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Where is Canaan in the Bible?

Canaan refers to both a region and a people group in the Bible. As a region, Canaan was the ancient name for the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and parts of Syria and Jordan. Canaan appears in 78 verses across 12 books of the Bible.

The Bible uses the name Canaan for 2 different entries. All 2 are below, each with its own passages.

Canaan in Genesis

Canaan refers to both a region and a people group in the Bible. As a region, Canaan was the ancient name for the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and parts of Syria and Jordan. It was the land God promised to give to Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 12:5-7; 17:8). The Canaanites were the descendants of Canaan, the grandson of Noah through Ham (Genesis 10:18-19). They were known for their idolatry and wickedness, which led to God commanding the Israelites to drive them out of the land (Deu.20.17). The term "Canaanite" was also used to refer to merchants or traders (Job.41.6; Proverbs 31:24), possibly due to their reputation for trading. After the Exodus, the Israelites conquered parts of Canaan under Joshua's leadership, but they failed to completely drive out the Canaanites (Judges 1:27-36). This led to ongoing conflicts and religious influences throughout Israel's history. The prophets often rebuked Israel for adopting Canaanite practices and worshipping their gods (Ezk.16.3).

Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.

Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.

Canaan, son of Ham

Canaan was the fourth son of Ham and the grandson of Noah (Gen. 9:18, 22; 10:6; 1Chr. 1:8). He became the progenitor of the Canaanite tribes, which inhabited the land that would later be promised to Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 10:15-19; 1Chr. 1:13-16). Canaan's sons included Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth, the ancestor of the Hittites. Other descendants of Canaan included the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. After Noah's drunkenness, Ham saw his father's nakedness and told his brothers (Gen. 9:22). In response, Noah cursed Canaan, stating that he would be a servant to his brothers (Gen. 9:25-27). This curse was likely a prophetic declaration about the future subjugation of the Canaanite tribes by the Israelites. The land of Canaan became synonymous with the region God promised to Abraham, and the Canaanites were among the inhabitants the Israelites were to displace and conquer (Gen. 12:5-7; Ex. 3:8; Deut. 7:1-3).

6 verses: 1 Chronicles 1:13, Genesis 9:22, Genesis 9:25, Genesis 9:26, Genesis 9:27, Genesis 10:15

Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.

Where does Canaan appear in the Bible?

Canaan is referenced in 78 verses across 12 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

Genesis 37Numbers 11Joshua 8Judges 6Exodus 3Leviticus 3Acts 2Isaiah 2Psalms 21 Chronicles 2Deuteronomy 1Zephaniah 1

Showing the first 24 of 78.

Open all 78 references in Protos

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Canaan.

EgyptJosephJordanJacobInheritancePharaoh

Common questions

How many people in the Bible are called Canaan?

Canaan refers to 2 different entries in the Bible: Canaan in Genesis; Canaan, son of Ham.

How many times does the Bible mention Canaan?

Canaan appears in 78 verses across 12 books, most often in Genesis, which accounts for 37 of them.

Which books of the Bible mention Canaan?

Genesis, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, Exodus, Leviticus, Acts, Isaiah, and 4 more.

Where can I read every verse about Canaan?

This page lists 24 of them. Protos carries all 78, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.

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Read Genesis with Canaan explained on the verse.

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