poured out of Arabia, and flooded Babylonia
certainly, and possibly, more or less, Syria and Palestine also. Also
that between 2800 and 2600 B.C. a second wave from Arabia took the same
course, covering not only Babylonia, but also Syria and Palestine and
probably also Egypt (the Hyksos). It is soon after this that we meet
with the great empire-builder and civilizer, Khammurabi (2267-2213), the
first king of a united Babylonia. It is noteworthy that the first part
of his name is identical with the name of the father of Canaan in
Genesis (Ham or Kham), indicating his Arabian origin.[8] It was he, too,
who restored the ancient supremacy of Babylonia over Syria and
Palestine, and so prevented the Babylonizing of these countries from
coming to an abrupt end.

We now understand how the Phoenicians, whose ancestors arrived in the
second Semitic migration, came to call their land "Canaan." They had in
fact the best right to do so. The first of the Canaanite immigrants were
driven seawards by the masses which followed them. They settled in
Phoenicia, and in after times became so great in commerce that
"Canaanite" became a common Hebrew term for "merchant" (e.g. Isa. xxiii.
8). It is a plausible theory that in the conventional language of their
inscriptions they preserved a number of geographical and religious
phrases which, for them, had no clear meaning, and belonged properly to
the land of their distant ancestors, Arabia.[9] For their own traditions
as to their origin see PHOENICIA; we cannot venture to reject these
altogether. The masses of immigrants which followed them may have borne
the name of Amorites. A few words on this designation must here be
given. Both within and without Palestine the name was famous.

First, as regards the Old Testament. We find "the Amorite" (a collective
term) mentioned in the Table of Peoples (Gen. x. 16-18a) among other
tribal names, the exact original reference of which had probably been
forgotten. No one in fact would gather from this and parallel passages
how important a part was played by the Amorites in the early history of
Palestine. In Gen. xiv. 7 f., Josh. x. 5 f., Deut. i. 19 ff., 27, 44 we
find them located in the southern mountain country, while in Num. xxi.
13, 21 f., Josh. ii 10, ix 10, xxiv. 8, 12, &c. we hear of two great
Amorite kings, residing respectively at Heshbon and Ashtaroth on the
east of the Jordan. Quite different, however, is the view taken in Gen.
xv. 16, xlviii.