The use of “Amorite” in the Old Testament is indiscriminate.4 In some passages it’s a label for the entire population of Canaan (Josh 7:7).5 In that sense, “Amorites” and “Canaanites” are interchangeable, both denoting non-Israelite in the land of Canaan.6 In other passages its use is more specific to one people group among several within Canaan (Gen 15:19–21).7 “Canaanites” and “Amorites” were therefore generic terms used to describe the enemies of Israel. Of the two, “Amorites” takes on a more sinister tone in the context of the Babylonian polemic that precedes this point in Israel’s story.
