Topical Encyclopedia
Overview:Javan is a significant figure in the Bible, primarily recognized as one of the sons of Japheth, who was a son of Noah. Javan is traditionally associated with the people and regions that later became known as Greece and its surrounding areas. His descendants are often linked to the maritime nations and the spread of Greek culture and influence.
Biblical References:Javan is first mentioned in the Table of Nations in
Genesis 10, which outlines the descendants of Noah's sons after the Flood.
Genesis 10:2-5 states: "The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. From these, the maritime peoples separated into their territories, according to their languages, by clans within their nations."
Genealogical Significance:Javan is listed as the fourth son of Japheth, and his descendants are associated with the spread of Indo-European peoples. The names of Javan's sons—Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim—are often linked to various regions and peoples in the Mediterranean and Aegean areas. Elishah is sometimes associated with the region of Cyprus or parts of Greece, Tarshish with a distant trading partner possibly in Spain, Kittim with Cyprus, and Dodanim with the Dodecanese Islands or Rhodes.
Prophetic and Historical Context:In the prophetic books, Javan is often used to represent the Greek world. For instance, in
Daniel 8:21 , the angel Gabriel interprets a vision for Daniel, saying, "The shaggy goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king." This reference to Greece as Javan underscores the connection between Javan and the Greek people.
Similarly, in the book of Isaiah, Javan is mentioned in the context of the distant lands that will hear of God's glory.
Isaiah 66:19 states: "I will set a sign among them, and I will send survivors from among them to the nations—to Tarshish, Put, and the archers of Lud, to Tubal and Javan, to the distant islands that have not heard of My fame or seen My glory. And they will proclaim My glory among the nations."
Cultural and Theological Implications:Javan's association with Greece is significant in understanding the spread of Hellenistic culture and its eventual interaction with the Jewish world, particularly during the intertestamental period and the New Testament era. The influence of Greek language and thought is evident in the New Testament, which was written in Koine Greek, a testament to the widespread impact of Javan's descendants.
Theologically, Javan's inclusion in the Table of Nations highlights the biblical theme of the dispersion of peoples and the diversity of nations stemming from a common ancestry. This serves as a backdrop for the biblical narrative of God's plan for all nations, ultimately fulfilled in the Great Commission, where the gospel is to be preached to all peoples, including those descended from Javan.
Conclusion:Javan's role in the Bible, while not extensively detailed, is crucial for understanding the historical and cultural context of the ancient world, particularly in relation to the Greek influence that permeated the Mediterranean region. His mention in both genealogical and prophetic texts underscores the interconnectedness of nations and the unfolding of God's redemptive plan across diverse peoples and cultures.
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary
Javandeceiver; one who makes sad
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Javan(clay).
- A son of Japheth. (Genesis 10:2,4) Javan was regarded as the representative of the Greek race. The name was probably introduced into Asia by the Phoenicians, to whom the Ionians were naturally better known than any other of the Hellenic races, on account of their commercial activity and the high prosperity of their towns on the western coast of Asia Minor.
- A town in the souther part of Arabia (Yemen), whither the Phoenicians traded. (Ezekiel 27:19)
ATS Bible Dictionary
JavanThe fourth son of Japheth,Genesis 10:2,4. This name is the same as the Greek Ion, whence comes Ionia, and it is understood that Javan was the ancestor of the Greeks. SeeGREECE.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(1.) The fourth "son" of Japheth (Genesis 10:2), whose descendants settled in Greece, i.e., Ionia, which bears the name of Javan in Hebrew. Alexander the Great is called the "king of Javan" (rendered "Grecia, "Dan. 8:21;10:20; Comp.11:2;Zechariah 9:13). This word was universally used by the nations of the East as the generic name of the Greek race.
(2.) A town or district of Arabia Felix, from which the Syrians obtained iron, cassia, and calamus (Ezek. 27:19).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
JAVANja'-van (yawan, meaning unknown):
(1) InGenesis 10:2, 4 =1 Chronicles 1:5, 7 Septuagint Iouan);Isaiah 66:19Ezekiel 27:13 Septuagint Hellas, Greece);Daniel 8:21 m; 10:20; 11:02;Zechariah 9:13Joel 3:6 (Hebrew 4:6) Septuagint hoi Hellenes, i.e. "Greeks"), "son" of Japheth, and "father" of Elisha, Tars, Kittim, and Rodarim, i.e. Rhodes (incorrectly "Dodanim" inGenesis 10:4). Javan is the Greek Iaon or Ia(v)on, and in Genesis and 1 Chronicles = the Ionian Greeks of Asia Minor, probably here = Cyprus. The reference inEzekiel 27:13 (from which that inIsaiah 66:19 is copied) is the country personified. In Joel the plural yewanim, is found. In Daniel the name is extended to the Greeks generally. Corroboration of the name is found in Assyrian (Schrader, editor, Keilinschriftliche Bibliothek, II, 43). "The Persian Yauna occurs in the same double reference from the time of Darius; compare Aesch. Persian., 176, 562" (Skinner, Genesis, 198). In Egyptian the word is said to be yevan-(n)a; in the Tell el-Amarna Letters Yivana is mentioned as being in the land of Tyre. See HDB, II, 552b.
(2) Place (Ezekiel 27:19); the name is missing in Septuagint.
David Francis Roberts
Strong's Hebrew
3125. Yevani -- descendant ofJavan... Yevani. 3126 . descendant of
Javan. Transliteration: Yevani Phonetic Spelling:
(yev-aw-nee') Short Definition: Greeks.
... of
Javan NASB Word Usage Greeks (1).
...473. Elishah -- a son ofJavan, also his desc. and their land
... 472, 473. Elishah. 474 . a son ofJavan, also his desc.... Word Origin
of foreign origin Definition a son ofJavan, also his desc....
1721. Dodanim -- a son ofJavan, also his desc.
... 1720, 1721. Dodanim. 1722 . a son ofJavan, also his desc.... Word Origin of uncertain
derivation, see also Rodanim Definition a son ofJavan, also his desc....
8659. Tarshish -- a son ofJavan, his desc. and their land, also a...
... 8658, 8659. Tarshish. 8660 . a son ofJavan, his desc.... Word Origin from
the same as tarshish Definition a son ofJavan, his desc....
3794. Kitti -- a son ofJavan, also his desc. and their land
... 3793, 3794. Kitti or Kittiyyi. 3795 . a son ofJavan, also his desc.... Word Origin
from an unused name Definition a son ofJavan, also his desc....
3120. Yavan -- a son of Japheth, also his desc. and their land
... and their land. Transliteration: Yavan Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-vawn') Short Definition:
Javan.... and their land NASB Word Usage Greece (4),Javan (7).Javan....
Library
Chapter x
... 2. The sons of Japheth: Gomer and Magog and Madai andJavan and Tubal and Meshech
and Tiras.... Three descendants of Gomer are listed and four ofJavan....
How Every Nation was Denominated from their First Inhabitants.
... Now as toJavan and Madai, the sons of Japhet; from Madai came the Madeans, who
are called Medes, by the Greeks; but fromJavan, Ionia, and all the Grecians...
Ezekiel's Discourse
... wares.Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy traffickers: they traded
the persons of men and vessels of brass for thy merchandise....
Appendix 1 Massecheth Middoth
... on the south-east the chamber of the shew-bread; on the north-east, there the Asmoneans
deposited the stones of the altar which the King ofJavan had defiled...
Demonstration v. --Of Wars.
... [774] It is the kingdom of the children ofJavan, who are children of Japhet. For
the children ofJavan came in against the kingdom of their brethren....
Jewish Chronology Continued.
... Egyptians, and Greeks, for we must bear in mind that the father of these Gentiles
was born from this Japheth, [1072] and received the nameJavan, and became...
The Promise.
... Some few, the children ofJavan, found a home in the fair isles of the Mediterranean,
but the greater part were wild horsemen in Northern Asia and Europe....
Hope for the Heathen
... to Tubal, andJavan, to the isles afar off." Isaiah 66:19. "How beautiful upon
the mountains. Are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings,....
[Endnotes]
... Jobab. ". JAPHETH. Gomer, Magog. Madai.Javan, Tubal. Meshech. Tiras. Ashkenaz,
Elishah, Riphath, Tarshish, Togarmah. Kittim, Dodanim....
The Greek Versions as Aids to Biblical Study.
... 'vy vrchvvt, Wellh.), 1 Regn. iv.21.Javan, he Hellas, Isaiah 66:19 (cf. Joel
3:6). Jehovah-nissi, Kurios kataphuge mou, Exodus 17:15....
Thesaurus
Javan (12 Occurrences)... (1.) The fourth "son" of Japheth (Genesis 10:2), whose descendants settled in Greece,
ie, Ionia, which bears the name of
Javan in Hebrew.
...JAVAN.
...Meshech (11 Occurrences)
... of the word in Scripture. It is seldom named without some one of the
others-Tubal,Javan, Gog and Magog. It is this which forms...
Tubal (9 Occurrences)
... It is mentioned by Isaiah (66:19), along withJavan, and by Ezekiel (27:13), along
with Meshech, among the traders with Tyre, also among the confederates of...
Elishah (3 Occurrences)
... The oldest of the four sons ofJavan (Genesis 10:4), whose descendants peopled Greece....
Genesis 10:4 The sons ofJavan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim....
Dodanim (2 Occurrences)
... Leaders, a race descended fromJavan (Genesis 10:4). They are known in profane
history as the Dardani, originally inhabiting Illyricum....
Japheth (12 Occurrences)
... in his account of the sons of Japheth classed together the Cymry or Celts (Gomer),
the Medes (Madai), and the Ionians or Greeks (Javan), thereby anticipating...
Tarshish (24 Occurrences)
... (1.) One of the "sons" ofJavan (Genesis 10:4; 1 Chronicles 1:7).... Genesis
10:4 The sons ofJavan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim....
Mesech (1 Occurrence)
... of the word in Scripture. It is seldom named without some one of the
others-Tubal,Javan, Gog and Magog. It is this which forms...
Kittim (8 Occurrences)
... 1. Two Usages of the Name: In Genesis 10:4 the word is applied to the descendants
ofJavan, and indicates, therefore, the Greek-Latin races, whose territory...
Vedan (1 Occurrence)
... ve'-dan (wedhan): A place-name occurring only in Ezekiel 27:19, "Vedan andJavan
traded with yarn for thy wares." the King James Version, taking the syllable...
Resources
Does the Bible mention the lost city of Atlantis? Is there any evidence for Atlantis? | GotQuestions.orgWho were the sons of Noah, and what happened to them and their descendants? | GotQuestions.orgWho was Japheth in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgBible Concordance •
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