Areas to be covered:
The peoples/tribes/clans who had to be conquered as God used Joshua to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land.
The Curse on Canaan.
God’s wrath against the Canaanites.
Sources:-
The Holy Scriptures.
The Amarra letters. These are Egyptian files and letters which give a picture of the Canaanite states.
The Ras Shamra tablets. These are clay tablets found in the Phoenician city of Ugarit. Much of the material in these tablets can be dated from 1400BC to 1200BC.
When looking into the peoples in the Promised Land there are a number of complicating factors.
1). The term “Canaanite” at times is used to refer to all the people inhabiting the Promised Land. At other times it is used more specifically to refer to the peoples who lived in the North West area of the Land.
2). Similarly, the term “Amorite” is used In the same way as a general term. At other times it is used specifically to refer to a people who were dominant in the central highland area and on the east bank of the Jordan.
3). In scripture what sounds like a personal name in fact refers to a title. He most obvious example being “Pharoah”. But there are others: – “Abimelech” is the dynastic name for the kings of Gerar (and just to complicate matters further this was later taken on by the Philistines); “Zedek” was added to the name of the kings of Jerusalem; and “Jabin” was the name given to the kings of Hazor.
4). Peoples of the same tribe were often found over a wide area, occupying diverse areas.
5). Cannot equate the situation in the Land with modern nation state which of course comprise a unified economic and political entity. Most people lived in fortified city states which controlled the land in their locality.
6). Other people such as Abraham made their living in the land between the city states having to be careful not to infringe the rights of others over such matters as grazing and water.
7). Residents of particular cities need not feel any allegiance to people of the same heritage who lived in a different city. For example, The Gibeonites when they set out to con Joshua did not consult other Hivites.
8). There were occasions when kings of different cities formed alliances, but these were the exception (Joshua chapters 10 and 11). The Gibeonites going over to Israel’s side was a strategic threat to a number of Amorite cities. There is only one recorded occasion when one city came to the aid of another whilst a battle was taking place. That was when Gerar made a futile attempt to aid Lachish.
THE PEOPLES TO BE CONQUERED.
Deuteronomy 7 (1) and Joshua 3 (10)
7 peoples are identified. 6 of these nations descend from Canaan’s sons. Canaan was the grandson of Noah and the fourth son of Ham. Canaan had 11 sons and is believe the descendants of at least 10 of them were in the Promised Land at the time of Joshua.
The sons of Canaan. Genesis 10 v15 – 18.
Only the two eldest of Canaan’s sons are mentioned by named. For the others the suffix “ite” is used to denote their descendants.
The Perizzites were “Canaanite” only In the sense of residing in the Land. They were not descendants of Canaan, nor were the Anakites or the Philistines who were also in the Land.
THE DESCENDANTS OF CANAAN.
The Hittites were descended from Heth, the second son of Canaan. Quite a lot is known about the Hittites. They had a powerful and enduring empire in Anatolia (Turkey) although they may have arrived there from central Asia. Some migrated South and were in the Promised Land at the time of Abraham as well as at the time of Joshua, and even later at the time of David and Solomon. They had a significant presence in the central region of the Land.
The Jebusites were descendants of Canaan’ unnamed third son. The Jebusites were in the Land at the time of Abraham and were later among the peoples enslaved by Solomon (1 Kings 9 20-21). At the time of Joshua, they were in the city of Jerusalem and the hill-country around there.
The Amorites were descendants of the fourth son of Canaan; not named in scripture but may have been Amurro. As stated above the term “Amorite” can be confusing but here we will try to deal with a specific people.
At the time of Joshua, the Amorites may have been the most successful of Canaan’s descendants. They were fairly widespread in the Land – on both banks of the Jordan, in the city of Heshbon, in the central hill-country and throughout the Eastern areas of the Land.
The Girgashites are mentioned in the Egyptian and Urgarit sources. They were the descendants of Canaan’s (unnamed) fifth son. They may have resided in Asia Minor before migrating South. They were in the Promised Land at the time of Abraham. In Joshua’s time they seem to have had a substantial presence around the Sea of Galilee but otherwise their locations are unclear.
When the fighting begins, we don’t hear of the Girgashites being involved in battles. Some commentators suggest that Joshua took Bethel and Ai (which opened up the way to the hill-country), the Girgashites decided that it was time to move and fled to Africa. The Girgashites are not mentioned among the peoples enslaved by Solomon (1 Kings 9 20-21).
The Hivites were the descendants of the (unnamed) sixth son of Canaan. They were in the Land at the time of Abraham. Shechem was a Hivite city at that time.
By the time of Joshua they seem to have been quite widespread in the Land. As mentioned above, the Gibeonites who conned Joshua into making a treaty were Hivites. The city of Gibeon was in the hill-country north of Jerusalem. There were also Hivites south of the mountains of Lebanon, and in the hill-country of Ephraim (around Mount Hebron). Other Hivite cities were Chephirah Beeroth and Kirjath Jearim (Joshua 9 17).
So, we have dealt with 5 of the sons of Canaan whose descendants were in the Promised Land. From Deuteronomy 7(1) we are left with the “Canaanites” and as we mentioned before this term can be very general, but in its specific usage it seems to relate to the coastal area and the inland area of North West region of the Promised Land.
In this area we have the coastal city of Sidon undoubtedly named after Canaan’s first son. There were also cities in in his area called Arvad and Hamath suggesting the presence of descendants of Canaan called the Arvadites (9th. Son of Canaan) and the Hamathites (descendants of the 10th.son of Canaan). Commentators also suggest that were Sinites (descendants of the 8th. Son of Canaan) and Arkites (descendants of the 7th.son ) in the area. There seems to be less certainty about the Zemarites (Descendants of the 10th. Son of Canaan).
This area became known as Phoenicia to the Greeks.
THE THREE “CANAANITE” PEOPLES NOT DESCENDANTS OF CANAAN.
The Perizzites may have been connected with Anatolia (Turkey) or with the Hurrians who were located in the North of Syria. But their origins cannot be established with certainty. They lived in the Land at the time of Abraham in the central region. The Perizzites were among the peoples enslaved by Solomon in 1 Kings 9 20-21.
The Anakites are another people whose origins are obscure. They get their name from Anak, son of Arba, and were connected with the city of Hebron where they were located at the time of Joshua.
The Anakites were the people who frightened the ten untruthful spies. No doubt they were sturdy fellows but not giants. Joshua (Chapter 11 21-22) had little trouble in dealing with them and Caleb drove out three groups descended from Anak. The Anakites withdrew (much weakened) to the South-East of the Promises Land to the areas of Gaza, Gath and Ashdod where they stayed until dispossessed by the Philistines.
The Philistines were not a big problem to Joshua as they would be to Israel in the time of the Judges, Saul and King David. They were also a Hamite people descended from Mizraim (the second son of Ham). The sixth son of Mizraim was Casluhim and in Genesis 10 (13) we are told that it was from Casluhim that the Philistines came.
After the dispersal from Babel, is is believed that Mizraim went to Egypt. From there, some of his descendants went to Crete and to the Greek mainland. The Philistines were referred to by the Greeks as one of “The Peoples of the Sea”. They moved on from the Aegean to The South-West corner of the Promised Land. Aided by Joshua’s weakening of the Anakites, they were able to become dominant in this area.
THE CURSE ON CANAAN.
Genesis 9 and the period after the Flood. We start with the unfortunate incident of Noah getting drunk and making a fool of himself. Ham behaved in a mocking and disrespectful way towards his father. As we have seen, Canaan was his fourth son. Perhaps he was part of his father’s misconduct towards his grandfather or maybe he simply shared the same attitudes. Whatever the case Noah’s curse fell on Canaan (ham’s son), perhaps because Ham has misbehaved as a son.
The Curse (Genesis 9 24-27).
So, the descendants of Canaan were to serve to serve the descendants of both of his uncles. We have seen how the Canaanites became servants of the Jews under King Solomon. But before this (Genesis 14) we see that Canaanites had become vassals to non-Jewish Shemites under Amraphel, king of Shinar and Chedorlaomer, king of Elam.
Concerning the descendants of Japheth, God did indeed increase him. Among his descendants were the Persians, Greeks and Romans who subdued the Phoenicians and destroyed the remaining Canaanites in North Africa (Carthage).
Of course, the descendants of Jephath also conquered the Jews but we all rejoice in a Shemite faith!!!
Importantly the shift in the curse from Ham to Canaan, established the historical legitimacy for Israel’s conquest of the Canaanites along with the spiritual blessing of the fulfilment of the land aspect of the Abrahamic covenant.
But it was not the curse which provoked God’s great wrath against the Canaanites.
GOD’S WRATH AGAINST THE CANAANITES.
As we have seen the Canaanites were a cursed people but it was not Noah’s which brought God’s wrath upon them.
The seriousness of God’s wrath. (Deuteronomy 7 2-4; 20 16-17).
God had already told Abraham that the Amorites were a bad lot who were only going to get worse (Genesis 15 16); the iniquity of the Amorites must be complete.
A jealous God did not want his chosen people to be contaminated and corrupted by evil people living among them. The Canaanite religion and culture was particularly negative and wicked.
They had numerous gods among whom El, Asherah, Baal and Ashtorath . El was supposedly the chief god and father of all gods and mortals. Asherah was his wife and supposedly the mother of all gods and mortals. Wooden pol.es were associated with her cult. However Baal was supposed to be the real power house: the Canaanite storm god associated the fertility and life-giving rain. Hence when Elijah predicted a God-created drought and subsequent years without rain, he struck directly at the beliefs of the Canaanite religion.
Ashtoreth was a female fertility goddess and also associated with love and success in war.
This religion provided little restriction on human activity (no Commandments). It merely encouraged sacrifices to the gods including child-sacrifices to guarantee fertility and the necessary weather conditions to sustain life. Otherwise, it encouraged a do-as-you-please attitude which would no doubt appeal to a fallen humanity.
The Canaanite peoples were sinful to the extreme no doubt mirroring the state of human society before the Flood. They were given time to alter their ways but failed. God wished them destroyed (not because of Noah’s curse) but because of the threat their evil would contaminate Israel. Like the sojourn into Egypt of Jacob’s family, God’s intention was to isolate His people from the contamination of the wicked. In Egypt they became a great and distinct people. Unfortunately, in the Promised Land they repeatedly became entangled with Canaanites to their detriment.