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Kittim, or Chittim

Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia

(Dan 11:30) - Kittim was a son of Javan and grandson of Japheth. According to Josephus, his descendants moved from Phoenicia to Cyprus. The name probably first denoted Cyprus and later became a general term for Mediterranean coasts and islands. Isaiah 23:1 says that news of Tyre's destruction would reach the ships of Tarshish as they passed the land of Chittim, understood as Cyprus. Many commentators extended Balaam's prophecy about ships from Chittim humbling Asshur and Eber and then perishing (Num 24:24) beyond Alexander's Macedonian kingdom to later earthly empires. Apocryphal books use Kittim for Macedonians, while the Vulgate renders it Romans in Daniel 11:30.

Scripture cited

Daniel 11:30Esaias 23:1Numbers 24:24

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