During the Middle Bronze Age, urbanism resurged in the Canaan region, which was divided among various city-states, with Hazor emerging as a particularly significant one.^[16] The material culture of Canaan during this time showed strong Mesopotamian influences, and the region was increasingly integrated into a vast international trade network.

The region, known as Amurru, was recognized as one of the "four quarters" surrounding Akkad as early as the reign of Naram-Sin of Akkad around 2240 BCE, along with Subartu/Assyria, Sumer, and Elam. Amorite dynasties came to power in parts of Mesopotamia, including Larsa, Isin, and Babylon, which was founded as an independent city-state by an Amorite chieftain, Sumu-abum, in 1894 BCE. Notably, Hammurabi, an Amorite king of Babylon (1792–1750 BCE), established the First Babylonian Empire, although it disintegrated after his death. The Amorites maintained control over Babylonia until being ousted by the Hittites in 1595 BCE.

Around 1650 BCE, Canaanites, known as Hyksos, invaded and came to dominate the eastern Nile delta in Egypt.^[17] The term Amar and Amurru (Amorites) in Egyptian inscriptions referred to the mountainous region east of Phoenicia, extending to the Orontes. Archaeological evidence shows that the Middle Bronze Age was a period of prosperity for Canaan, particularly under the leadership of Hazor, which was often tributary to Egypt. In the north, Yamkhad and Qatna led significant confederacies, while biblical Hazor was likely the chief city of a major coalition in the southern part of the region.