The Bible’s reference to Canaanites creates the impression to the modern reader that the Canaanites were a unified people group. Really, the term Canaanite is an umbrella term that applied to all the people groups living in the land of Canaan during the Middle and Late Bronze Age. We should not take Canaanite as an ethnic term. Canaan included many tribes, each with their own social stratification and hierarchy. Each tribe had its own ruler and distinct culture. Each city-state had their own defense system and alliances. Because Canaan comprised diverse groups, Joshua had to approach each of them separately with unique battle plans, which we see in the book of Joshua and the story of the conquest.