Simon the Canaanite was one of the Twelve apostles, also called Simon the Zealot.
Matthew and Mark give him the title Cananaean (KJV: Canaanite); Luke and Acts call him the Zealot.
The name does not mean he was a Gentile from Canaan.
It marks him as a man once associated with zealous devotion to Israel’s cause, whom Jesus chose and sent among the apostles.
Simon appears in every list of the Twelve. In Matthew and Mark he is Simon the Cananaean. In Luke and Acts he is Simon who was called the Zealot. The two titles point to the same background. The Cananaeans were the Aramaic-named party of zeal for the law and for Israel’s freedom; the Greek word is Zealot. Jesus placed this man in the same company as Matthew the tax collector—one who had served Rome’s system and one who had burned against it. Both became apostles. Scripture records no separate speech or miracle under Simon’s name. He was appointed to be with Jesus and to be sent out. He was present in the upper room after the ascension. His calling shows that the gospel does not recruit only one kind of temperament. Zeal that once ran in a political and national channel was gathered into the service of the King whose kingdom is not of this world.
- Simon the Canaanite and Simon the Zealot are the same apostle.
- “Canaanite” here translates Cananaean and refers to zeal, not to Gentile ancestry.
- He is one of the Twelve, listed in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts.
- Jesus set him beside Matthew, joining former opposites in one apostolic band.
- Scripture is silent about separate deeds under his name; his apostleship is the testimony.
- Zeal is not rejected; it is redirected to the Lord who called him.
- His name belongs on the twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem.
- One of the Twelve – Named in all four apostolic lists.
- The Cananaean / The Zealot – Titles that mark a background of intense zeal for Israel’s cause.
- Not a Gentile Canaanite – The word is a party name, not a statement of nationality.
- Chosen with Matthew – A former zealot and a former tax collector sent out together.
- Appointed to Be with Him – Called to companionship with Jesus and to mission.
- Present after the Ascension – Gathered with the apostles in the upper room.
- Foundation Stone – One of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
- Matthew 10:2-4 – “The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.” (ESV; KJV: “Simon the Canaanite”)
- Mark 3:16-18 – The list of the Twelve includes “Simon the Zealot” (KJV: “Simon the Canaanite”).
- Luke 6:13-15 – “And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles… Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot…”
- Acts 1:13 – “And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James.”
- Mark 3:13-15 – “And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.”
- Matthew 9:9 – The call of Matthew the tax collector, listed next to Simon in the apostolic catalogs.
- John 18:36 – “Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.’”
- Romans 10:2 – “For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.”
- Titus 2:14 – Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”
- Galatians 4:18 – “It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you.”
- Ephesians 2:19-20 – The household of God is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone.
- Revelation 21:14 – “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
- Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses…”
- Luke 24:48 – “You are witnesses of these things.”
- Matthew 19:28 – Those who have followed Jesus will sit on twelve thrones in the new world.
- 1 Corinthians 15:5 – The risen Christ appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
Simon the Canaanite is Simon the Zealot. Jesus called a man of burning zeal and set him among the Twelve. He did not erase the fire; He claimed it. The same band included Matthew, who had sat at the tax booth. The gospel gathers former enemies into one foundation. Scripture tells us almost nothing else about Simon. It tells us enough. He was chosen, sent, and present when the church began to wait for the Spirit. Zeal without knowledge is a danger; zeal captured by Christ becomes service. Be zealous for good works. Follow the King whose kingdom is not of this world. The names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb are written on the city that cannot be shaken.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.