Joktan
“Small or little”
Summary
A son of Eber and ancestor of thirteen Arabian tribes who settled throughout southern Arabia, identified by Arab tradition with their patriarch Kahtan.
☩Genealogy and Descendants
Joktan was the younger son of Eber and brother of Peleg, from whom descended the Hebrews. His thirteen sons—Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab—founded tribes throughout southern Arabia. The territory of the Joktanites is described as extending 'from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the hill country of the east,' with Sephar identified as Zafari on the coast of Yemen. These settlements encompassed much of what the ancients called Arabia Felix, including the famous kingdom of Sheba.
☩Arabian Traditions
The Arabs identify Joktan with their ancestor Kahtan, from whom the original inhabitants of Yemen claimed descent. While some European scholars have questioned this identification, Arab historians consistently maintain that Kahtan is simply the Arabic form of the biblical Joktan. The Joktanite tribes established the great kingdom of Sheba in southwestern Arabia, later known as the Himyaritic kingdom, which flourished for centuries and became renowned in classical antiquity. Traces of the name Joktan are still found in Arabic geographical traditions, including references to a city near Sanaa.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Joktan," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.George Morrish, "Joktan," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Joktan," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).