General Notes

The grandson of Noah, Canaan carried the curse that was inflicted on hisfather (Ham) for peering at the drunken Noah, and was condemned to be alackey for his uncles, Shem and Japheth. His descendants came to becalled Canaanites, and were the inhabitants of the land which was laterwon from them by Shem's descendants, the Israelites. (Everyone in theBible, by William P. Barker, 1966) From Canaan descended these nations: Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites,Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, Hamathites. Eventuallythe descendants of Canaan spread from Sidon all the way to Gerar, in theGaza strip; and to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, near Lasha. (Gen.10:15-19) The posterity of Canaan settled in the land that was later to be given toIsrael. At the time of the Israelite conquest, the population of Canaanconsisted of all the tribes descended from him. Both Sanchuniathon andPhylo of Byblos confirm the fact that the Canaanites derived their namefrom their founder. The Greeks and Phoenicians knew the name as Kna'an;the Egyptians knew it as Kn'nw; and the Hurrians described certain dyedcloth as Kinahne or Canaanite cloth. In spite of their Hamitic descent,however, the Canaanites spoke a Semitic language. (Internet:www.biblebelievers.org.au/nation01.htm)  Sources:   Title: Book of Genesis Note: (Genesis 10:6)   Title: Antiquities of the Jews Author: Flavius Josephus Publication: http://www.interhack.net/projects/library/antiquities-jews Note: Book I, Chapter 6 2. ...For of the four sons of Ham..., Canaan, the fourth son of Ham, inhabited the country now called Judea, and called it from his own name Canaan. Book I, Chapter 6 2. ...The sons of Canaan were [list]. we have nothing in the sacred books but their names, for the Hebrews overthrew their cities; and their calamities came upon them on the occasion following. [Noah's unseemly drunk...] When his youngest son saw this, he came laughing, and showed him to his brethren; but they covered their father's nakedness. And when Noah was made sensible of what had been done, he prayed for prosperity to his other sons; but for Ham, he did not curse him, by reason of his nearness in blood, but cursed his prosperity: and when the rest of them escaped that curse, God inflicted it on the children of Canaan. But as to these matters, we shall speak more hereafter.   Title: First Book of Chronicles Note: Chron. 1:8 The sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.   Title: LDS Bible Dictionary Note: BD CANAAN The name of the fourth son of Ham (Gen. 9: 22; Gen. 10: 6); .. .  Title: Navigating the Bible Publication: Note: Canaan, Canaanites The fourth son of Ham, the grandson of Noah and the ancestor of the Canaanites (Genesis 10:6, 15-19). Ham was cursed by Noah for gazing upon his nakedness: 'Cursed be Canaan; a slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers' (Genesis 9:22-27; Genesis 10:6). Canaan is said to be the ancestor of Sidon, Heth, the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Tzemarites, the Chamatites and the Canaanites. The land of Canaan is generally said to mean the land and people of Syria and Palestine, from Phoenicia (especially Sidon) to the north and Gaza to the south-west, inland to the Dead Sea cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Canaanites were the early Semitic inhabitants of Canaan (later Israel and Syria), exerting considerable influence over the region, from Asia Minor to the Aegean between c.1800-1600 B.C.E. and making an important contribution to Hebrew language and culture. Excavations at Jericho, Megiddo and Chamath date their settlement back to at least 3000 B.C.E. Canaanite strength was dissipated by the rise of the Egyptian New Empire and was further weakened by Hittite, Hivite and Amorite invaders. Later incursions from the Philistines, the Aramaeans and the Israelites sent the Canaanites into Lebanon and the narrow coastal strip area including Sidon where, under the name of Phoenicians, they built ships and became traders, establishing colonies in Cyprus, Sardinia, North Africa and Spain. By the time of Abraham the term 'Canaanite' had become a generic name since many of the tribes had intermarried. Yepheth (Japeth) When his father lay drunk in his tent, Yepheth and Shem covered his nakedness. Noah blessed Yepheth: 'May God enlarge Yepheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be a slave to them' (Genesis 9:27).   Title: Web sites Note: Cana, Canaanites (Canaan, Canaanites). The Hebrew word Kenaan, denoting a person, occurs: 1. in the Old Testament as the name of one of Ham's sons; 2. in a lengthened form, Kenaanah (D.V., Chanana, Canaana) as the name of two other people (I Par., vii, 10; II Par., xviii, 10); 3. denoting a country, as the name of the region of the Canaanites or descendants of Canaan. ... CANAAN, THE SON OF HAM In Genesis 9:18 and 9:22, Ham appears as the father of Canaan and in Noah's prediction (9:25-27) Canaan stands side by side with his "brothers" (in the larger sense of the Hebrew word) Shem and Japheth: "He said: Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. "And he said: Blessed be the Lord God of Shem, be Canaan his servant. "May God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem, and Canaan be his servant." The curse called down on Canaan is undoubtedly connected with the sin of his father, Ham (verse 22). But it is rather hard to indicate the precise nature of this connection. Had Canaan in some way a share in his father's sin, and is it for this reason that what was said in verse 18 is repeated in the story of the sin, viz.: that Ham was the father of Canaan? Or is the latter struck by Noah's prophetic curse for the sins of his posterity, who were to imitate Ham's wickedness? Certain it is, that this curse, as well as the blessing invoked upon Shem and Japheth, was especially fulfilled in their posterity. The descendants of Canaan were partly rooted out, partly subjected by the Israelites and all the Canaanite races, as such, disappeared from the scene of history. Others have tried to solve the problem by critical methods. It was supposed that Gen., x, 20-27 was derived from a source in which Canaan had taken the place of his father, Ham, and so was passed off as Noah's third son. It is as conceivable that in the original prophecy the name of Ham occurred, and that the Israelites, seeing the prophecy fulfilled, especially in the posterity of Canaan might have changed it to that of the son. But none of these critical conjectures has any solid foundation. Quite uncertain, too, is the opinion which represents Canaan as the youngest of Ham's four sons. It is based on Gen., x, 6: "And the sons of Ham: Chus, and Mesram and Phuth, and Canaan". But this whole list of the descendants of Noah's sons is, at least in substance, ethnographical, and the order of succession geographical, hence an enumeration of tribes beginning with the most distant and ending in Palestine. In verses 16-20, therefore, there is question only of Canaanite tribes, and they occupy the Iast place because they dwell in or near, Palestine. Consequently it cannot be concluded from this that Canaan was the youngest son of Ham. [New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03569b.htm)]  The posterity of Canaan settled in the land that was later to be given to Israel. At the time of the Israelite conquest, the population of Canaan consisted of all the tribes descended from him. Both Sanchuniathon and Phylo of Byblos confirm the fact that the Canaanites derived their name from their founder. The Greeks and Phoenicians knew the name as Kna'an; the Egyptians knew it as Kn'nw; and the Hurrians described certain dyed cloth as Kinahne or Canaanite cloth. In spite of their Hamitic descent, however, the Canaanites spoke a Semitic language .