Japheth

(may he spread abroad) (Gen 10:1-2; 1 Chr 1:5) - one of Noah's three sons. Like his brothers, he was married but had no children before the Flood; after the Flood he had seven sons. Noah's sons are listed in the order Japheth, Ham, and Shem in Genesis 10 and 1 Chronicles 1, and opinions therefore differ concerning the time and sequence of their births. Ham was not Noah's eldest son (Gen 9:24), and the Russian Bible calls Shem the elder brother of Japheth, as he indeed was. Japheth's descendants populated Europe and northeastern Asia; the source associates this with what it regards as a notable resemblance between European languages and those of eastern Asia, except Chinese and related languages.

In Noah's prophetic blessing, Japheth was promised an immense expanse of possessions, with the remarkable words that his descendants would dwell 'in the tents of Shem' (Gen 9:27) - not as conquerors, but as participants in the blessing Noah gave to Shem. The history of the world and of the Church, the source says, fully confirms both parts of Noah's prophecy. Japheth's name occurs in many ancient traditions, and traces of it have also been sought in the names of Mount Nepat, or Niphates, in Armenia.