Japheth יֶ֫פֶת
Son of Noah, ancestor of Indo-European peoples
Biography
Japheth was one of the three sons of Noah, along with Shem and Ham, as recorded in Gen.5.32 and Gen.6.10. He and his brothers were born before the Great Flood. Japheth, his wife, and his brothers and their wives entered the ark with Noah and survived the Flood (Gen.7.13). After the Flood, Noah blessed Japheth, saying, "May God extend Japheth's territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth" (Gen.9.27). Japheth's descendants are listed in Gen.10.2-5 and 1Ch.1.5-7, and they are generally associated with the Indo-European peoples, including the Greeks, Medes, and Thracians. The name Japheth means "enlargement" or "expansion," which is fitting given the widespread distribution of his descendants. Japheth's offspring played a significant role in the repopulation of the earth after the Flood and the development of various nations and cultures.
Family
Parents
Siblings
Offspring
- 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 →
- Javan Early PatriarchSon of JaphethSon of Japheth; ancestor of Greek peopleView 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 →
In Scripture
2 biblical books ; 1 with study contentGenesis 5 verses
- Genesis 5:32
"Noah was five hundred years old, then Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth."
Study Genesis → - Genesis 6:10
"Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth."
Study Genesis → - Genesis 7:13
"In the same day Noah, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth—the sons of Noah—and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ship—"
Study Genesis → - Genesis 9:18
"The sons of Noah who went out from the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham is the father of Canaan."
Study Genesis → - Genesis 9:23
"Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it on both their shoulders, went in backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were backwards, and they didn’t see their father’s nakedness."
Study Genesis →
1 Chronicles 2 verses
- 1 Chronicles 1:4
"Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth."
- 1 Chronicles 1:5
"The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras."
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Strong's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | יֶ֫פֶת | H3315 |
Encyclopedia Article
ISBE 1915 (Public Domain) Japheth (1)
tandard Revised Version "enlarge") for Japheth," where yapht and Japheth are represented by the same consonants, but with different vowel-points. The root of yapht is pathach, "to make wide." This etymology, however, is not universally accepted, as the word-play is so obvious, and the association of Japheth with Shem ("dark") and Ham ("black") suggests a name on similar lines--either gentilic, or descriptive of race. Japheth has therefore been explained as meaning "fair," from yaphah, the non-Sem and non-Hamitic races known to the Jews being all more or less whiteskinned. The Targum of Onkelos agrees with the English Versions of the Bible, but that of Jonathan has "God shall beautify Japheth," as though from yaphah.
2His Descendants
The immediate descendants of Japheth were seven in number, and are represented by the nations designated Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Mesech, and Tiras; or, roughly, the Armenians, Lydians, Medes, Greeks, Tibarenians, and Moschians, the last, Tiras, remaining still obscure. The sons of Gomer (Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah) were all settled in the West Asian tract; while the sons of Javan (Elisah, Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim or Rodanim) occupied the Mediterranean coast and the adjacent islands.
3His Place among the Sons of Noah
In Ge 9:27, as in other passages, Japheth occupies the 3rd place in the enumeration of the sons of Noah, but he is really regarded as the 2nd son, Ham being the youngest. In the genealogical table, however (Ge 10:1), the descendants of Japheth are given first, and those of Shem last, in order to set forth Semitic affinities at greater length. Though this would seem to indicate that the fair races were the least known to the Jews, it implies that the latter were well disposed toward them, for Japheth was (ultimately) to dwell in the tents of Shem, and therefore to take part in Shem's spiritual privileges.
4Japheth and Iapetos
It seems unlikely that the Greek giant-hero, Iapetos, father of Prometheus, who was regarded by the Greeks as the father of the human race, has any connection with the Hebrew Japheth. The original of the Hebrew record probably belongs to a date too early to admit borrowing from the Greek, and if the name had been borrowed by the Greeks from the Hebrews, a nearer form might be expected.
See SHEM; HAM; TABLE OF NATIONS.
T. G. Pinches
ja'-feth (Iapheth): A region mentioned only in Judith 2:25, where no particulars are given which may lead to its identification. Holofernes "came unto the borders of Japheth, which were toward the south, over agai