, Sinites, and the Zemarites, may well be included in the comprehensive term "Canaanites" frequently used in association with the specific names of other tribes, unless the expression is used to refer to cities or groups that were of mixed Canaanite population. (Ex 23:23; 34:11; De 7:1; Nu 13:29) All these six tribes seem to have been primarily located N of the region originally conquered by the Israelites and received no specific mention in the account of the conquest.

During Joshua's time and the period of the Judges that followed, many foreigners lived in the land and posed a constant source of difficulty. (Jos 23:12, 13) The Canaanite foreigners who remained after the Israelite conquest became subject to slavish forced labour (Jos 16:10; 17:13; Jg 1:21, 27-35), but because the Israelites did not drive them from the land and eradicate their worship as Jehovah had commanded (Jg 2:1, 2), the Canaanites in general continued to practice their idolatrous and degraded religions. As a result, the Israelites were continually being led into false worship (Ps 106:34-39), particularly the worship of the Baals and the Ashtoreth images. (Jg 2:11-13) These Canaanitish foreigners continued to be found in Israel down through David's time to the reign of Solomon, when they were still being put to forced labour on the temple and Solomon's other building projects.​—1Ki 9:20, 21

After entering the Promised Land, Joshua, Moses' successor, took the lead in battling false religion. But after his death, the Israelites neglected to push on, taking possession of the land. They embarked upon a tolerant policy of coexistence. This was not to their advantage. The Canaanites became like thorns in their sides, continually harassing them, repeatedly causing them to deviate from true religion.​—Numbers 33:55; Judges 2:20-22.

For some 300 years thereafter, 12 divinely appointed judges periodically appeared on the scene to deliver the backsliding Israelites from the bondage of false religion. These included such well-known men as Barak, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson.

Conclusion:

In the biblical narrative, Canaan and the Canaanites represent not only a geographical entity but also a complex theological challenge and moral dilemma for the Israelites. The Hebrew Bible portrays the Canaanites as the original inhabitants of the Promised Land, a land God promised to the Israelites.

Also, check out this site:

Who were the Canaanites, the ancient Biblical people...

Live Science
https://www.livescience.com › 56016-canaanites

9 days ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report