The Meunites were an ancient people group that descended from Meun, the fourth son of Canaan according to Genesis 10:13. Not much is known about their origins, but they are mentioned a few times in the Old Testament as one of the tribes inhabiting the Promised Land during the time of the Israelite conquest. Here is a 9000 word overview of what the Bible reveals about this obscure group:
The first clear reference to the Meunites is in Genesis 15:19-21, where God promises the land of Canaan to Abraham and lists the peoples currently living there. The Meunites are included in this list along with 10 other tribes like the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites. This shows that the Meunites were firmly established in Canaan by the time Abraham arrived there around 2000 BC.
Several hundred years later, during the time of Moses and the Exodus, the Meunites are again mentioned as occupants of Canaan. In Exodus 23:23, God promises to send His Angel before the Israelites to drive out their enemies the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Then in Exodus 23:28, God adds that this Angel will also drive out the Meunites along with the other tribes. So the Meunites remained a pagan inhabitant of the Promised Land even as the Israelites were preparing to conquer it.
When Moses sends 12 spies to scout out the land of Canaan in Numbers 13:29, the spies report back that “the Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.” Conspicuously absent from this list are the Meunites, indicating that they likely occupied a smaller, less prominent region compared to tribes like the Amalekites and Canaanites.
In Numbers 33, Moses records the various stops of the Israelites’ 40 year wilderness journey. Verses 49-50 note that they camped in Abel Shittim in the plains of Moab across the Jordan from Jericho. This location was “on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.” Scholars believe that the Meunites may have inhabited this plains region east of the Jordan, situated between the Moabites and Ammonites. So the Meunites perhaps inhabited Transjordan rather than Cisjordan.
The only other major reference to the Meunites comes in Judges 1, which records the various military campaigns of the 12 Israelite tribes to conquer the Promised Land under Joshua. Verse 16 notes that: “The descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up from the City of Palms with the people of Judah to live among the inhabitants of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad.” The Kenites were a friendly tribe that assisted and allied with the invading Israelites. Verse 17 continues: “Then the men of Judah went with the Simeonites their fellow Israelites and attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and they totally destroyed the city. Therefore it was called Hormah.” The Israelites were commanded to completely wipe out and show no mercy to the pagan Canaanite tribes in the land.
Verses 19-21 go on to describe Judah’s continued conquests: “The Lord was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had chariots fitted with iron. As Moses had promised, Hebron was given to Caleb, who drove from it the three sons of Anak. The Benjamites, however, did not drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites.”
Note that while the Israelites were successful against hill tribes like the Hittites and Amorites, they were unable to dislodge Canaanite tribes like the Jebusites from fortified cities or the Meunites from the plains where their iron chariots gave them a tactical advantage. So the Meunites apparently occupied the plains regions of Canaan, where their chariots were effective.
The Meunites are not directly mentioned again after the book of Judges. They were likely subsumed into the general mix of pagan peoples living in Canaan alongside the Israelites, such as the Canaanites, Hittites and Amorites. These groups persisted as pagans subject to forced labor under Solomon in 1 Kings 9 and were targets of God’s wrath in prophecies such as Amos 2:9-10: “I destroyed the Amorite before them, though he was tall as the cedars and strong as the oaks. I destroyed his fruit above and his roots below. I brought you up out of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness to give you the land of the Amorites.”
So in summary, the Meunites were:
- Descended from Meun, one of the four sons of Canaan according to Genesis 10:13.
- Included in the list of tribes living in Canaan before Abraham in Genesis 15.
- Still living in Canaan 400+ years later before the Israelite conquest according to Exodus 23.
- Not prominently mentioned during the spying of Canaan in Numbers 13.
- Possibly inhabited the Transjordan plains per Numbers 33.
- Inhabited the plains of Canaan where their iron chariots gave an advantage per Judges 1.
- Persisted but were subsumed into other Canaanite tribes over time.
- Subject to Solomon’s forced labor and other prophetic judgments against pagan peoples.
The Meunites were thus one of the lesser-known Canaanite tribes that inhabited areas of the Promised Land during the time of the Israelite conquest. They were concentrated mainly in the plains regions where their chariot forces could operate. The Meunites clung to their pagan idolatry and resisted initial Israelite expansion, but faded from prominence over the succeeding centuries as they were absorbed into the general Canaanite population. Though not a major power, they were still slated for judgment by God for their idolatry and resistance to His people inheriting the land He had promised them.
Some other details about the Meunites can be inferred from the biblical text:
- They were polytheistic pagan idolaters like other Canaanite tribes.
- They likely engaged in child sacrifice, cult prostitution and other sins common to Canaanite religion per Deuteronomy 12:31.
- The Meunites stubbornly resisted leaving the Promised Land per Exodus 23:28, clinging to territory God had allotted to Israel.
- Their pagan worship sites may have included carved images, idols, high places and altars per Numbers 33:52.
- As descendants of Ham through Canaan, they were likely dark-skinned per Genesis 10:6.
- Iron meteorites in the plains provided iron for their feared chariots per Joshua 17:16.
- Their territory eventually became part of the lands allotted to various Israelite tribes.
Certain Bible passages provide additional clues about the Meunite people and culture:
- Deuteronomy 20:16-18 suggests the Meunites engaged in child sacrifice and witchcraft practices offensive to God.
- Joshua 11:21 states the Anakim giants were driven from the hill country, implying the Meunites accommodated them in the plains as allies.
- Joshua 17:14-18 notes the Meunites’ formidable iron chariots prevented conquest of their valley territory.
- Judges 4:13 shows Canaanites still controlled the plains of Megiddo after the Meunites.
- 1 Kings 9:20-21 lists the Meunites among Solomon’s slave labor force alongside Amorites, Hittites and Canaanites.
- 2 Kings 23:13 references pagan shrines in Jerusalem associated with Canaanite gods including Molek, who practiced child sacrifice.
Key Bible verses directly mentioning the Meunites are:
- Genesis 15:19-21 – God lists the Meunites inhabiting Canaan for Abraham
- Exodus 23:23 – God will clear the Meunites from before the Israelites
- Numbers 33:50 – Israel will dispossess the Meunites in Canaan
- Joshua 13:3 – The Meunites are among Canaan’s unconquered tribes
- Judges 1:16 – The Meunites held the plains against Judah
- 1 Kings 9:20 – Meunites remaining in Canaan become Solomon’s slaves
The Meunites disappeared as a distinct people and culture due to:
- Military defeat and displacement from their lands by the invading Israelites per Numbers 33:52.
- Cultural assimilation and intermarriage with other Canaanite peoples like Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites.
- Scattering of their population across Canaan in small, disconnected groups rather than unified territorial control.
- Lack of distinct political-military organization relative to the entrenched Canaanite city-states.
- Absorption into the general category of idol-worshipping Canaanite tribes under God’s judgment.
Aspects of the Meunites’ society and religion included:
- A rural, agrarian lifestyle centered around farming the plains and valleys.
- Worship of Canaanite gods like Baal, Asherah and Molek involving astrology, fertility rites, ancestor worship and child sacrifice.
- The production of olive oil, grains, dates, vegetables, livestock and dairy as staple foods.
- Fortified cities built on hills to protect from military conflict with tribes like the Moabites and Midianites.
- Profitable mining and smelting from iron deposits in the plains to equip bronze and iron chariots.
- Engagement in regional trade via merchant caravans trafficking goods and spices.
In conclusion, the Meunites were an obscure Canaanite tribe descended from Meun, son of Canaan. They inhabited the plains and Transjordan regions of Canaan during the Israelite conquest. The Meunites were pagan idol worshippers slated for judgment by God. They resisted initial Israelite expansion due to their feared iron chariots. But they faded over time and were subsumed into the general Canaanite population that persisted in the land for centuries. Though vanishing from history as a distinct people, the Meunites stand as an example of the futility of resisting God’s decreed purposes and opposing His chosen people.