And Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,
15. Canaan ] Observe that we pass from Cush and Mizraim to Canaan, the fourth son of Ham; omitting Put, the third son in Gen 10:6.
Zidon his firstborn ] “Firstborn”; i.e. the capital, and most ancient city, of the Phoenicians. The Phoenicians called themselves Zidonians, and were so called by the Israelites. Cf. 1Ki 16:31. Zidon probably means “fish-town.”
Heth ] i.e. the Hittites called by the Egyptians “Khta,” and by the Assyrians “Khatti.” It is more than doubtful whether the Hittites had any connexion with the Phoenicians. Their language has not yet (1913) been deciphered. The Hittite empire appears to have lasted from 1800 b.c. to 700 b.c. Carchemish on the Euphrates was for a time their capital. They made their influence felt throughout Syria and Asia Minor. Their famous collision with Egypt occurred in the reign of Rameses III, about 1180 b.c. The mention of Heth as the “son of Canaan” is probably to be understood as indicating the presence of a large number of Hittite dwellers in Phoenicia and Palestine. There are traces of these elsewhere in O.T., e.g. ch. 23; Num 13:29; Jdg 1:26; 1Ki 10:29; 2Ki 7:6. The supremacy of the Hittites throughout Syria and Canaan belongs to the period shortly after the age represented by the Tel-el-Amarna tablets (1400 b.c.).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 15. Sidon] Who probably built the city of this name, and was the father of the Sidonians.
Heth] From whom came the Hittites, so remarkable among the Canaanitish nations.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Sidon his first-born, the father of the people, and builder of the city of Sidon, Jos 11:8; 19:28.
Of Heth came the Hittites, Jos 1:4; 9:1, &c.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn,…. Canaan is the fourth son of Ham; the posterity of Phut, his third son, are omitted: the firstborn of Canaan was Sidon, from whom the city of Sidon had its name, being either built by himself, who called it after his own name, or by some of his posterity, who called it so in memory of their ancestor: it was a very ancient city, more ancient than Tyre, for that was built by the Sidonians; Homer makes mention of it, but not of Tyre: it is now called Said, as it was in the times of Benjamin of Tudela f. Justin g says it had its name from the plenty of fish on its coasts; but, since Canaan had a son of this name, it was no doubt so called from him.
And Heth; the father of the Hittites, who dwelt about Hebron, on the south of the land of Canaan; for when Sarah died, the sons of Heth were in possession of it, Ge 23:2 of this race were the Anakim, or giants, drove out from hence by Caleb, Nu 13:22 and these Hittites became terrible to men in later times, as appears from 2Ki 7:6 hence signifies to terrify, affright, and throw into a consternation.
f Itinerarium. p. 34. g E. Trogo, l. 18. c. 3.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
15 And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth, 16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite, 17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, 18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. 19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha. 20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.
Observe here, 1. The account of the posterity of Canaan, of the families and nations that descended from him, and of the land they possessed, is more particular than of any other in this chapter, because these were the nations that were to be subdued before Israel, and their land was in process of time to become the holy land, Immanuel’s land; and this God had an eye to when, in the mean time, he cast the lot of that accursed devoted race in that spot of ground which he had selected for his own people; this Moses takes notice of, Deut. xxxii. 8, When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. 2. By this account it appears that the posterity of Canaan were numerous, and rich, and very pleasantly situated; and yet Canaan was under a curse, a divine curse, and not a curse causeless. Note, Those that are under the curse of God may yet perhaps thrive and prosper greatly in this world; for we cannot know love or hatred, the blessing or the curse, by what is before us, but by what is within us, Eccl. ix. 1. The curse of God always works really and always terribly: but perhaps it is a secret curse, a curse to the soul, and does not work visibly, or a slow curse, and does not work immediately; but sinners are by it reserved for, and bound over to, a day of wrath. Canaan here has a better land than either Shem or Japheth, and yet they have a better lot, for they inherit the blessing.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Verses 15-20:
Sidon, son of Canaan, established a city which became famous for commerce and a strong maritime power. Included in this territory was Tyre. The Phoenicians were among Canaan’s descendants. They are famous for their explorations by sea. Some historians believe they sailed as far as both North and South America. Similarities between Phoenician inscriptions and some found in the Americas seem to lend weight to this belief.
The territory of Canaan’s descendants is defined as the same area which Israel included in the territory God promised to Abraham. Some were annihilated by Israel under Joshua, and some became slaves to Israel, but not forever. Thus was fulfilled the prophetic curse which only Noah pronounced upon Canaan, if the curse was actually on the son Canaan instead of on the entire Hamite lineage.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(15-18) Canaan.The meaning of this name is uncertain, as, most probably, it is a Hamitic word: if derived from a Semitic root, it may mean the lowland. Though the Canaanites spoke a Semitic tongue at the time when we find them in Palestine, yet the assertion of the Bible that they were Hamites is confirmed by the testimony of profane writers, who say that their original home was on the Indian Ocean. They had probably been driven thence by the pressure of Semitic races, with whose language they had thus already become familiar; and when, farther, they found a Semitic people thinly spread over Palestine, they may, while absorbing them, have been confirmed in the use of their tongue. So, subsequently, Abraham gave up Syriac for Hebrew; and though these are kindred dialects, yet they are often remote enough from one another (see Gen. 31:47). On the other hand, the whole character of the Canaanite religion and thought was Hamitic, and while they Were active in commercial pursuits, and in culture far in advance of the Greeks, to whom they gave their alphabet, they were intensely sensuous in their worship and voluptuous in their manners. They are divided into eleven tribes, namely:
1. Sidon.This is remarkable as being the only town mentioned in the account either of Mizraim or of Canaan. All the rest are apparently the names of tribes still wandering about; and thus we gain a clearer idea both of the antiquity of this early record, and also of the great advance made by Nimrod in founding so many cities. Sidon, situated on the sea-shore, about thirty miles north of Tyre, became thus early a settled community and the seat of social life, because of its advantages for fishing (whence its name is derived), and also for commerce.
2. Heth.The Kheta, or Hittites, a powerful race, whose language and monuments have recently become the object of careful study. They seem subsequently to have possessed not only Syria, but a large portion of Asia Minor. (See Note on Gen. 23:3; Gen. 23:5.)
3. The Jebusite.This race held the territory afterwards occupied by Benjamin, and retained Jerusalem until the time of David (2Sa. 5:6-9. See Note on Gen. 14:18.)
4. The Amorite.Or rather, Emorite, that is, mountaineer. Next to the Kheta, or Hittites, they were the most powerful race in Palestine, holding the hill country of Judea, where they had five kings (Jos. 10:5), and a large district on the eastern side of the Jordan (2Sa. 9:10).
5. The Girgasite.Mentioned in Jos. 24:11, but otherwise unknown.
6. The Hivite.At Sichern (Gen. 34:2), at Gibeon (Jos. 9:7), and near Hermon and Lebanon (Jos. 11:3; Jdg. 3:3).
7. The Arkite.Also in Lebanon.
8. The Sinite.A small tribe in the same neighbourhood.
9. The Arvadite.A more important people, inhabiting the island Aradus.
10. The Zemarite.An obscure people, inhabiting Samyra, in Phnicia.
11. The Hamathite whose city, Hamath, was the capital of Northern Syria. It was situated on the river Orontes, and though called Epiphaneia by the Macedonians, still retains its ancient name. The Kheta subsequently gained the supremacy at Hamath, and had their capital in the immediate neighbourhood.
Afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.This may mean either that they spread inwards, or may refer to the numerous colonies of the Tyrians on the Mediterranean. While in Babylonia the Hamites are described as black, this branch was called Phnicians, from their ruddy colour, in contrast with the olive-coloured Semitic stock. As they came by sea from the Indian Ocean, their earliest settlement was on the coast, and thus Sidon is called the first-born of Ham. Thence they advanced into the interior, and though few in number, absorbed by their superior culture the inhabitants of Palestine. It is probably this expansion inwards which is here referred to.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
15-18. Eleven Canaanitish nations are here enumerated . The first two names are probably personal, the last nine are certainly national . The descendants of Canaan, it is observable, are given with unusual fulness, they being the foreign tribes with whom the Hebrews came into most immediate contact, and, therefore, the sources of information were in this case unusually complete . The descendants of Canaan were, first, the Phenicians; second, the Canaanites proper .
Sidon Sidonians, Phenicians. Recent studies of Phenician monuments establish the view, long since on other grounds entertained, that the Phenicians spoke a Shemitish language, very closely allied to the Hebrew, if not identical with it. Thus Carthage (the name of a Phenician colony) signifies New-Town; Barcas, Carthagenian for Hamilcar, is the Hebrew Barak, signifying thunderbolt, a name appropriate to a military hero. The bal of Hannibal and Hasdrubal is the Phenician and Hebrew Baal, signifying Lord. These facts accord well with the Scripture record of Canaanitish proper names, and of the free intercourse between the Hebrew patriarchs and the Canaanitish aborigines. Some have insisted that the Phenicians must have been of Shemitic origin, but they show no Shemitic peculiarities, except in language. There is much obscurity yet to be cleared up in the early Phenician history; but the facts seem best explained by supposing a very early mingling of Hamites and Shemites in what is now Palestine, whereby the Hamites acquired a Shemitic language, yet retained, in a most marked manner, the leading Hamitic peculiarities, such as sensuality and idolatry, and, as contrasted with the Shemites, commercial enterprise. The ancient myths and the Assyrian monuments show a similar mingling of the two races, in prehistoric times, in Mesopotamia.
Rawlinson, however, supposes that Sidon and Tyre were originally Canaanitic, but afterwards Shemitic, the Phenicians being a Shemitic race, who immigrated into Palestine from the shores of the Persian Gulf in about the 13th century B.C. The free and friendly intercourse maintained between the Hebrews and the Phenicians in the days of David and Solomon, certainly seems to separate them, in a marked manner, from the Canaanitish tribes who were devoted so solemnly to destruction, and with whom the Hebrews were forbidden to form any alliances. The subject can by no means be regarded as settled. (RAWL., Her., book vii, Essay ii; Knobel, p. 305.)
Sidon, or Zidon, or Tsidon, signifies hunter, or fisher. This was the chief city of the Phenicians, from which Tyre was colonized. It was situated on the Mediterranean shore, where its ruins may now be seen. The Sidonians were the first navigators, being the first to steer by the stars; they had colonies in Africa, Spain, and even in Britain. Tyre surpassed Sidon in power and commercial splendor. The great variety and richness of the Tyrian commerce is described by Ezekiel in lofty strains, chapters 26, 27. The name Sidon is used by the Greeks and on the Tyrian coins, as equivalent to Phenician. There are Phenician names along the Persian Gulf, which attest the westward movement of this people in very ancient times. (RAWL., Her., 1: 1.)
Heth Or Cheth, ancestor of the Hittites or Chittites, who are also called sons of Heth, Gen 23:3, etc . They were a Canaanitish tribe, who, in the time of Abraham . occupied the hill country about Hebron, (then called Kirjath-Arba,) and who treated the patriarch with much kindness and hospitality, chap . 23 . They afterwards spread northward, and the name Hittite becomes synonymous with Canaanite . In the time of Solomon and of Elisha we read of their “kings . ” 1Ki 10:29; 2Ki 7:6.
Jebusite A mountain tribe who dwelt in Jebus, afterwards Mount Zion, and who held that strong fortress for centuries after the conquest of Canaan, being only finally subdued by David. 2Sa 5:7.
Amorite The most powerful and widespread of the Canaanitish tribes, and hence their name is often equivalent to Canaanite, as in Gen 15:16; Gen 48:22. They founded powerful kingdoms on both banks of the Jordan, the eastern Amorites being conquered by Moses and the western by Joshua. Yet a remnant of this, as of other Canaanitish tribes, survived, even in the days of Solomon. 1Ki 9:20. It is made quite probable by Knobel that the word Amorite is used not only of an Hamitic tribe, but also in a larger sense of a widespread people who dwelt in Canaan before the Canaanitish occupation, and were descended from the Shemitic Lud . The gigantic Amorites, of whom Og and Sihon were kings, he believes to have been Shemites . (So FURST, Gesch . Bib . Lit . , pp . 19, 127, etc . )
Girgasite A tribe of whom, as Josephus says, there is left only the name.
Hivite Or Chivite; a people who, in the time of Jacob, lived in Shechem, (Gen 34:2,) who were also found by Joshua in Gibeon, (Jos 11:19,) but whose chief seat at the time of the conquest of Canaan seems to have been in North-west Palestine, about Hermon and Lebanon . Jos 11:3.
Arkite This people dwelt on the Mediterranean shore north of Sidon. Their name is still preserved in the modern Arka, famous as being the birthplace of the Emperor Alexander Severus. Its ruins, including great columns of granite and of syenite, are scattered about a lofty mound twelve miles north of Tripoli.
Sinite This people seem to have left their relics in the mountain fortress of Sinna, mentioned by Strabo, and the town of Sini, or Syn, north of Arka.
Arvadite Inhabitants of the island Arvad or Arad, and the adjacent shore. Arvad was a rocky island fortress, two miles from the shore, north of Arka and Sini. It was colonized from Sidon, and was the mother of Tarsus, ranking at one time next to Tyre. It is ranked with these renowned Phenician cities by Herodotus, (vii, 98,) by Ezekiel, (Eze 27:8; Eze 27:11,) and by the historian of the Maccabees . 1Ma 15:23 . It is still inhabited by a maritime population bearing the name of Ruad, and retains some well-preserved remnants of heavy, bevelled Phenician walls.
Zemarite This people has not, as yet, been with certainty, identified by any historical or geographical traces. Perhaps the town of Sumra or Shoumra, at the foot of Lebanon, between Arka and the sea, is one of the memorials of this tribe, (so Knobel,) but there is no other proof than its vicinity to the other identified Phenician remains.
Hamathite Or Chamathite; inhabitants of Hamath or Chamath Rabba, that is, Chamath the Great, (Amo 6:2,) a city on the Orontes, now known by the same name, in the great valley between Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon. This valley is known in the Old Testament as “the entering in of Hamath,” and formed the northern boundary of the promised land. See Num 13:21 ; 1Ki 8:65.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And Canaan begat Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth, and the Jebusites and the Amorite and the Girgashite, and the Hivite and the Arkite and the Sinite, and the Arvadite and the Zemarite and the Hamathite, and afterwards were the families of the Canaanite spread abroad, and the border of the Canaanite was from Sidon as you go towards Gerar, to Gaza as you go towards Sodom and Gomorrha and Admah and Zeboiim to Lasha.’
The mention of Sidon as the firstborn probably refers to the fact that Sidon (which is later closely linked with Tyre) was the place where the Canaanites first settled when they arrived in the area. However there is a possibility that it should be seen as an indication that Sidon was a real son, in contrast to most of the others who are clearly undisguised peoples. Heth represents the Hittites who were for centuries a great nation in Syria before their sudden demise in 12th century BC. These two, Sidon and Heth, mentioned by individual name, are clearly seen as being especially important. They are major players on the scene.
Exo 13:5 and elsewhere refer to the ‘land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the Jebusite’. In Deu 7:1 (see also Jos 3:10; Jos 24:11) the Girgashites are included (as well as the Perizzites) to make the divinely perfect seven. The lack of mention of the Perizzites here when the others are included again points to an early date for the account (they could hardly have been overlooked later), as does the mention of Sodom and Gomorrha and related cities (destroyed about 1900 BC – Genesis 19) which points to a date no later than that. The Hittites here are those of the Hittites who had taken up residence in the land of Canaan. The Hivites are similarly Hurrians.
Amorites or, in Akkadian, Amurru are well testified to elsewhere as a nomadic shepherd people from Western Mesopotamia and are testified to in Syria, where there was an Amorite state, as a more sedentary people. Jos 13:4-5 refers to this specific Amorite area. They are also testified to in external records as a mountain shepherd people (compare Num 13:29; Jos 11:3; Jdg 1:34). The name was sometimes used in external records as applying to the whole of Syria including Palestine. They became part of the Hittite empire and declined with them. Like Habiru it was a term that could be used to refer to people of a distinct type, in their case a shepherd people. Its general more widespread use, often seemingly parallel to that of ‘Canaanite’, was different from Canaanite in that it covered a wider area including Transjordan. Thus in Biblical usage the terms are not synonymous.
The Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites and the Hamathites are all Phoenician peoples, along with Sidon. The Arkites probably relate to the Phoenician city of Arqa mentioned in Egyptian records, including the Amarna letters, and in later Assyrian records. Arvad is mentioned in Eze 27:8; Eze 27:11; (and in 1Ma 15:23 as Aradus) as a Phoenician city and is also referred to in Assyrian records. The Zemarites relate to Sumar mentioned in the Amarna letters, which is referred to as Simirra in Assyrian texts. The Hamathites relate to the city of Hamath which is regularly mentioned in the Bible and inscriptions, and was on the border of the land of promise (Num 34:8). It was on the main trade routes and was at one time controlled by Solomon.
So the descendants of Canaan were seen as the inhabitants of the land of Canaan and the Phoenicians to the North who are all seen as ‘Canaanites’ in external records. (While of similar origin Ugarit prided itself on not being a Canaanite city).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Sons of Canaan
v. 15. And Canaan begat Sidon, his first-born, and Heth, v. 16. and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite, v. 17. and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, v. 18. and the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite; and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. v. 19. And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest unto Sodom and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha. v. 20. These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Gen 10:15. And Canaan begot Sidon, &c. Eleven nations came out of Canaan, so frequently mentioned, and so well known in scripture, that no explanation is wanting. It is remarkable, that no mention is made of the descendants of Phut.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Gen 10:15 And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,
Ver. 15. Canaan begat Sidon. ] Who built the city Sidon, in Phoenicia, near to Tyre, which afterwards contended with it for principality. It fell afterwards by lot to the tribe of Asher. Jos 19:28
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Gen 10:15-20
15Canaan became the father of Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth 16and the Jebusite and the Amorite and the Girgashite 17and the Hivite and the Arkite and the Sinite 18and the Arvadite and the Zemarite and the Hamathite; and afterward the families of the Canaanite were spread abroad. 19The territory of the Canaanite extended from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; as you go toward Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 20These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, by their nations.
Gen 10:15 Sidon This is the famous Phoenician seaport and originally its capital, north of Palestine (BDB 850).
Heth This (BDB 366) seems to be a non-Semitic name. It is possibly the beginning of the Hittite group. In the Bible they are located in two places: (1) around the city of Hebron and (2) north of Palestine in central Turkey. They dominated this entire region between 1800-1200 B.C. The tribal group called Hivites may also be connected to the term Heth.
Gen 10:16 the Jebusite These were the occupants of the city of Salem or Jebus, later Jerusalem (BDB 101).
Amorite The term (BDB 57) Amorite can be a collective term (cf. Gen 15:16) like the term Canaanite, see SPECIAL TOPIC: Pre-Israelite Inhabitants of Palestine . We think it had the connotation of high-lander (the literal name meant westerner) while Canaanite had the connotation of low-lander (the literal name meant land of purple). In the Bible the inhabitants of Canaan are listed in several places: (1) by two tribal groups in Gen 13:7; Gen 34:30; Jdg 1:4-5; (2) by seven nations in Deu 7:1; Jos 3:10; Jos 24:11; (3) by ten nations in Gen 15:19-21; and (4) the most common usage is a sixth nation designation that is used the majority of times in the Pentateuch.
Girgashite This was a Canaanite tribe often named in the various lists of the tribes of Canaan (BDB 173, cf. Gen 10:16; Gen 15:21; Deu 7:1; Jos 3:10; Jos 24:11; Neh 9:8; 1Ch 1:14), but no locality is ever identified.
Gen 10:17 the Hivite They seem to be the inhabitants of central Palestine (BDB 295). Some identify them with Hurrians. Num 13:29 is a good geographical summary of the division of these tribes in Palestine.
Arkite This seems to be the inhabitants of a coastal city and island north of Sidon (BDB 792).
Sinite This seems to be the inhabitants of a city close to Arke (BDB 696).
Gen 10:18 Arvadite This seems to refer to the inhabitants of an island off the coast north of Palestine (BDB 71). Like the two previous ones it is north of Tripolis.
Zemanites These are descendants of Canaan. A city of similar name is mentioned in the Amarna tablets. It is also mentioned by Tiglath Pileser I (1116-1078 B.C.) located in Phoenician territory (AB, Vol. 6, p. 1074).
Hamathite This refers to the inhabitants of a city on the Orontes River (BDB 333).
Gen 10:19 Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim These are cities of the plains that God later destroys. They are located in the southern end of the Dead Sea.
Lasha Jerome says that this was east of the Dead Sea (BDB 546).
Gen 10:20 This is a summary of the divisions much like Gen 10:5.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Sidon = the oldest Canaanite city.
Heth = the Hittites.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Canaan: 1Ch 1:13
Sidon: Heb. Tzidon, Gen 49:13, Jos 11:8, Isa 23:4, Zidon
Heth: Gen 15:18-21, Gen 28:3-20, Exo 3:8, Exo 34:11, Num 34:2-15, Jos 12:8-24, 2Sa 11:3
Reciprocal: Gen 9:22 – Ham Gen 12:6 – Canaanite Gen 15:21 – Amorites Gen 23:3 – Heth Gen 50:11 – the Canaanites Deu 32:8 – he set Jos 5:1 – all the kings Jos 13:3 – which is counted Jdg 3:3 – Canaanites Jdg 3:5 – Canaanites 1Sa 26:6 – Hittite 2Sa 24:6 – Zidon 1Ki 5:6 – Sidonians Isa 23:11 – the merchant city Isa 23:12 – daughter Eze 27:8 – Zidon Eze 28:21 – Zidon Mar 7:24 – Tyre Act 12:20 – Tyre Act 27:3 – Sidon
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 10:15. The account of the posterity of Canaan, and of the land they possessed, is more particular than that of any other in this chapter; because these were the nations that were to be subdued before Israel, and their land was to become Immanuels land. And by this account it appears that the posterity of Canaan were both numerous and rich, and very pleasantly seated; and yet Canaan was under a curse. Canaan here has a better land than either Shem or Japheth; and yet they have a better lot, for they inherit the blessing.