Javan
“Greece or Ionia (of foreign origin)”
Summary
The fourth son of Japheth, regarded as the ancestor of the Greek peoples, and the Hebrew name used throughout the Old Testament for Greece and the Greeks.
☩The Person
Javan was the fourth son of Japheth and a grandson of Noah. His sons—Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim (Rhodes)—became the ancestors of various Mediterranean peoples. The name corresponds to the Greek Iaon or Ionia, the region of Greek settlement on the western coast of Asia Minor. The Ionians were known to Eastern peoples before the Greeks of the mainland, due to their commercial activity and the prominence of their coastal cities.
☩Greece in Prophecy
The name Javan came to represent Greece generally in biblical prophecy. Ezekiel mentions Javan as trading partners of Tyre, dealing in slaves and bronze vessels. Daniel identifies Alexander the Great as 'king of Javan' in his prophecies concerning the Greek empire. Zechariah prophesies that God will raise up 'thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece (Javan)'—fulfilled initially in the Maccabean resistance against Antiochus Epiphanes and ultimately in Israel's final victory over the antichrist. The name appears in Assyrian inscriptions as Yavnan and in Persian as Yauna, confirming its widespread use throughout the ancient Near East.
☩Javan in Arabia
A second Javan mentioned in Ezekiel 27:19 appears to refer to a Greek settlement or trading post in southern Arabia (Yemen), distinct from Greece proper. Some scholars translate this verse as 'Vedan and Javan from Uzal,' referring to Uzal, the ancient capital of Arabia Felix. This location may have been named for a Greek colony established there.
Related Verses7 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Javan," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Javan," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Javan," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 4.George Morrish, "Javan," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 5.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Javan," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).