[1] : Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary

canaanites
   the descendants of canaan, the son of ham. migrating from their
   original home, they seem to have reached the persian gulf, and
   to have there sojourned for some time. they thence "spread to
   the west, across the mountain chain of lebanon to the very edge
   of the mediterranean sea, occupying all the land which later
   became palestine, also to the north-west as far as the mountain
   chain of taurus. this group was very numerous, and broken up
   into a great many peoples, as we can judge from the list of
   nations gen. 10, the 'sons of canaan.'" six different tribes
   are mentioned in ex. 3:8, 17; 23:23; 33:2; 34:11. in ex. 13:5
   the "perizzites" are omitted. the "girgashites" are mentioned in
   addition to the foregoing in deut. 7:1; josh. 3:10.
   
     the "canaanites," as distinguished from the amalekites, the
   anakim, and the rephaim, were "dwellers in the lowlands" num.
   13:29, the great plains and valleys, the richest and most
   important parts of palestine. tyre and sidon, their famous
   cities, were the centres of great commercial activity; and hence
   the name "canaanite" came to signify a "trader" or "merchant"
   job 41:6; prov. 31:24, lit. "canaanites;" comp. zeph. 1:11;
   ezek. 17:4. the name "canaanite" is also sometimes used to
   designate the non-israelite inhabitants of the land in general
   gen. 12:6; num. 21:3; judg. 1:10.
   
     the israelites, when they were led to the promised land, were
   commanded utterly to destroy the descendants of canaan then
   possessing it ex. 23:23; num. 33:52, 53; deut. 20:16, 17. this
   was to be done "by little and little," lest the beasts of the
   field should increase ex. 23:29; deut. 7:22, 23. the history
   of these wars of conquest is given in the book of joshua. the
   extermination of these tribes, however, was never fully carried
   out. jerusalem was not taken till the time of david 2 sam. 5:6,
   7. in the days of solomon bond-service was exacted from the
   fragments of the tribes still remaining in the land 1 kings
   9:20, 21. even after the return from captivity survivors of
   five of the canaanitish tribes were still found in the land.
   
     in the tell-el-amarna tablets canaan is found under the forms
   of kinakhna and kinakhkhi. under the name of kanana the
   canaanites appear on egyptian monuments, wearing a coat of mail
   and helmet, and distinguished by the use of spear and javelin
   and the battle-axe. they were called phoenicians by the greeks
   and poeni by the romans. by race the canaanites were semitic.
   they were famous as merchants and seamen, as well as for their
   artistic skill. the chief object of their worship was the
   sun-god, who was addressed by the general name of baal, "lord."
   each locality had its special baal, and the various local baals
   were summed up under the name of baalim, "lords."
   

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Canaanites, definition of term: Canaanites
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