Bible Dictionary
Canaan
Canaan was the name of Ham’s son and of the land occupied by his descendants. In the biblical period it generally referred to the land west of the Jordan promised by God to Abraham’s descendants and later possessed by Israel.
Definition
Canaan denotes both Canaan, the son of Ham, and the country that took its name from his descendants. In the period of Moses and Joshua, the land of Canaan referred to the country west of the Jordan and the Dead Sea. The name is associated with lowlands, in contrast with the mountainous land east of the Jordan.
Biblical Usage
Canaan was occupied by descendants of Canaan and was designated in Scripture as the land given to Abraham’s posterity. Canaan’s descendants included the Sidonians and Phoenicians and other tribal peoples.
Historical Background
The name originally referred among the Phoenicians to the maritime plain around Sidon, but later extended to the wider land west of the Jordan and the Dead Sea.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(1.) The fourth son of Ham (Gen. 10:6). His descendants were under a curse in consequence of the transgression of his father (9:22-27). His eldest son, Zidon, was the father of the Sidonians and Phoenicians. He had eleven sons, who were the founders of as many tribes (10:15-18). (2.) The country which derived its name from the preceding. The name as first used by the Phoenicians denoted only the maritime plain on which Sidon was built. But in the time of Moses and Joshua it denoted the whole country to the west of the Jordan and the Dead Sea (Deut. 11:30). In Josh. 5:12 the LXX. read, “land of the Phoenicians,” instead of “land of Canaan.” The name signifies “the lowlands,” as distinguished from the land of Gilead on the east of Jordan, which was a mountainous district. The extent and boundaries of Canaan are fully set forth in different parts of Scripture (Gen. 10:19; 17:8; Num. 13:29; 34:8). (See CANAANITES, PALESTINE.)
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(Ca’nan) (low, flat).