Genesis 10:4 kjv
And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
Genesis 10:4 nkjv
The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
Genesis 10:4 niv
The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites and the Rodanites.
Genesis 10:4 esv
The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
Genesis 10:4 nlt
The descendants of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.
Genesis 10 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 10:2 | The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. | Javan's place as a son of Japheth. |
| Gen 10:5 | From these the coastland peoples spread in their lands... | Emphasizes the maritime spread of Japheth's descendants. |
| Num 24:24 | Ships shall come from Kittim... | Kittim involved in future invasions. |
| 1 Ki 10:22 | For the king had ships of Tarshish at sea... | Tarshish as source of wealth/trade for Solomon. |
| 2 Chr 9:21 | For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram. | Reiteration of trade with Tarshish. |
| 2 Chr 20:36 | ...to make ships to go to Tarshish... | Jehoshaphat's failed attempt to use Tarshish ships. |
| Ps 48:7 | By the east wind you shatter the ships of Tarshish. | Divine judgment over powerful ships/nations. |
| Isa 2:16 | against all the ships of Tarshish... | Judgment against worldly pride and human achievements. |
| Isa 23:1 | The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish... | Tarshish connected to trade hub Tyre, facing judgment. |
| Isa 23:6 | Cross over to Tarshish; wail, O inhabitants of the coast! | Encourages flight to distant lands during judgment. |
| Isa 23:12 | You will no more exult, O oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon. Arise, cross over to Kittim... | Kittim as a place of refuge or a destination of exile. |
| Isa 60:9 | For the coastlands shall wait for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your sons from afar... | Tarshish ships participating in restoration. |
| Jer 2:10 | Cross to the coastlands of Kittim and see... | Kittim as a far-off place, for comparison of apostasy. |
| Jer 10:9 | Silver is hammered into sheets from Tarshish... | Tarshish as a source of precious metals. |
| Ezek 27:12 | Tarshish did business with you because of your great wealth of every sort... silver, iron, tin, and lead. | Tarshish trading its abundant resources with Tyre. |
| Ezek 27:25 | The ships of Tarshish were your caravans... | Tarshish ships as symbols of Tyre's extensive trade. |
| Dan 8:21 | And the goat is the king of Greece. | Javan explicitly identified with Greece in prophecy. |
| Dan 10:20 | ...I must return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I come out, behold, the prince of Greece will come. | Javan (Greece) as a future opposing power. |
| Dan 11:30 | For ships of Kittim shall come against him... | Kittim as a source of hostile forces (Roman connection). |
| Jon 1:3 | But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD... | Tarshish as a place of extreme distance to flee God. |
| Zech 9:13 | For I have bent Judah as my bow; I have filled it with Ephraim, and aroused your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Javan... | Javan (Greeks) as a hostile force against God's people. |
| Gen 9:1 | And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” | Fulfillment of God's command to re-populate the earth. |
| Acts 17:26 | And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, | Echoes the theme of national origins and geographical boundaries from Gen 10. |
| Rev 18:17 | For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.’ And all shipmasters and seafaring men... | Final judgment impacting all maritime trade. |
Genesis 10 verses
Genesis 10 4 Meaning
Genesis 10:4 lists four descendants of Javan, the son of Japheth, indicating the primary families or nations that sprang from him. These nations are associated with maritime regions, particularly the Mediterranean Sea and its islands, establishing their identity within the "Table of Nations" as seafaring peoples. This verse contributes to the biblical account of humanity's dispersion and the re-population of the earth after the Flood, laying the groundwork for future interactions between Israel and these early civilizations.
Genesis 10 4 Context
Genesis chapter 10 is known as the "Table of Nations," an ethno-geographical record tracing the descendants of Noah's three sons—Japheth, Ham, and Shem—from whom the nations of the earth spread after the global Flood (Gen 9). This chapter systematically lists these families and regions, mapping the known world from the perspective of ancient Israel. Verse 4 specifically details the four main lines stemming from Javan, who is the ancestral figure for many Western maritime peoples. This dispersion is understood as God's design, preparing for the later separation of humanity at Babel (Gen 11), yet showing that all humanity originated from a single source. It refutes polytheistic origin myths prevalent in surrounding cultures by positing a common ancestor under one sovereign God. The verse precedes the narrative of Babel, demonstrating a initial, orderly dispersion before human rebellion.
Genesis 10 4 Word analysis
- Sons: (Hebrew: bənê) - Literally "children of" or "descendants of." In ancient genealogies, "sons" can denote direct offspring or an entire collective lineage, group, or nation attributed to that progenitor.
- of Javan: (Hebrew: Yāwān) - The Hebrew name for the ancestral progenitor of the Ionians, historically associated with the Greeks and other Mediterranean seafaring peoples. This connection is consistent across prophetic texts and historical understanding, signifying their origins from this patriarch.
- Elishah: (Hebrew: ʾĔlîšāh) - Historically connected with Alashiya, often identified as ancient Cyprus or a nearby maritime region. It signifies an island or coastal people known for seafaring.
- Tarshish: (Hebrew: Taršîš) - A prominent and often enigmatic biblical locale, frequently associated with a distant maritime region rich in metals, possibly Tartessos in southern Spain or another far-flung trading outpost. It represents great distance, wealth, and sophisticated seafaring trade. "Ships of Tarshish" became a proverb for large, powerful, ocean-going vessels.
- Kittim: (Hebrew: Kittîm) - Primarily linked to Kition, a city on the island of Cyprus. Over time, the name broadened to refer to various islands and coastal lands of the Mediterranean, eventually encompassing parts of Greece and even later, Macedon/Romans in prophetic literature, signifying Western maritime powers.
- Dodanim: (Hebrew: Dōḏānîm) - Some biblical manuscripts (including Samaritan Pentateuch and Chronicles) present the variant Rōḏānîm (Rōḏānîm), which is commonly identified with the island of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea, known for its strategic location and naval power. The "D" to "R" variation is a known scribal distinction. If Dodanim is taken, it could refer to the Dardani of Troy or another regional group, but the Rodanim reading aligns better with the maritime theme.
Words-group analysis:
- The sons of Javan: This phrase designates a specific lineage originating from Javan, underscoring their shared ancestry. The consistent association of these names with islands and coastal areas confirms Javan as the progenitor of distinct maritime civilizations. This grouping establishes a geographical sphere of influence, encompassing the Aegean, Cyprus, and extending perhaps into the western Mediterranean, emphasizing the diversity within the Japhethite branch focused on the seas.
Genesis 10 4 Bonus section
The variant reading for "Dodanim" as "Rodanim" (1 Chr 1:7) is a crucial point for understanding the geographical identification of Javan's descendants. While Hebrew consonants for D (dalet) and R (resh) can appear similar, the Rodanim reading lends strong support to the identification with the island of Rhodes, which was a prominent maritime power and cultural center in the Aegean Sea. This reinforces the consistent theme of Javan's offspring being islanders and inhabitants of coastal regions, pivotal in the development of seafaring and trade in the ancient world. This specific attention to maritime groups highlights the Lord's universal knowledge and orderly arrangement of humanity, even over those peoples geographically distant from the nascent Israelite nation.
Genesis 10 4 Commentary
Genesis 10:4 concisely details the immediate lineage of Javan, laying out four pivotal names that would become the foundational groups of the maritime peoples known to ancient Israel. Far from being mere archaic names, Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim/Rodanim represent significant cultural and economic entities of the ancient world. Their listing here underscores the Bible's precision in outlining the spread of humanity, demonstrating how nations developed from a common patriarchal stock, specifically the descendants of Japheth known for their expansion into Europe and the Mediterranean.
The prominence of "Tarshish" and "Kittim" in later biblical texts highlights the prophetic importance of these origins. Tarshish signifies wealth, long-distance trade, and a distant refuge or target of divine judgment, as seen in Jonah's flight or prophecies concerning Tyre. Kittim evolves from signifying Cyprus to representing formidable Western powers, particularly in prophetic books, signaling foreign invasion or influential empires. The collective identity of these groups as "coastland peoples" (Gen 10:5) sets them apart, pointing to a strategic importance in trade, seafaring, and potential future interactions with God's covenant people. The detailed naming reflects God's purposeful hand in establishing the boundaries and dwelling places of the nations, showcasing His sovereignty over all human history.