Lexical Definition

‎כְּנַעַנִי‎ Kᵉnaʻanîy (ken-ah-an-ee') Canaanite ^N:N--LG
patrial from ‎כְּנַעַן‎

Canaanite, merchant, trafficker.

• § Canaanite = see Cana "zealous"
• a Kenaanite or inhabitant of Kenaan
• by implication, a pedlar (the Canaanites standing for their neighbors the Ishmaelites, who conducted mercantile caravans)

adj
1) descendant of inhabitant of Canaan
n
2) descendant or inhabitant of Canaan
3) a merchant, trader

Extended Information

• Describing a woman living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.46.10
• mother of: Shaul (שָׁאוּל)

Brown-Driver-Briggs

I. ‎כְּנַעֲנִי‎ adjective and name, of a people of I. ‎כְּנַעַן‎; — usually masculine singular ‎(הַ)כְּנַעֲנִי‎ Gen 38:2; Num 21:1 +; feminine singular ‎הַכְּנַעֲנִית‎ Gen 46:10 = Exod 6:15; 1Chr 2:3 masculine plural ‎(הַ)כְּנַעֲנִים‎ Obad 1:20; Neh 9:24 —

1. adjective ‎׳‎‎אִישׁ כ‎ Gen 38:2 (J).

2. with article as substantive, a. of individual, ‎׳‎‎מֶלֶךְעֲֿרָדהַכּ‎ Num 21:1 (J) and hence Num 33:40 (P or R); feminine ‎הַכְּנַעֲנִיתּ‎ Gen 46:10 = Exod 6:15 (P) ‎בַּתשֿׁוּעַ הַכְּנַעֲנִית‎ 1Chr 2:3.
b. usually collective (with article) of pre-Israel in-habitants of ‎כְּנַעַן‎ (q. v.) Gen 12:6; Gen 24:3; Gen 24:37; Gen 50:11 (all J), Num 21:3 (J), Josh 13:3 (D), Judg 1:1; Judg 1:3; Judg 1:9; Judg 1:10; Judg 1:17, many of whom continued to live in the midst of Israel, vJudg 1:27 vJudg 1:28 vJudg 1:29 vJudg 1:29 vJudg 1:30 vJudg 1:32 vJudg 1:33; Josh 16:10 (twice in verse); Josh 17:12; Josh 17:13; Josh 17:16; Josh 17:18 (all J E), 1Kgs 9:16 plural only Obad 1:20, and ‎ישְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ הַכְּנַעֲנִים‎ Neh 9:24 ‎׳‎‎מִשְׁפְּחוֺת הַכּ‎ Gen 10:18, ‎׳‎‎גְּבוּל הַכּ‎ vGen 10:19 (both J), ‎׳‎‎אֶרֶץ הַכּ‎ Exod 13:11 (JE), Ezek 16:3 often of part of the inhabitants, ‎וְכָל ישְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ‎ ‎׳‎‎הַכּ‎ Josh 7:9 (JE), Deut 11:30 with other proper name, of a people, + ‎הַפְּרִזִּי‎ Gen 13:7; Gen 34:30 (both J), Judg 1:4; Judg 1:5, + ‎הָאֱמֹרִי‎ Deut 1:7; Josh 5:1; Josh 13:4 (all D); + ‎הַחִוִּי‎ 2Sam 24:7 + ‎עֲמָלֵקִ (יׅ‎ Num 14:25; Num 14:43; Num 14:45 especially in the list of peoples dispossessed by Israel, Gen 15:21; Exod 3:8; Exod 3:17; Exod 13:5; Exod 23:23; Exod 23:28; Exod 33:2; Exod 34:11; Num 13:29 (‎׳‎‎הַכּ‎ dwelling by the sea and along Jordan [compare Deut 1:7; Deut 11:30; Josh 5:1; Josh 11:3; Josh 13:4]; all these J E), Deut 7:1; Deut 20:17; Josh 3:10; Josh 9:1; Josh 11:3; Josh 12:8; Josh 24:11 (all J E D), Judg 3:3; Judg 3:5 hence Ezra 9:1; Neh 9:8. compare Dr^{Dt. p. 11, 13 f., 97, 133}.

II. ‎כְּנַעֲנִי‎ noun masculine trader, merchant (compare II. ‎כְּנַעַן‎); only singular (but see below): — ‎עוֺד‎ ‎׳‎‎וְלֹא יִהְיֶה כ‎‎׳‎‎בְּבֵית י‎ Zech 14:21 (probably); ‎׳‎‎וַחֲגוֺר נָָֽתְנָה לַכּ‎ Prov 31:24 (|| ‎סָדִין עָֽשְׂתָה וַתִּמְכֹּר‎). **plural suffix ‎כִּנְעָנֶיהָ‎ (si vera lectio) Isa 23:8 (|| ‎סֹחֲרֶיהָ‎). In Zech 11:7; Zech 11:11 read perhaps ‎(לִ)כְנַעֲנִיֵּי‎ for ‎(לָ)כֵן עֲנִיֵּי‎, ᵐ5 Ξαναναῖοι, Ξαναανῖτιν, Sta^{ZAW, 1881. 26} (who compare as to sense Hos 12:8*), compare Klo We Marti.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Profile

Female • Shaul's mother, a Canaanite woman

Woman living at the time of the Patriarchs

Shaul's mother was a Canaanite woman, according to the genealogies of Simeon.

• A woman living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.46.10;
• only referred to as Canaanite_woman כְּנַעַנִי;
• mother of Shaul שָׁאוּל.

The Canaanite woman mentioned in Genesis 46:10 and Exodus 6:15 is the mother of Shaul, who was a son of Simeon. In the genealogies of Simeon, one of the twelve sons of Israel (or 'Jacob'), Shaul is distinguished from his brothers by the fact that his mother was a Canaanite woman. This detail suggests that Simeon married a woman from the Canaanite people, who were the inhabitants of the land of Canaan before the Israelites. The mention of Shaul's mother's Canaanite origin is significant because it shows that intermarriage between the Israelites and the Canaanites did occur, despite the general prohibition against such unions (Deut. 7:3). The inclusion of this information in the genealogies also highlights the importance of maternal lineage in the biblical record.

All entries for Canaanite woman: כְּנַעַנִי

Related Profiles:

• Simeon (spouse)
• Shaul (child)