Lexical Summary Yavan: Javan, Greece Original Word: יָוָן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Javan Probably from the same as yayin; effervescing (i.e. Hot and active); Javan, the name of a son of Joktan, and of the race (Ionians, i.e. Greeks) descended from him, with their territory; also of a place in Arabia -- Javan. see HEBREW yayin NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as yonah Definition a son of Japheth, also his desc. and their land NASB Translation Greece (4), Javan (7). Brown-Driver-Briggs ארנבן proper name, of a location whence wine, so Co Ezekiel 27:19 for ᵑ0 וְדָן וְיָוָן; compare Assyrian wine of Aranabanim. יָוָן proper name, of a people Ionia ns), Greece (Greek Ἰάονες (i.e. originally Ἰάονες), see also ᵐ5 below; Old Persian Yauna SpiegAPK 237; Assyrian Iamanu (Iavanu) DlPa 248 ff. COTGloss; Egyptian Y:e-v:a-n-(n)a, see WMM369f. compare also 24 ff.; see especially on this word StaDe Populo Javan 1880) — Ionians, as traders Ezekiel 27:13, ᵐ5 Ἑλλάς (named with תּוּבַל, מֶשֶׁךְ; in Ezekiel 27:12 תַּרְשִׁישׁ in Ezekiel 27:14 תּוֺגַרְמָה); compare יְוָנִי (adjective, of a people) below; as distant, Isaiah 66:19, ᵐ5 Ἑλλάς (with תַּרְשִׁישׁ, מּוּל, לוּד, תּוּבַל and הָאִיִּים הָֽרְחֹקִים; list to be emended from ᵐ5 Staib. 5 ff.); called 'son' of Japhet Genesis 10:2 (P) = 1 Chronicles 1:5, and 'father' of אֱלִישָׁא, תַּרְשִׁישׁ, כִּתִּים and רֹדָנִים (so read for דֹדָנִים) Genesis 10:4 (P) = 1 Chronicles 1:7 (in these ᵐ5 Ιωυναν, see LagBN 84 Anm. **); addressed (personified) בָּנַיִךְ יָוָן Zechariah 9:13 (opposed to בניך צִיּוֺן) ᵐ5 Ἕλληνες, and so in following; מֶלֶךְ יָוָן Daniel 8:21 (see מַלְכֵי מָדַי וּפָרָ֑ס Daniel 8:20) = king of Greece i.e. kingdom over which Alexander ruled, whose dominion was afterward divided (see Daniel 8:22ff.); שַׂריָֿוָן Daniel 10:20 of the guardian-angel of Greece (see שַׂר מָּרָס va); מַלְכוּת יָוָן Daniel 11:2 (v:b מָּרַֹס). — Ezekiel 27:19 וְיָוָן is textual error, see וְדָן above. Topical Lexicon Identity and Nomenclature יָוָן (Yavan) denotes the Greek peoples, especially the Ionian branch that became a synecdoche for all Greece. In Scripture the term ranges from a personal name in the Table of Nations to a collective designation for the Hellenic world, its territory, and, by extension, its political power. Genealogical Foundations (Genesis 10:2, 10:4; 1 Chronicles 1:5, 1 Chronicles 1:7) • Yavan is listed among the sons of Japheth, establishing Greece’s earliest biblical pedigree. Territorial and Ethno-Cultural Profile • “Ionia” originally referred to the central Aegean coast of Asia Minor; by prophetic times Yavan encompassed mainland Greece, the islands, and their colonies. Economic and Commercial Relations (Ezekiel 27:13, 27:19) Tyre’s shipping lists include Yavan: – “Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your merchants; they bartered for your slaves and bronze ware” (Ezekiel 27:13). – “Javan and Ionia traded with you; wrought iron, cassia, and calamus were exchanged for your merchandise” (Ezekiel 27:19, textual note). These verses demonstrate: 1. Early slave traffic between Greek and Near-Eastern ports. Isaiah and the Global Mission (Isaiah 66:19) “I will set a sign among them, and I will send survivors to the nations—to Tarshish, Put, and Lud, to those who draw the bow, 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”. Here Yavan represents the farthest western horizon known to Isaiah’s audience. God intends that even the proud Greeks hear of His glory through emissaries rescued from judgment—a foretaste of the Great Commission. Daniel and the Rise of the Greek Empire (Daniel 8:21; 10:20; 11:2) • “The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king” (Daniel 8:21). The he-goat’s lightning advance across the earth pictures Alexander the Great. Fulfilled prophecy concerning Yavan buoys confidence in Scripture’s inerrancy and showcases divine sovereignty over empires. Zechariah’s Eschatological Tension (Zechariah 9:13) “For I will bend Judah as My bow and fit it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and I will make you like the sword of a mighty man”. Post-exilic Zechariah envisions a clash between covenant Israel and Hellenism. The verse anticipates the Maccabean struggle yet also foreshadows the Messiah’s ultimate victory over worldly powers. Theological Themes 1. God governs history: From genealogical seed to global empire, the rise of Yavan unfolds according to divine timetable. Implications for Ministry • Confidence in fulfilled prophecy equips believers to defend the faith. Key References 1 Chronicles 1:5, 1 Chronicles 1:7 Daniel 8:21; Daniel 10:20; Daniel 11:2 Forms and Transliterations וְיָוָ֑ן וְיָוָ֣ן וְיָוָן֙ ויון יָוָ֑ן יָוָ֖ן יָוָ֤ן יָוָֽן׃ יון יון׃ veyaVan wə·yā·wān wəyāwān yā·wān yaVan yāwānLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 10:2 HEB: וּמָג֔וֹג וּמָדַ֖י וְיָוָ֣ן וְתֻבָ֑ל וּמֶ֖שֶׁךְ NAS: and Madai and Javan and Tubal KJV: and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, INT: and Magog and Madai and Javan and Tubal and Meshech Genesis 10:4 1 Chronicles 1:5 1 Chronicles 1:7 Isaiah 66:19 Ezekiel 27:13 Ezekiel 27:19 Daniel 8:21 Daniel 10:20 Daniel 11:2 Zechariah 9:13 11 Occurrences |
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