Javan יָוָן
Son of Japheth; ancestor of Greek people
Biography
Javan is mentioned in the Table of Nations (Gen.10.2,4; 1Ch.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 (Jol.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 (Jhn.12.20), attending synagogues (Act.14.1; 17.4; 18.4), and being among the first Gentile converts to Christianity (Act.16.1,3). The inclusion of Greeks in the early church underscores the universal nature of the gospel message (Rom.1.16; 10.12; Gal.3.28). The Greeks are also depicted as seekers of wisdom (1Co.1.22) and are contrasted with the Jews in terms of their religious and cultural background (Rom.1.14; 2.9-10; 1Co.10.32; 12.13). In Mrk.7.26, a Syrophoenician woman is described as a Greek, highlighting the widespread influence of Greek culture in the region.
Family
Siblings
- Gomer Early PatriarchSon of JaphethSon of Japheth; father of Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.View full profile →
- Magog Early PatriarchSon of JaphethSon of Japheth; progenitor of a people groupView full profile →
- Madai Early PatriarchSon of JaphethSon of Japheth; progenitor of the MedesView full profile →
- Tubal Early PatriarchSon of JaphethSon of Japheth, grandson of NoahView full profile →
- Meshech Early PatriarchSon of JaphethSon of Japheth and grandson of Noah.View full profile →
- Tiras Early PatriarchSon of JaphethSon of Japheth, grandson of NoahView full profile →
Offspring
- Elishah Early PatriarchSon of JavanA son of Javan, who is grandson of Noah.View full profile →
- Tarshish Tribe of BenjaminSon of BilhanSon of Bilhan from the tribe of BenjaminView full profile →
- Kittim Early PatriarchEarly nationDescendants of Javan, son of JaphethView full profile →
- Dodanim Early PatriarchEarly nationDescendants of Javan, son of JaphethView full profile →
In Scripture
9 biblical books ; 8 with study contentGenesis 2 verses Study available
- Genesis 10:2
"The sons of Japheth were: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras."
Study Genesis → - Genesis 10:4
"The sons of Javan were: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim."
Study Genesis →
1 Chronicles 2 verses
- 1 Chronicles 1:5
"The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras."
- 1 Chronicles 1:7
"The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim."
John 2 verses Study available
- John 12:20
"Now there were certain Greeks among those that went up to worship at the feast."
Study John → - John 7:35
"The Jews therefore said among themselves, “Where will this man go that we won’t find him? Will he go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?"
Study John →
Acts 5 verses Study available
- Acts 14:1
"In Iconium, they entered together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of Jews and of Greeks believed."
Study Acts → - Acts 16:1
"He came to Derbe and Lystra: and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess who believed; but his father was a Greek."
Study Acts → - Acts 16:3
"Paul wanted to have him go out with him, and he took and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts; for they all knew that his father was a Greek."
Study Acts → - Acts 17:4
"Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and not a few of the chief women."
Study Acts → - Acts 18:4
"He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded Jews and Greeks."
Study Acts →
Romans 5 verses Study available
- Romans 1:14
"I am debtor both to Greeks and to foreigners, both to the wise and to the foolish."
Study Romans → - Romans 2:9
"oppression, and anguish on every soul of man who does evil, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."
Study Romans → - Romans 2:10
"But glory, honor, and peace go to every man who does good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."
Study Romans → - Romans 3:9
"What then? Are we better than they? No, in no way. For we previously warned both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin."
Study Romans → - Romans 1:16
"For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, and also for the Greek."
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1 Corinthians 4 verses Study available
- 1 Corinthians 1:22
"For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom,"
Study 1 Corinthians → - 1 Corinthians 1:24
"but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God;"
Study 1 Corinthians → - 1 Corinthians 12:13
"For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit."
Study 1 Corinthians → - 1 Corinthians 10:32
"Give no occasion for stumbling, whether to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the assembly of God;"
Study 1 Corinthians →
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Strong's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | יָוָן | H3120G |
| Group | Hebrew | יְוָנִי=יְוָנִי | H3125 |
| Greek | Greek | Ἕλλην=Ἕλλην | G1672 |
| (same form as previous) | Greek | Ἕλλην=Ἕλλην | G1672 |
| (same form as previous) | Greek | Ἕλλην=Ἕλλην | G1672 |
| (same form as previous) | Greek | Ἕλλην=Ἕλλην | G1672 |
| Group | Greek | Ἑλληνίς=Ἑλληνίς | G1674 |
Javan
gint Iouan); Isa 66:19; Eze 27:13 Septuagint Hellas, Greece); Da 8:21 m; 10:20; 11:2; Zec 9:13; Joe 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 Ge 10:4). Javan is the Greek Iaon or Ia(v)on, and in Ge and 1Ch = the Ionian Greeks of Asia Minor, probably here = Cyprus. The reference in Eze 27:13 (from which that in Isa 66:19 is copied) is the country personified. In Joe the plural yewanim, is found. In Da 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, Gen, 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 (Eze 27:19); the name is missing in Septuagint.
David Francis Roberts
jav'-lin, jav'-e-lin.
See ARMOR; ARMS.
jo, jo'-bon (lechi, "cheek (bone)," "jaw (bone)"):