We are told, merely by way of illustrating the relations of
Abraham, that the land was not empty on his arrival, but was



THE HUMAN EACE AT THE TIME OF ABEAHAM'S CALL. 101

in the possession of the Canaanites, so that he was obhged to
dwell there as a stranger, and could not call a foot-breadth
of it his own. The opinion that the Phoenicians originally-
dwelt on the Ked Sea has therefore no argument of any weight
in its favour. On the contrary, it is at variance with the
account given in Genesis, according to which the Canaanites
appear as the original inhabitants of their land ; no other races
are mentioned as having been found there and expelled by
them, as was the case with the Philistines, Idumseans, and
Moabites. Bertheau and Ewald have indeed adopted this
view ; but the races which they state to have been dispossessed
were themselves of Canaanitish origin. It is evident from
Deut. iii. 8, iv. 47, xxxi. 4, that the Kephites belonged to the
Canaanites ; and it is impossible to separate the race of giants
who dwfilt in Canaan from the Canaanites, for it was only the
territory of the Canaanites which was given by God to the
Israelites, and they were careful to avoid every encroachment
on other boundaries. Moreover, the giants in Canaan are in
Amos ii. 9 (comp. with Num. xiii. 32, 33) expressly called
Canaanites. That the Horites, whom Ewald also classes among
the original nations, were Canaanites, will appear afterwards.
