Genesis 10:4
in Genesis 10And the sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the sons of Javan: Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
KJV
And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
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This verse in Genesis 10
Commentary
5 notes on this verse(Ver. 4.) The sons of Javan were Elisha and Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim. From them were divided the islands of the nations in their lands, each according to its language, its kindred, and its people. From the Ionians, that is, the Greeks, were born the Aeolians, who are called Aeolians: hence the fifth language of Greece is called Aeolian, which they call 'the fifth dialect.' Josephus considers Tarshish to be Cilicia, stating that the letter θ was mistakenly corrupted by later generations into τ: hence their metropolis is called the city of Tarsus, glorious to the Apostle Paul.
This site's exposition
The sons of Japheth
on Genesis 10:2-4
Japheth's line is taken first, though verse 1 names him last. Ezekiel 38:2 and 6 name Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Gomer and Togarmah again in the oracle against Gog. Noah had asked God to expand the territory of Japheth at 9:27, and this list counts that expansion out, clearing the outer nations before the story narrows.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
"The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. From the Ionians, that is, the Greeks, are born the Elishah, who are called Elishites, hence also the fifth language of Greece is called Aeolic, which they call 'penten dialecton.'
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And the sons of Javan,.... Another son of Japheth; four sons of Javan are mentioned, which gave names to countries, and are as follow: Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim; the first of these, Elishah, gave name to the Elysaeans, now called Aeoles, as Josephus (l) says; hence the country Aeolia, and the Aeolic dialect, all from this name; and there are many traces of it in the several parts of Greece. Hellas, a large country in it, has its name from him; so the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem interpret Elishah by Allas.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Elishah - As Javan peopled a considerable part of Greece, it is in that region that we must seek for the settlements of his descendants; Elishah probably was the first who settled at Elis, in Peloponnesus. Tarshish - He first inhabited Cilicia, whose capital anciently was the city of Tarsus, where the Apostle Paul was born. Kittim - We have already seen that this name was rather the name of a people than of an individual: some think by Kittim Cyprus is meant: others, the isle of Chios; and others, the Romans; and others, the Macedonians.
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּבְנֵ֥י | uvenei | and [the] sons of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יָוָ֖ן | yavan | Javan | H3120 → | |
| אֱלִישָׁ֣ה | ʾelishah | [were] Elishah | H473 → | |
| וְתַרְשִׁ֑ישׁ | vetarshish | and Tarshish | H8659 → | |
| כִּתִּ֖ים | kitim | Kittim | H3794 → | |
| וְדֹדָנִֽים׃ | vedodanim | and Dodanim | H1721 → |
וּבְנֵ֥יand [the] sons of
uveneiH1121 →4930 times
יָוָ֖ןJavan
yavanH3120 →
אֱלִישָׁ֣ה[were] Elishah
ʾelishahH473 →
וְתַרְשִׁ֑ישׁand Tarshish
vetarshishH8659 →
כִּתִּ֖יםKittim
kitimH3794 →
וְדֹדָנִֽים׃and Dodanim
vedodanimH1721 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Ezekiel 27:25The ships of Tarshish carried your merchandise. And you were filled with heavy cargo in the heart of the sea.
it leads to
- Isaiah 2:16
against every ship of Tarshish, and against every stately vessel.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 2:16
Through
Isaiah 23:1This is the burden against Tyre: Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.
it leads to
- Joel 3:4–8
Now what do you have against Me, O Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you rendering against Me a recompense? If you retaliate against Me, I will swiftly and speedily return…
- Amos 1:9–10
This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Tyre, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they delivered up a whole congregation of exiles to Edom and broke a covenant…
- Jeremiah 47:4
For the day has come to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every remaining ally. Indeed, the LORD is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts…
- Joel 3:4–8
Through
Daniel 11:30Ships of Kittim will come against him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and rage against the holy covenant and do damage. So he will return and show favor to…
it leads to
- Numbers 24:24
Ships will come from the coasts of Cyprus; they will subdue Asshur and Eber, but they too will perish forever.”
- Jeremiah 2:10
Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus and take a look; send to Kedar and consider carefully; see if there has ever been anything like this:
- Isaiah 23:12
He said, “You shall rejoice no more, O oppressed Virgin Daughter of Sidon. Get up and cross over to Cyprus—even there you will find no rest.”
- Daniel 11:28
The king of the North will return to his land with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant; so he will do damage and return to his own land.
- Numbers 24:24
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Genesis
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Genesis (Hexaemeron); Jerome, Hebrew Questions on Genesis; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).