Lexical Definition

‎יָפִיעַ‎ Yâphîyaʻ (yaw-fee'-ah) Japhia ^N:N-M-P
from ‎יָפַע‎; bright

Japhia.

• § Japhia = "shining"
• Japhia, the name of a Canaanite, an Israelite, and a place in Palestine

n pr loc
1) a town on the border of Zebulun and Issachar
1a) perhaps modern 'Yafa'
n pr m
2) the king of Lachish at the time of the conquest of Canaan by Joshua
3) a son of David by a concubine

Extended Information

• A man living before Israel's Monarchy, only mentioned at Jos.10.3

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎יָפִיעַ‎ proper name, person and location

1. masculine person (compare Sabean ‎יפעאל‎ Hal¹⁵⁰) —
a. a king of Lachish Josh 10:3, ᵐ5 Ιεφθα, A ᵐ5^L Ιαφ(α)ιε.
b. a son of David 2Sam 5:15 (ᵐ5 Ιεφιες, ᵐ5^L Ναφεθ) = 1Chr 3:7 (ᵐ5 Ιανουε A Ιαφιε, ᵐ5^L Αχικαμ) = 1Chr 14:6 (ᵐ5 Ιανουου, A Ιαφιε, ᵐ5^L Ιαβεγ).

2. proper name, of a location on border of Zebulun Josh 19:12, perhaps = modern Yâfa, 1/2 hour from Nazareth, Rob^{BR ii. 343 f}, but ᵐ5 Φαγγαι, Ιαφαψαὶ ᵐ5^L Ιαφφιε.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Profile

Male • Canaanite king • King of Lachish, defeated by Joshua

King living before Israel's Monarchy

Japhia was the king of Lachish, one of the Amorite cities defeated by Joshua.

• A king in Canaan living before Israel's Monarchy, only mentioned at Jos.10.3;
• only referred to as Japhia יָפִיעַ.

Japhia is mentioned in Joshua 10:3 as the king of Lachish, one of the Amorite cities that formed an alliance against the Israelites during the conquest of Canaan. When the people of Gibeon made a peace treaty with Israel, Japhia joined forces with Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, and three other Amorite kings to attack Gibeon. In response, Joshua and the Israelite army came to Gibeon's defense and, with the help of God, defeated the Amorite kings and their armies (Joshua 10:1-27). Lachish, along with the other Amorite cities, was conquered by Joshua and the Israelites. The text does not provide any further details about Japhia's life or his fate after the battle.

All entries for Japhia: יָפִיעַ