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.Javan

deceiver; one who makes sad

Javan

(clay).

1. 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.
2. A town in the souther part of Arabia (Yemen), whither the Phoenicians traded. (Ezekiel 27:19)

Javan

The 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. See GREECE.

(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).

JAVAN

ja'-van (yawan, meaning unknown):

(1) In Genesis 10:2, 4 = 1 Chronicles 1:5, 7 Septuagint Iouan); Isaiah 66:19 Ezekiel 27:13 Septuagint Hellas, Greece); Daniel 8:21 m; 10:20; 11:02; Zechariah 9:13 Joel 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" in Genesis 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 in Ezekiel 27:13 (from which that in Isaiah 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

3125. Yevani -- descendant of Javan
... Yevani. 3126 . descendant of Javan. Transliteration: Yevani Phonetic Spelling:
(yev-aw-nee') Short Definition: Greeks. ... of Javan NASB Word Usage Greeks (1). ...
/hebrew/3125.htm - 6k

473. Elishah -- a son of Javan, also his desc. and their land
... 472, 473. Elishah. 474 . a son of Javan, also his desc. ... Word Origin
of foreign origin Definition a son of Javan, also his desc. ...
/hebrew/473.htm - 6k

1721. Dodanim -- a son of Javan, also his desc.
... 1720, 1721. Dodanim. 1722 . a son of Javan, also his desc. ... Word Origin of uncertain
derivation, see also Rodanim Definition a son of Javan, also his desc. ...
/hebrew/1721.htm - 6k

8659. Tarshish -- a son of Javan, his desc. and their land, also a ...
... 8658, 8659. Tarshish. 8660 . a son of Javan, his desc. ... Word Origin from
the same as tarshish Definition a son of Javan, his desc. ...
/hebrew/8659.htm - 6k

3794. Kitti -- a son of Javan, also his desc. and their land
... 3793, 3794. Kitti or Kittiyyi. 3795 . a son of Javan, also his desc. ... Word Origin
from an unused name Definition a son of Javan, also his desc. ...
/hebrew/3794.htm - 6k

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. ...
/hebrew/3120.htm - 6k

Chapter x
... 2. The sons of Japheth: Gomer and Magog and Madai and Javan and Tubal and Meshech
and Tiras. ... Three descendants of Gomer are listed and four of Javan. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter x.htm

How Every Nation was Denominated from their First Inhabitants.
... Now as to Javan and Madai, the sons of Japhet; from Madai came the Madeans, who
are called Medes, by the Greeks; but from Javan, Ionia, and all the Grecians ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 6 how every nation.htm

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. ...
/.../various/select masterpieces of biblical literature/vii ezekiels discourse.htm

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 of Javan had defiled ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/appendix 1 massecheth middoth.htm

Demonstration v. --Of Wars.
... [774] It is the kingdom of the children of Javan, who are children of Japhet. For
the children of Javan came in against the kingdom of their brethren. ...
/.../aphrahat/aphrahat select demonstrations/demonstration v of wars.htm

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 name Javan, and became ...
/.../the refutation of all heresies/chapter xxvii jewish chronology continued.htm

The Promise.
... Some few, the children of Javan, found a home in the fair isles of the Mediterranean,
but the greater part were wild horsemen in Northern Asia and Europe. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson i the promise.htm

Hope for the Heathen
... to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off." Isaiah 66:19. "How beautiful upon
the mountains. Are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings,. ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 31 hope for the.htm

[Endnotes]
... Jobab. ". JAPHETH. Gomer, Magog. Madai. Javan, Tubal. Meshech. Tiras. Ashkenaz,
Elishah, Riphath, Tarshish, Togarmah. Kittim, Dodanim. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/killen/the ancient church/endnotes.htm

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. ...
/.../chapter iv the greek versions.htm

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. ...
/j/javan.htm - 12k

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 ...
/m/meshech.htm - 13k

Tubal (9 Occurrences)
... It is mentioned by Isaiah (66:19), along with Javan, and by Ezekiel (27:13), along
with Meshech, among the traders with Tyre, also among the confederates of ...
/t/tubal.htm - 12k

Elishah (3 Occurrences)
... The oldest of the four sons of Javan (Genesis 10:4), whose descendants peopled Greece. ...
Genesis 10:4 The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. ...
/e/elishah.htm - 8k

Dodanim (2 Occurrences)
... Leaders, a race descended from Javan (Genesis 10:4). They are known in profane
history as the Dardani, originally inhabiting Illyricum. ...
/d/dodanim.htm - 8k

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 ...
/j/japheth.htm - 15k

Tarshish (24 Occurrences)
... (1.) One of the "sons" of Javan (Genesis 10:4; 1 Chronicles 1:7). ... Genesis
10:4 The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. ...
/t/tarshish.htm - 17k

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 ...
/m/mesech.htm - 9k

Kittim (8 Occurrences)
... 1. Two Usages of the Name: In Genesis 10:4 the word is applied to the descendants
of Javan, and indicates, therefore, the Greek-Latin races, whose territory ...
/k/kittim.htm - 15k

Vedan (1 Occurrence)
... ve'-dan (wedhan): A place-name occurring only in Ezekiel 27:19, "Vedan and Javan
traded with yarn for thy wares." the King James Version, taking the syllable ...
/v/vedan.htm - 7k

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