Canaan is a biblical figure who, according to the Old Testament, was the son of Ham and the grandson of the prophet Noah. The Book of Genesis states that the Canaanites, a people who mostly occupied modern-day Palestine, were decedents of this individual. Biblical scholars believe that the Palestinian region called "Canaan" was derived from the name of this biblical figure. Note: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh. ... Ham (Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian ), according to the Genealogies of Genesis, was a son of Noah and the father of Cush, Mizraim, Phut, and Canaan. ... Noahs Ark, Französischer Meister (The French Master), Magyar Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest. ... Genesis (Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah (five books of Moses) and hence the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ...

In the Book of Genesis, Canaan was cursed by Noah. This is referred to as the Curse of Ham. Genesis (Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah (five books of Moses) and hence the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ... Curse of Ham (more properly called the curse of Canaan) refers to the curse that Noah placed upon Canaan (the son of Ham), after Ham saw Noah naked because of drunkenness in his tent. ...

References

• Encyclopedia Britannica Online Article