Lexical Summary Yevani: Greek, Grecian Original Word: יְוָנִי Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Grecian Patronymically from yaven; a Jevanite, or descendant of Javan -- Grecian. see HEBREW yaven NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom Yavan Definition desc. of Javan NASB Translation Greeks (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [יְוָנִי] adjective, of a people only with article as proper name, of a people: וּבְנֵי יְרוּשָׁלַםִ מְכַרְתֶּם לִבְנֵי הַיְּוָנִ֑ים Joel 4:6 (ᵐ5 Ἕλληνες) and the sons of Jerusalem ye have sold to the sons of the Ionians (compare יָוָן Ezekiel 27:13). — See Staib. יוֺסֵף, יוֺסִפְיָה see below יסף. יוֺעֵאלָה see below יעל. יוֺעָשׁ see below 'יהוה; יוּעַם see II. עמם Hoph`al. יוֺרָה see below ירה. יוּשַׁב חֶ֫סֶד see below שׁוּב. יוֺשָׁה, יְשַׁוְיָה see below ישׁה. יזה (√ whence first element of following; perhaps compare Arabic Topical Lexicon Meaning in Contextיְוָנִי designates “Greeks” as a people group, highlighting a distinct Gentile nation known in Scripture for maritime trade, cultural influence, and later imperial power. In Joel 3:6 the term functions ethnically rather than geographically, underscoring the identity of those who purchased Judean captives. Occurrence in Scripture Joel 3:6 is the sole Old Testament verse using יְוָנִי. The prophet indicts Tyre and Sidon for trafficking Judah’s children “to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland” (Joel 3:6). Parallel references to Javan (3121) in Isaiah 66:19, Ezekiel 27:13, and Daniel 8:21 show the same people group under a slightly different spelling, enriching the biblical portrait of Greece’s interaction with Israel. Historical Background During the ninth–eighth centuries B.C. Phoenician merchants reached Aegean ports where Greek city-states—especially the Ionians—were emerging as formidable traders. Slavery was common currency, and Phoenicia’s coastal cities acted as middlemen. Joel’s denunciation fits that milieu: Israelites were kidnapped in border skirmishes or raids and sold across the Mediterranean. Though Greece had not yet become the global empire portrayed in Daniel, the prophetic text already recognizes its presence in world affairs. Theological Significance 1. Divine Justice. Joel 3 employs יְוָנִי to prove God’s meticulous accounting of every national wrong. The Lord who keeps covenant with Judah also judges Gentile nations that exploit His people (Joel 3:4–8). Prophetic Implications The judgment promised in Joel 3 finds partial historical fulfillment when Alexander the Great reverses the power dynamics—Greeks dominate the Near East instead of merely trading there. Yet the prophecy reaches beyond military events to the eschatological “Valley of Jehoshaphat” (Joel 3:2), where every nation, Greek or otherwise, is summoned before the righteous Judge. Practical and Ministry Insights • Guarding Human Dignity: Joel’s censure of human trafficking challenges contemporary believers to oppose modern slavery and value every image-bearer of God. Forms and Transliterations הַיְּוָנִ֑ים היונים haiyevaNim hay·yə·wā·nîm hayyəwānîmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Joel 3:6 HEB: מְכַרְתֶּ֖ם לִבְנֵ֣י הַיְּוָנִ֑ים לְמַ֥עַן הַרְחִיקָ֖ם NAS: and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order INT: and sold the sons to the Greeks order to remove 1 Occurrence |
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congregatus, conglomeratus fuit., Frey).