In the second year of this week, in this jubilee [2109], Rebekah summoned her son Jacob and spoke to him: "My son, do not marry any of the Canaanite women like your brother Esau who has married two wives from the descendants of Canaan. They have embittered my life with all the impure things that they do because everything that they do (consists of) sexual impurity and lewdness. They have no decency because (what they do) is evil.
Jubilees (also known as Lesser Genesis, Leptogenesis, or the Book of Division) is canonical scripture for the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The only complete copies of Jubilees are available in Ge’ez (Classical Ethiopic), here used with permission by the Bible Society of Ethiopia.
The term that is transliterated as “Canaan” in English means “father of honor,” “father of majesty,” “father of praise,” or “my father is majesty.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
It is translated in American Sign Language with a sign loosely referencing the act of hiding/covering one’s face in shame. The association of “shame” with the name “Canaan” comes from Genesis 9, specifically verse 9:25. This sign was adapted from a similar sign in Kenyan Sign Language (see here ). (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Canaan” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Canaan in biblical times (source: Bible Lands 2012)
The name that is transliterated as “Jacob” in English means “he will supplant,” “he that follows after,” “a heeler,” “one who trips up,” “takes hold by the land.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
It is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign that signifies “lentil,” referring to the soup he gave his brother in exchange for his birthright (see Genesis 25:34). Note that another Spanish Sign Language sign for Jacob also users the sign for Jewish. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
In Finnish Sign Language it is translated with the signs signifying “smooth arm” (referring to the story starting at Genesis 27:11). (Source: Tarja Sandholm)
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