Interesting Facts

• According to Jasher, Japheth was the firstborn son of Noah. However, Jubilees states that Shem was born in the third year after Noah turned 500, and Ham in the fifth year after, implying Japheth was born later.
• Japheth and his brothers took wives before the flood.
• Japheth built a city and named it after his wife, ‘Adataneses.
• Japheth received a portion of the earth by lot, which was all that is towards the north. His land was cold.
• Madai, one of Japheth’s sons, begged a portion of land from Ham and Arpachshad because the sea did not please him.

Genealogy

• Japheth was one of the three sons of Noah.
• His mother was Naamah.
• Japheth took a wife before the flood. Jasher names his wife as ‘Adataneses.
• The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras, numbering seven in total.
• The descendants of Japheth, according to Jasher, numbered about four hundred and sixty men in those days.
• The sons of Javan were Elisha, Tarshish, Chittim, and Dudonim.
• The sons of Tubal were Ariphi, Kesed, and Taari.
• The sons of Meshech were Dedon, Zaron, and Shebashni.
• The sons of Tiras were Benib, Gera, Lupirion, and Gilak.

Historical Context

Japheth lived in the post-flood world, a period of repopulation and division of the earth amongst Noah’s sons. Following the flood, Noah instructed his sons and grandsons in righteousness. Japheth and his brothers built cities and named them after their wives. In the thirty-third jubilee, the earth was divided into three portions, with Japheth receiving the northern part. This division was done by lot, and Noah bound his sons by an oath not to encroach on each other’s territories. Despite this division, disagreements and adjustments occurred, as seen when Madai requested land from Ham and Arpachshad. Japheth and his sons went towards the sea and dwelt in their allotted land. After the tower of Babel incident, the descendants of Japheth were scattered to their countries, according to their languages and cities, and they called their cities after their own names and occurrences.

Narrative

Japheth’s personal narrative within the provided sources is less detailed compared to his brothers. The primary actions attributed to him are taking a wife before the flood, and after the flood, building a city and naming it after her. He received his designated portion of the earth in the north during the division by lot, a portion described as cold. An incident of potential familial tension is hinted at when Japheth became envious of his brother Ham after Ham built his city. His descendants, including the sons of Gomer, Rephath, Tugarma, Javan, Medaiare, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras, spread out and built cities in the north and by the sea, naming them after themselves. The sources focus more on the broader division of land and the subsequent dispersal of Japheth’s lineage rather than individual actions or dialogues of Japheth himself.