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| In Genesis, Canaan was cursed by Noah because of his father's transgressions. This is referred to as the ]. | In Genesis, Canaan was cursed by Noah because of his father's transgressions. This is referred to as the ]. | ||
| Some believe that the reference to Ham "uncovering his father's nakedness" is a Hebrew idiom denoting sleeping with one's father's wife. Thus, Canaan would be the product of an incestuous relation between Ham and Noah's wife (possibly, but not necessarily, Ham's own mother.) | |||
| However, according to the '']'', both the Israelite conquest of Canaan and the curse, are attributed instead to Canaan's steadfast refusal to join his elder brothers in Ham's allotment beyond the ], and instead "squatting" on the eastern shores of the ], within the inheritance delineated for ]. | However, according to the '']'', both the Israelite conquest of Canaan and the curse, are attributed instead to Canaan's steadfast refusal to join his elder brothers in Ham's allotment beyond the ], and instead "squatting" on the eastern shores of the ], within the inheritance delineated for ]. | ||
Revision as of 04:47, 28 August 2008
Canaan is a Biblical figure who, according to the Old Testament, was the son of Ham and the grandson of the patriarch Noah. The Book of Genesis states that the Canaanites, a people who mostly occupied modern-day Israel, were descendants of this Canaan.
In Genesis, Canaan was cursed by Noah because of his father's transgressions. This is referred to as the Curse of Ham.
Some believe that the reference to Ham "uncovering his father's nakedness" is a Hebrew idiom denoting sleeping with one's father's wife. Thus, Canaan would be the product of an incestuous relation between Ham and Noah's wife (possibly, but not necessarily, Ham's own mother.)
However, according to the Book of Jubilees, both the Israelite conquest of Canaan and the curse, are attributed instead to Canaan's steadfast refusal to join his elder brothers in Ham's allotment beyond the Nile, and instead "squatting" on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, within the inheritance delineated for Shem.
The Persian historian Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (c. 915) recounts a tradition that the wife of Canaan was named Arsal, a daughter of Batawil son of Tiras, and that she bore him the "Blacks, Nubians, Fezzan, Zanj, Zaghawah, and all the peoples of the Sudan".
| Descendants of Noah in Genesis 10 | |
|---|---|
| Shem and Semitic | |
| Ham and Hamitic | |
| Japheth and Japhetic | |
References
- Encyclopedia Britannica Online Article (subscription/registration required)
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