[key-nuh
n] 
| 1. | the ancient region lying between the Jordan, the Dead Sea, and the Mediterranean: the land promised by God to Abraham. Gen. 12:5–10. |
| 2. | Biblical name of Palestine. |
| 3. | any land of promise. |
| 4. | a descendant of Ham, the son of Noah. Gen. 10. |
[pal-uh-stahyn for 1, 2; pal-uh-steen for 3] | 1. | Also called Holy Land. Biblical name, Canaan. an ancient country in SW Asia, on the E coast of the Mediterranean. |
| 2. | a former British mandate (1923–48) comprising part of this country, divided between Israel, Jordan, and Egypt in 1948: the Jordanian and Egyptian parts were occupied by Israel in 1967. |
| 3. | a city in E Texas. 15,948. |
| Ca·naan (kā'nən) An ancient region made up of Palestine or the part of it between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. In the Bible it is the Promised Land of the Israelites. |
Historic region on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, comprising parts of modern Israel, Jordan, and Egypt.
Note: Known as the Holy Land, it is a place of pilgrimage for several religions, including Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.
Note: Israel, the homeland of the Jews, was established in Palestine in 1948. The Palestine Liberation Organization, under Yasir Arafat, is committed to establishing a Palestinian state, which would include territory on the West Bank and Gaza Strip now partially occupied by Israel. (See Arab-Israeli conflict, intifada, Oslo Accord, Palestinian Authority.)
Canaan
(1.) The fourth son of Ham (Gen. 10:6). His descendants were under a curse in consequence of the transgression of his father (9:22-27). His eldest son, Zidon, was the father of the Sidonians and Phoenicians. He had eleven sons, who were the founders of as many tribes (10:15-18). (2.) The country which derived its name from the preceding. The name as first used by the Phoenicians denoted only the maritime plain on which Sidon was built. But in the time of Moses and Joshua it denoted the whole country to the west of the Jordan and the Dead Sea (Deut. 11:30). In Josh. 5:12 the LXX. read, "land of the Phoenicians," instead of "land of Canaan." The name signifies "the lowlands," as distinguished from the land of Gilead on the east of Jordan, which was a mountainous district. The extent and boundaries of Canaan are fully set forth in different parts of Scripture (Gen. 10:19; 17:8; Num. 13:29; 34:8). (See CANAANITES ØT0000705, PALESTINE.)