1. They were a =varied people=. There were from seven to ten different
nations in Palestine when the Israelites entered it (Exod. 3. 17; Deut.
7. 1). Each tribe, often each city, had its own government. There was no
unity of government, no combined action to resist the invasion of
Israel. This made the conquest easy. If one king had ruled a united
people the result might have been different.
2. These peoples were, however, of =one stock=. They belonged to the
Hamite race, and were all descended from the family of Canaan (Gen. 10.
15-19). There was no reason, except the tribal spirit, for their
separation into small clans and nationalities.
3. They were =idolatrous= and, as a result, grossly =immoral=. Idolatry
is always associated with immorality; for the worship of idols is a
deification of sensuality. Baal and Asherah (plural Ashtoreth) were the
male and female divinities worshiped by most of these races (Judg. 2.
13).
4. They had been =weakened= before the coming of the Israelites either
by war or by pestilence. The allusions in Exod. 23. 28; Deut. 7. 20; and
Josh. 7. 12, have been referred to an invasion before that of Israel, or
to some plague, which destroyed the native races.