Answers to Quora Questions by Yair Davidiy
Were the ancient Israelites really Canaanites?
https://www.quora.com/Were-the-ancient-Israelites-really-Canaanites/answer/Yair-Davidiy
(27 February, 2018, 12 Adar, 5778)
No. The ancient Israelites were not Canaanites though they later intermixed with them and the Hebrew adopted Canaanite practices. We do not know what the DNA of the Canaanites was. It may have been similar to that of North Africans with E1b prominent or it may not. DNA may yet still be proven to be determined by environment. In such a case the DNA would be an admixture of types now found among Jews and peoples in the Middle East. Canaanite settlements from the archaeological point of view are usually distinguishable from Israelite ones by the presence of swine, a lack of Hyksos type dwellings, more paganism, and other factors. The Bible is the best evidence we have and the validity of other proofs should be judged according to what degree it accords with Biblical evidence and not the opposite. Even from a purely historical point of view the Bible is comprised of documents written by skilled, very well informed, writers who lived during the times in question or close to them.