Canaanite Facts for 9-13 Year Olds

Categories: Elijah and Elisha, Noah

• The Canaanites lived in the land of Canaan before the arrival of the Israelites.
• Canaan comprises portions of the land now known as Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.
• The name Canaan might mean “to be low, humble, subjugated.”
• Stories about Canaanites date back 3800 years.
• Most of the information comes from what others have written about them.
• The “Amarna Letters” from Egypt (ca 1300s BCE) have correspondence between Pharaoh and various rulers in Canaan.
• Pharaoh exercises a lot of power over these areas.
• The groups of people living in these areas do not unite into one kingdom.
• Nonetheless, there are references to “kings of Canaan.”
• A 1929 discovery at Ras Shamra in Ugarit has information about religious matters regarding the Canaanites.
• There are many similarities with biblical passages.
• Some of the names for God are the same, i.e. El.
• They also have female gods, goddesses, such as Asherah.
• A grandson of El and Asherah is Baal.
• Baal is the god of rain and storms.
• Baal is defeated by Elijah at Mount Carmel (see 1 Kings 18:16-42).
• The prophets repeatedly warn the Israelites against worshiping any of these gods.
• It’s hard for them not to do so.
• Basic to the Hebrew concept of God is the notion that God is connected to the land.
• When people move to a new land, they think they it’s reasonable to adopt the gods of that land, such as Baal.
• The Israelites do change over time.
• Indeed, texts found at Ras Shamra indicate that Yahweh is known as one of the sons of El.
• There are differences between Yahweh and Baal. Yahweh is eternal; Baal dies every fall and reawakens each spring. When he dies, vegetation dies. When he awakens, vegetation springs forth.
• There are also similarities between the Israelites and Canaanites’ worship practices.
• Lament rituals abound. They also share the yearly practice of sending a “scapegoat” out into the wilderness to atone for the sins of the community.
• However, there are also stark differences, especially regarding morality.
• After the Exodus, many wars are fought between the Canaanites and the Israelites as the Israelites attempt to settle in the land promised to them by God.
• Israel wins most of the battles and enslaves the Canaanites.
• Modern scholars have a hard time with all of this.
• Some think that the Canaanites are punished for their many sins.
• Others point to the cursing of Canaan, Noah’s grandson, described in Genesis 9:18-27.
• Noah blesses his other two sons. Noah’s words tend to predict the destinies of the various tribes and nations.
• While the Canaanites are incorporated into Israelite cities, the Israelites also absorbed many of their practices.