Canaan

[ key-nuhn ]

noun

1. the ancient region lying between the Jordan, the Dead Sea, and the Mediterranean: the land promised by God to Abraham. Genesis 12:5–10.
2. Biblical name of Palestine.
3. any land of promise.
4. a descendant of Ham, the son of Noah. Genesis 10.

Canaan

/ ˈkeɪnən /

noun

1. an ancient region between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean, corresponding roughly to Israel: the Promised Land of the Israelites

Word History and Origins

Origin of Canaan¹

From the Hebrew word Kenaʿan

Example Sentences

Beyond such special units, the empire additionally employed auxiliary troops from their vassal states in Syria, Canaan, Nubia, and even Libya.

From Realm of History

Furthermore, the sturdy frame that complemented the overall pliable design came in handy when navigating through the rough terrains of Egypt and Canaan.

From Realm of History

God shall enlarge Japheth,
 And he shall dwell in the tents of Shem;
 And Canaan shall be his servant.

From The Daily Beast

And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.

From The Daily Beast

Cursed be Canaan;
 A servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

From The Daily Beast

And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

From The Daily Beast

Lincoln supposedly said, “And so the children of Israel were driven from the happy land of Canaan?”

From The Daily Beast

It was also, as Augustine tells us,1 a usage of the Phoenicians to call their land “Canaan.”

From Project Gutenberg

We now understand how the Phoenicians, whose ancestors arrived in the second Semitic migration, came to call their land “Canaan.”

From Project Gutenberg

And when they arrived at Canaan, and told their father all that had happened and all that they had seen, he fainted.

From Project Gutenberg

Unbelief forfeited the true fruition of even the old Canaan for the old Israel.

From Project Gutenberg

He was pastor of the Congregational church at East Canaan when the regiment was organized, and was one of its recruiting officers.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• immortality
• nirvana
• paradise
• Promised Land