Lexical Definition
יָוָן Yâvân (yaw-vawn') Javan N:N-M-P
probably from the same as יַיִן; effervescing (i.e. hot and active)
Javan.
- § Javan = "Ionia" or "Greece"
- 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
n pr m
1) a son of Japheth and grandson of Noah
n pr loc
2) Greece, Ionia, Ionians
2a) location of descendants of Javan
Extended Information
- A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.10.2
- son of: Japheth (יֶפֶת)
- brother of: Gomer (גֹּמֶר), Magog (מָגוֹג), Madai (מָדַי), Tubal (תּוּבַל), Meshech (מֶשֶׁךְ) and Tiras (תִּירָס)
- father of: Elishah (אֱלִישָׁה), Tarshish (תַּרְשִׁישׁ), Kittim (כִּתִּי) and Dodanim (דֹּדָנִים); also called Greek at Jol.3.6 + NT.
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Also see: דָּן
ארנבן proper name, of a location whence wine, so Co Ezek 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 WMM369 f. compare also 24 ff.; see especially on this word StaDe Populo Javan 1880) — Ionians, as traders Ezek 27:13, ᵐ5 Ἑλλάς (named with תּוּבַל, מֶשֶׁךְ; in vEzek 27:12 תַּרְשִׁישׁ in vEzek 27:14 תּוֺגַרְמָה); compare יְוָנִי (adjective, of a people) below; as distant, Isa 66:19, ᵐ5 Ἑλλάς (with תַּרְשִׁישׁ, פּוּל, לוּד, תּוּבַל and הָאִיִּים הָֽרְחֹקִים; list to be emended from ᵐ5 Staib. 5 ff.); called 'son' of Japhet Gen 10:2 (P) = 1Chr 1:5, and 'father' of אֱלִישָׁא, תַּרְשִׁישׁ, כִּתִּים and רֹדָנִים (so read for דֹדָנִים) Gen 10:4 (P) = 1Chr 1:7 (in these ᵐ5 Ιωυναν, see LagBN 84 Anm. **); addressed (personified) בָּנַיִךְ יָוָן Zech 9:13 (opposed to בניך צִיּוֺן) ᵐ5 Ἕλληνες, and so in following; מֶלֶךְ יָוָן Dan 8:21 (see מַלְכֵי מָדַי וּפָרָ֑ס vDan 8:20) = king of Greece i.e. kingdom over which Alexander ruled, whose dominion was afterward divided (see vDan 8:22ff.); שַׂריָֿוָן Dan 10:20 of the guardian-angel of Greece (see שַׂר פָּרָס va); מַלְכוּת יָוָן Dan 11:2 (v:b פָּרַֹס). — Ezek 27:19 וְיָוָן is textual error, see וְדָן above.
Brown-Driver-Briggs References
| Book | Refs |
|---|---|
| Genesis | 10:2 · 10:4 |
| 1 Chronicles | 1:5 · 1:7 |
| Isaiah | 66:19 |
| Ezekiel | 27:12 · 27:13 · 27:14 · 27:19 |
| Daniel | 8:20 · 8:21 · 8:22 · 10:20 · 11:2 |
| Zechariah | 9:13 |
Profile
Male • Son of Japheth • Son of Japheth; ancestor of Greek people
Man living at the time of the Patriarchs
Javan, the ancestor of the Greek people, was a son of Japheth and grandson of Noah.
- A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.10.2;
- referred to as Javan יָוָן, or Greek יְוָנִי, Gentile or Greek (NIV= Gentile) Ἕλλην, or Gentile (KJV, NIV= Greek) Ἑλληνίς;
- son of Japheth יֶפֶת;
- a brother of Gomer גֹּמֶר, Magog מָגוֹג, Madai מָדַי, Tubal תּוּבַל, Meshech מֶשֶׁךְ and Tiras תִּירָס;
- father of Elishah אֱלִישָׁה, Tarshish תַּרְשִׁישׁ, Kittim כִּתִּי and Dodanim דֹּדָנִים.
Javan is mentioned in the Table of Nations (Genesis 10:2,4; 1 Chronicles 1:5,7) as one of the sons of Japheth and grandsons of Noah. He is considered the ancestor of the Greek people, and his name is often used in the Bible as a reference to Greece or the Greek people. In the Old Testament, Javan is associated with the trading of slaves (Joel 3:6), suggesting that the Greeks were involved in the slave trade. In the New Testament, the term "Greeks" (Hellenes) is used to refer to non-Jewish people, particularly those influenced by Greek culture. The Greeks are mentioned in various contexts, such as seeking Jesus (John 12:20), attending synagogues (Acts 14:1; 17:4; 18:4), and being among the first Gentile converts to Christianity (Acts 16:1,3). The inclusion of Greeks in the early church underscores the universal nature of the gospel message (Romans 1:16; 10:12; Galatians 3:28). The Greeks are also depicted as seekers of wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:22) and are contrasted with the Jews in terms of their religious and cultural background (Romans 1:14; 2:9-10; 1 Corinthians 10:32; 12:13). In Mark 7:26, a Syrophoenician woman is described as a Greek, highlighting the widespread influence of Greek culture in the region.
All entries for Javan or Greek: יָוָן ☩ יְוָנִי ☩ Ἕλλην ☩ Ἑλληνίς