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כְּנַעַנִי

𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍𐤉

Kenaani

H3669 noun

SILEX Entry

Root כנע to submit, to be humbled

Definition

Denotes an inhabitant or native of the region of Canaan (כְּנַעַן, Kenaan), broadly referring to the ethnic groups who resided in that land prior to and during early Israelite settlement. In later and extended contexts, especially in prophetic and post-exilic texts, the term shifts in meaning to signify 'merchant' or 'trader,' likely based on the association of Canaanites with commercial activity.

Semantic Range

inhabitant of Canaan, member of a Canaanite ethnic group; merchant, trader, trafficker

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root כָּנַע (כ-נ-ע), which carries the sense of 'to submit, to be humbled,' though its application to the toponym Canaan is debated and could reflect a folk etymology. The gentilic suffix -ִי is attached to signify an inhabitant or person associated with the place or group.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the earlier books of the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Genesis, Exodus, Judges), כְּנַעַנִי refers specifically to a member of the ethnic groups inhabiting the region of Canaan, encompassing populations known as Amorites, Hittites, Jebusites, etc., in various biblical texts. The term is distinct from later terms like 'Judean.' In texts from the prophetic corpus (e.g., Isaiah 23:8; Zechariah 14:21) and in post-exilic writings, כְּנַעַנִי features the meaning 'merchant' or 'trader,' reflecting a developed semantic association between Canaanites and commerce due to their prominent role in ancient Near Eastern trade networks (notably the Phoenicians, descendants of Canaanites). Standard English Bible translations often use 'Canaanite' for the ethnic sense and 'merchant' or 'trafficker' for the commercial sense, but these renderings can obscure the word's original associations and evolving nuance. The term's development from ethnonym to occupational descriptor illustrates a broader trend in Hebrew and other ancient languages, where stative ethnonyms take on occupational meanings by association.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

patrial from כְּנַעַן; a Kenaanite or inhabitant of Kenaan; by implication, a pedlar (the Canaanites standing for their neighbors the Ishmaelites, who conducted mercantile caravans); Canaanite, merchant, trafficker.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

כנע (k-n-ʿ) — to submit, to be humbled

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3665 כָּנַע I will bring into submission
H3666 כִּנְעָה your bundle of wares
H3667 כְּנַעַן Kena'an
H3668 כְּנַעֲנָה Kenaanah

Word Forms

9 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H3669-02 הַֽ/כְּנַעֲנִֽי hakenaani HTd/Ngmsa the Canaanite the Kenaanite the Kenaani 47
H3669-09 וְ/הַֽ/כְּנַעֲנִ֖י vehakenaani HC/Td/Ngmsa and the Canaanite and the Canaanite and the Kenaani 12
H3669-01 בַּֽ/כְּנַעֲנִ֖י bakenaani HRd/Ngmsa against the Canaanite in the Kenaanite in Kenaani 3
H3669-04 הַֽ/כְּנַעֲנִֽית hakenaanit HTd/Ngfsa the Canaanite woman the Canaanite woman the Kenaani 3
H3669-08 לַֽ/כְּנַעֲנִ֖י lakenaani HRd/Ngmsa the-Canaanite to the Canaanite to Kenaani 3
H3669-06 כְּנַעֲנִים֙ kenaanim HNgmpa merchants Canaanites Kenaanim 2
H3669-05 כְּנַעֲנִ֖י kenaani HNgmsa Canaanite Kenaanite man Kenaani 1
H3669-03 הַ/כְּנַ֣עֲנִ֔ים hakenaanim HTd/Ngmpa the Canaanites the Kenaanites the Kenaanim 1
H3669-07 כְנַעֲנִ֥י khenaani HNgmsa Canaanite Kenaanite Kenaani 1

Occurrences in Scripture

73 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H3669-02 Genesis 10:18 הַֽ/כְּנַעֲנִֽי hakenaani HTd/Ngmsa of the Canaanites the Kenaanite the Kenaani
H3669-02 Genesis 10:19 הַֽ/כְּנַעֲנִי֙ hakenaani HTd/Ngmsa of the Canaanites the Kenaanite the Kenaani
H3669-09 Genesis 12:6 וְ/הַֽ/כְּנַעֲנִ֖י vehakenaani HC/Td/Ngmsa and the Canaanite and the Canaanite and the Kenaani
H3669-09 Genesis 13:7 וְ/הַֽ/כְּנַעֲנִי֙ vehakenaani HC/Td/Ngmsa and the Canaanite and the Canaanite and the Kenaani
H3669-02 Genesis 15:21 הַֽ/כְּנַעֲנִ֔י hakenaani HTd/Ngmsa Canaanites the Kenaanite the Kenaani
H3669-02 Genesis 24:3 הַֽ/כְּנַעֲנִ֔י hakenaani HTd/Ngmsa of the Canaanites the Kenaanite the Kenaani
H3669-02 Genesis 24:37 הַֽ/כְּנַעֲנִ֔י hakenaani HTd/Ngmsa of the Canaanites the Kenaanite the Kenaani
H3669-01 Genesis 34:30 בַּֽ/כְּנַעֲנִ֖י bakenaani HRd/Ngmsa the Canaanites in the Kenaanite in Kenaani
H3669-05 Genesis 38:2 כְּנַעֲנִ֖י kenaani HNgmsa Canaanite Kenaanite man Kenaani
H3669-04 Genesis 46:10 הַֽ/כְּנַעֲנִֽית hakenaanit HTd/Ngfsa of a Canaanite woman the Canaanite woman the Kenaani
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