Javan* (Place) — Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

Location commonly identified with Greece. The name is linguistically associated with Ionia, a region in westernmost Asia Minor that was colonized by Greeks. By extension, Javan came to be applied to Greece itself. In most occurrences in the Greek translation of the Bible, Javan appears as “Hellas,” Greece.

Some hints as to its location are given as early as the “table of nations,” where Javan appears as the fourth son of Japheth (Gn 10:2; cf. 1 Chr 1:5); moving west from Gomer, this tends to place it in Europe. Japheth is also said to be the father of Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim or Rodanim (Gn 10:4; 1 Chr 1:7). The connections of these areas or peoples is well known.

Show passage in OET: GEN 10:2

OET-RV GEN 10:2

2 Yefet’s (Japheth) sons were Gomer, Magog, Maday, Yavan, Tuval, Meshek, and Tiras.

OET-LV GEN 10:2

2 The _sons _of Yefet were_Gomer and_Māgōg and_Māday and_Yāvān/(Javan) and_Tūⱱal and_Meshek and_Tirāş.

Show passage in OET: CH1 1:5

OET-RV CH1 1:5

5 Yefet’s sons were Gomer, Magog, Maday, Yavan, Tuval, Meshek, and Tiras.

OET-LV CH1 1:5

5 The _sons _of Yefet/(Japheth) were_Gomer and_Māgōg and_Māday and_Yāvān/(Javan) and_Tūⱱal and_Meshek and_Tirāş.

Show passage in OET: GEN 10:4

OET-RV GEN 10:4

4 Yavan’s sons were Elishah and Tarshish, and Kitim and Dodanim.

OET-LV GEN 10:4

4 And_the _sons of _Yāvān/(Javan) were_ʼElīshāˊh and_Tarshiysh Kittim and_Dodānīm.

Show passage in OET: CH1 1:7

OET-RV CH1 1:7

7 Yavan’s sons were Elishah, Tarshish, Kitim, and Dodanim.

OET-LV CH1 1:7

7 And_the _sons of _Yāvān/(Javan) were_ʼElīshāˊh and_(to)_Tarshiysh Kittim and_Dodānīm/(Rodanim).

Jump to OET GEN 10:2 section.

Jump to OET CH1 1:5 section.

Jump to OET GEN 10:4 section.

Jump to OET CH1 1:7 section.

Most of the references to Ionia (Greece) are in the prophetic books. In Isaiah 66:19 Javan is named along with Tarshish, Put, Lud, and Tubal as places to which the glory of the Lord will be declared. These are taken as a representative of the distant nations.

Show passage in OET: ISA 66:19

OET-RV ISA 66:19

19 I’ll perform a miracle among them, and will send survivors from them to the nations: Tarshish, Put, Lud (home of archers), Tuval, Yavan (Greece), and to the distant islands where they haven’t heard about me or seen my splendour. They’ll tell other nations about my greatness.

OET-LV ISA 66:19

19 And_I _will _perform in/among_them a _sign and_I _will _send from_them survivors to the_nations Tarshiysh Pūl and_Lūd who_draw _of (of)_a _bow Tūⱱal and_Yāvān/(Javan) the_islands (the)_distant which not they _have _heard DOM report _of_my and_not they _have _seen DOM glory _of_my and_they _will _declare DOM glory _of_my among_nations.

Jump to OET ISA 66:19 section.

In a lengthy prophecy against Tyre, Ezekiel refers to Javan, Tubal, and Meshech as those who traded slaves and bronze vessels for the merchandise of Tyre (Ez 27:13), while in Joel 3:6 Tyre is condemned for having sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks. In Ezekiel 27:19 the Hebrew text reads “Vedan and Javan from Uzal.” This is translated as “Greeks from Uzal” in the NLT (see also mg). The nasb states, “Vedan and Javan paid for your wares from Uzal”; the KJB reads “Dan also and Javan.” The rsv (see also mg) follows the Greek translation: “wine from Uzal.”

Show passage in OET: EZE 27:13

OET-RV EZE 27:13

13 Yavan (Greece), Tuval, and Meshek traded slaves, as well as bronze items, for your merchandise.

OET-LV EZE 27:13

13 Yāvān/(Javan) Tūⱱal and_Meshek they were_your(pl)_of_traders for_the_life _of human[s] and_vessels _of bronze they _exchanged merchandise _of_your.

Show passage in OET: JOL 3:6

OET-RV JOL 3:6

6 Then you sold the people of Yehudah (Judah) and Yerushalem (Jerusalem) to the Hellains (Greeks),
⇔ so that they’d be taken far away from their homeland.

OET-LV JOL 4:6

6  And_the _sons of _Yəhūdāh and_the _sons of _Yərūshālaim/(Jerusalem) you(pl)_sold to_the _people _of the _Greeks so _as to_remove _them _far _away from_under territory _of_their _own.

Show passage in OET: EZE 27:19

OET-RV EZE 27:19

19 Dan and Yavan from Uzal provided you with merchandise of wrought iron, cinnamon, and fragrant calamus seeds which became your merchandise.

OET-LV EZE 27:19

19 Vədān and_Yāvān/(Javan) from_Uzal for_wares _of_your they _exchanged iron wrought cassia and_calamus for_merchandise _of_your it _was.

Jump to OET EZE 27:13 section.

Jump to OET JOL 3:6 section.

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The references to Javan in Daniel clearly mean Greece. The he-goat who represents the king of Greece (Dn 8:21) is Alexander the Great, whose empire was divided among his four generals upon his death. The prince of Greece in Daniel 10:20 is parallel to the prince of Persia in Daniel 10:13, 20 OET DAN 10:13 · OET DAN 10:20. It has been suggested that “prince” means guardian angel, but the prince of Persia’s opposition to the archangel Michael makes it evident that “prince” is a demonic spirit of high rank (cf. Eph 6:12). Conflict between Persia and Greece is predicted in Daniel 11:2, while the following verse tells of the success of Alexander the Great and the breakup of his empire.

Show passage in OET: DAN 8:21

OET-RV DAN 8:21

21 and the shaggy goat is the Yavan’s (Greece) king, and the large horn between his eyes is their first king.

OET-LV DAN 8:21

21 And_the_he-goat (the)_hairy is_the _king _of Yāvān/(Greece) and_the_horn (the)_great which is_between eyes _of_its it the_king (the)_first.

Show passage in OET: DAN 10:20

OET-RV DAN 10:20

20 Then he asked, “Do you know why I’ve come to you? But now I will return to fight against the protector of Paras (Persia). When I go out, the protector of Yavan (Greece) will come.

OET-LV DAN 10:20

20 And_he/it _said do_you _know to/for_what have _I _come to_you and_now I _will _return to_engage _in _battle with the _prince _of Pāraş and_I am_about _to _go _forth and_BEHOLD/LO/SEE the _prince _of Yāvān/(Greece) he _will _come.

Show passage in OET: DAN 10:13; DAN 10:20

OET-RV DAN 10:13

13 But the protector of the Persian kingdom held me back for twenty-one days. Then wow, Mika’el (Michael), one of God’s chief protectors, came to help me, because I’d been stuck there with the kings of Paras (Persia).

OET-RV DAN 10:20

20 Then he asked, “Do you know why I’ve come to you? But now I will return to fight against the protector of Paras (Persia). When I go out, the protector of Yavan (Greece) will come.

OET-LV DAN 10:13

13 And_the _prince _of the _kingdom _of Pāraş was_standing to_before_me twenty and_one day[s] and_BEHOLD/LO/SEE Mīkā^ʼēl one of_the _princes (the)_chief he _came to_help_me and_I I _remained _behind there beside the _kings _of Pāraş.

OET-LV DAN 10:20

Show passage in OET: EPH 6:12

OET-RV EPH 6:12

12 Our struggle isn’t against people, but against rulers, authorities, the powers of this world’s darkness, and the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places.

OET-LV EPH 6:12

12 Because is not to _us the wrestling against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world _rulers of_ the this _darkness, against the spiritual of_ the _wickedness in the heavenly realms.

Show passage in OET: DAN 11:2

OET-RV DAN 11:2

2 Now I’ll tell you the truth: Three more kings will reign in Paras (Persia), then a fourth one will gain far more riches than all the others. When he becomes strong through his wealth, he’ll stir up everyone against the kingdom of Yavan (Greece).

OET-LV DAN 11:2

2 And_now truth I _will _tell to/for_you(fs) THERE yet three kings will_arise for_Pāraş and_the _fourth_king he _will _gain _wealth wealth great from_all and_according_to _of_his _strength by_wealth _of_his he _will _stir _up (the)_everyone with the _kingdom _of Yāvān.

Jump to OET DAN 8:21 section.

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Jump to OET DAN 10:13 section. · OET DAN 10:20 section.

Jump to OET EPH 6:12 section.

Jump to OET DAN 11:2 section.