The Torah records a remarkable exchange in (Genesis 10:15): "And Canaan begot Tziddon, his first-born, and Cheth." Generations later, the sons of Cheth, the Hittites, encountered Abraham when he came to bury Sarah in the cave of Machpelah.
Their response was extraordinary. Rather than turning away a stranger or demanding payment upfront, they addressed Abraham with deep respect: "Hear us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us. In the choicest of our burial places bury your dead" (Genesis 23:5-6). They treated the patriarch with the honor due to royalty.
The Mekhilta records that God took notice of this kindness. The Holy One Blessed be He declared: "You honored My loved one. I, likewise, will call the land by your name." This is why the Promised Land carries the name of Canaan, because his descendants, the sons of Cheth, showed reverence to Abraham when it mattered most.
The teaching reinforces a powerful principle in rabbinic thought. Respect shown to the righteous does not go unrecorded. The Hittites' single act of generosity toward a grieving husband echoed through history, permanently linking their ancestor's name to the holiest land on earth.