Sidon: Son of Canaan, Ancestor of the Sidonians
The sons of Noah who came out of the ark, following the great flood (c. 2100 BC), were Shem, Ham and Japheth.
Noah's son, Ham, was the father of Canaan. Canaan’s oldest son was Sidon, the ancestor of the Sidonians.?
"Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves he will be to his brothers."
[It's been claimed that the curse of Ham was biblical justification for imposing slavery and racial discrimination.]
The first mention of Sidon as a city is found in?Genesis in a description of the territory of the Canaanites, which extended as far as Gaza.
This territory, known as the?Levant, is roughly the areas of modern-day Israel,?Palestine, Lebanon, western Jordan, and western?Syria.
The modern Lebanese city of Sidon is built over the ruins of the ancient city.
Canaan was also the ancestor of the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. The Canaanite clans eventually spread out, and the territory of Canaan extended from Sidon in the north to Gerar and Gaza in the south, and east as far as Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, near Lasha.
Throughout ancient history, Sidon had many conquerors: Assyrians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, and finally Romans.
Around 1350 BC, Sidon was part of the?Egyptian Empire?and ruled by?Zimredda of Sidon. During the Amarna Period, Egypt went into decline, leading to uprising and turmoil in the Levant.
Zimredda is mentioned in several of the?Amarna letters (c. 1370-1348?BC).
Other kings from its Egyptian Dynasty include Zimredda II, Iab-nilud.??
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Kings from Sidon's Assyrian Dynasty include Abdi-Milkuti.?
Kings from its Persian Dynasty include Eshmunazzar / Eshmun'azar, Tabnit I, Amastoreth / Anysus, Eshmun'azar / Eshmun'azar II, Amoashtart / Amashtart / Amastarte (Queen), Bodashtart / Bodastart (I), Yaton Melik / Yatonmilk, Anysos, Tetramnestus / Tetramnestos.
Kings from its Baalshillem Dynasty include Ba'al Sillem I, Abdamon / Avdimon, Baana, Ba'al Sillem II, Abdashtart / Abdiashirta / Straton I, Tabnit II / Tennes, Bodashtart / Bodastart II, Evagoras (II), Abdashtart / Abdiashirta / Straton II.
In 1110 AD, Sidon was captured after the?siege of Sidon, a decade after the?First Crusade, by King?Baldwin I of Jerusalem?and King?Sigurd I of Norway.?It then became the center of the?Lordship of Sidon, a vassal-state of the?Kingdom of Jerusalem.?
Saladin, the founder of the Ayyubid Dynasty,?captured the city from the Crusaders in 1187, but German Crusaders restored it to Christian control in the?Crusade of 1197. Sidon remained an important Crusader stronghold until it was destroyed by the?Ayyubids?in 1249.?
Saladin was the first?sultan?of both Egypt and Syria. At the height of its power, the Ayyubid Dynasty spanned Egypt, Syria,?Upper Mesopotamia, the?Hejaz,?Yemen, and?Nubia.
The New Testament mentions that crowds from both Sidon and Tyre came to see and listen to Jesus (Mark 3:7–8), and inhabitants from Sidon were present at Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:17–18). Later, Jesus traveled through Sidon (Mark 7:31). In Sidon a woman impressed Jesus with her great faith (Matthew 15:21–28). Jesus used Tyre and Sidon as examples of how hardened the people of Israel had become. Even the ancient Sidonians, Jesus said, would have repented if they had seen what Israel had seen Jesus do.
But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” -Matthew 9.12-13
The divided Kingdom of Israel consisted of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, and Joseph (10 of the 12 tribes). It was defeated and carried into captivity by the Assyrians in 722 BC.?
The southern Kingdom of Judah was defeated by the Babylonians in 586 BC and also carried into captivity (Judah & Benjamin).
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About the Author: Lawrence Jean-Louis is the founder of eBrand Me, a digital marketing agency offering marketing & consultative services to CPAs and tax professionals. She aspires to start a money management firm by 2030.