Javan
Encyclopedia
Javan was the fourth son of Noah
's son Japheth
according to the "Table of Nations" (Genesis chapter 10) in the Hebrew Bible
. Flavius Josephus states the traditional view that this individual was the ancestor of the Greek people.
Also serving as the Hebrew name for Greece
or Greeks in general, Yavan or (Tiberian
) Yāwān (יָוָן) is probably cognate with the name of the eastern Greeks, the Ionians
(Greek Iōnes, earlier Ia(w)ones). The Greek race has been known by cognate names throughout the Eastern Mediterranean and beyond—even in Sanskrit
(yavana). In Greek mythology
, the eponymous forefather of the Ionians is similarly called Ion
, a son of Apollo
.
Javan is also found in apocalyptic literature
in the Book of Daniel
, 8:21-22 and 11:2, in reference to the King of Greece (יון)—most commonly interpreted as a reference to Alexander the Great.
While Javan is generally associated with the ancient Greeks and Greece (cf. Gen. 10:2, Dan. 8:21, Zech. 9:13, etc.), his sons (as listed in Genesis 10) are usually associated with locations in the Northeastern Mediterranean Sea and Anatolia: Elishah
(modern Cyprus), Tarshish
(modern southern Turkey), Kittim
(modern Cyprus), and Dodanim
(alt. 1 Chron. 1:7 'Rodanim,' the island of Rhodes
, west of modern Turkey between Cyprus and the mainland of Greece).
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
's son Japheth
Japheth
Japheth is one of the sons of Noah in the Abrahamic tradition...
according to the "Table of Nations" (Genesis chapter 10) in the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
. Flavius Josephus states the traditional view that this individual was the ancestor of the Greek people.
Also serving as the Hebrew name for Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
or Greeks in general, Yavan or (Tiberian
Tiberian Hebrew
Tiberian Hebrew is the extinct canonical pronunciation of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh and related documents in the Roman Empire. This traditional medieval pronunciation was committed to writing by Masoretic scholars based in the Jewish community of Tiberias , in the form of the Tiberian vocalization...
) Yāwān (יָוָן) is probably cognate with the name of the eastern Greeks, the Ionians
Ionians
The Ionians were one of the four major tribes into which the Classical Greeks considered the population of Hellenes to have been divided...
(Greek Iōnes, earlier Ia(w)ones). The Greek race has been known by cognate names throughout the Eastern Mediterranean and beyond—even in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
(yavana). In Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, the eponymous forefather of the Ionians is similarly called Ion
Ion (mythology)
According to Greek mythology, Ion was the illegitimate child of Creüsa, daughter of Erechtheus and wife of Xuthus. Creusa conceived Ion with Apollo then she abandoned the child. Apollo asked Hermes to take Ion from his cradle. Ion was saved by a priestess of the Delphic Oracle...
, a son of Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
.
Javan is also found in apocalyptic literature
Apocalyptic literature
Apocalyptic literature is a genre of prophetical writing that developed in post-Exilic Jewish culture and was popular among millennialist early Christians....
in the Book of Daniel
Book of Daniel
The Book of Daniel is a book in the Hebrew Bible. The book tells of how Daniel, and his Judean companions, were inducted into Babylon during Jewish exile, and how their positions elevated in the court of Nebuchadnezzar. The court tales span events that occur during the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar,...
, 8:21-22 and 11:2, in reference to the King of Greece (יון)—most commonly interpreted as a reference to Alexander the Great.
While Javan is generally associated with the ancient Greeks and Greece (cf. Gen. 10:2, Dan. 8:21, Zech. 9:13, etc.), his sons (as listed in Genesis 10) are usually associated with locations in the Northeastern Mediterranean Sea and Anatolia: Elishah
Elishah
Elishah was the son of Javan according to the Book of Genesis as well as the mediaeval, rabbinic Book of Jasher; he is said in Jasher to have been the ancestor of the "Almanim", possibly a reference to Germanic tribes . An older and more common traditions refers to him as a settler of Greece ,...
(modern Cyprus), Tarshish
Tarshish
Tarshish תַּרְשִׁישׁ occurs in the Hebrew Bible with several uncertain meanings:*One of the sons of Javan .* In the Bible Solomon set up a trade with Tarshish and received ivory, apes, and peacocks from Tarshish which are all native to the jungles in India. India's state bird for example is the...
(modern southern Turkey), Kittim
Kittim
Kittim in the genealogy of Genesis 10 in the Hebrew Bible, is the son of Javan, the grandson of Japheth, and Noah's great-grandson....
(modern Cyprus), and Dodanim
Dodanim
Dodanim or Rodanim, , was, in the Book of Genesis, a son of Javan . He is usually associated with the people of the island of Rhodes as their progenitor. "-im" is a plural suffix in Hebrew, and the inhabitants of Rhodes were also called Rodanim or Dodanim...
(alt. 1 Chron. 1:7 'Rodanim,' the island of Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
, west of modern Turkey between Cyprus and the mainland of Greece).