Canaan
Where is the land of Canaan today? The land promised to Abraham, now covering Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and part of Syria.
- Today
- Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and part of Syria
- Country
- Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria
- Status
- Historical region: now divided among several countries
- Identification
- Certain
In the Bible, Canaan is the land stretching between the Mediterranean coast and the Jordan River, the land God promised to give to Abraham and his descendants. The table of nations in Genesis traces the Canaanites to Canaan son of Ham and draws their borders from Sidon to Gaza and on toward Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived in this land as foreigners; the spies Moses sent described it as flowing with milk and honey; and in Joshua's time the tribes of Israel settled here.
Read the chapters
- Genesis 10
- Genesis 12
The call of Abraham — a turning-point chapter in which a man is asked to leave everything familiar for an unknown land and sets out on the strength of a great promise.
- Genesis 17
- Numbers 13
- Numbers 34
- Acts 13
Related topics
Related people
- Paul
- Peter
- Abraham
- Joseph
- Noah
- Adam
- Aaron
- Eve
- Isaac
- Sarah
- Jacob
- Joshua
- Barnabas
- Stephen
- Lydia
- Matthew
- Timothy
- Methuselah
- Seth
- Abel
- Cain
- Ishmael
- Hagar
- Lot
- Rachel
- John the Apostle
- Philip the Apostle
- Judas Iscariot
- Mark
Related verse collections
- Bible Verses About Creation
- Bible Verses About Salvation
- Bible Verses About Repentance
- Bible Verses About Family
- Bible Verses About Marriage
- Bible Verses About Generosity
- Bible Verses About Witness
- Bible Verses About Trials and Testing
- Bible Verses About God's Promises
- Bible Verses About Work and Labor
Reading plans
- The Bible for Beginners — 10 Days
- Advent — 24 Days to Christmas
- The Early Church Through Acts — 28 Days
- The Bible in a Year — 365 Days from Cover to Cover
- 30 Days with the Gospel — An Introduction to the New Testament
Books
Places in the Bible
Where is the land of Canaan today, and in which country?
The land of Canaan is not a single country today; it is the region covering Israel, the Palestinian territories (the West Bank and Gaza), Lebanon and part of Syria. In the Bible it is the land God promised to Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 17:8), where the tribes of Israel settled in Joshua's time. Today the walls, gates and temples of Canaanite cities can be seen at sites such as Hazor, Megiddo and Jericho.
Why is Canaan called the promised land?
Because God promised to give all the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants as a lasting possession (Genesis 17:8). The promise is repeated to Isaac and Jacob, and the book of Joshua describes its fulfillment when the tribes of Israel settle in the land.
Who were the Canaanites?
The Bible presents the Canaanites as descendants of Canaan son of Ham (Genesis 10:15-19). Historically the name refers to the Semitic-speaking peoples who built walled cities in the region before Israel; the coastal Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon belonged to the same culture.