Original Word: יָפוֹ
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Yapho
Pronunciation: yah-fo
Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-fo')
KJV: Japha, Joppa
NASB: Joppa
Word Origin: [from H3302 (יָפָה - beautiful)]

1. beautiful
2. Japho, a place in Israel

Japha, Joppa

Or Yaphow (Ezra 3:7) {yaw-fo'}; from yaphah; beautiful; Japho, a place in Palestine -- Japha, Joppa.

see HEBREW yaphah

Word Origin
from yaphah
Definition
a seaport city of Pal.
NASB Translation
Joppa (4).

יָפוֺ, יָפוֺא proper name, of a location Joppa (Phoenician יפי; Assyrian Ja(p)pu COT^Gloss Bez^{Tel-el-Amarna Tabl. ln Brit, Mus. 146}; Egyptian Ye-pu WMM¹⁵⁹) — seaport town of Palestine (Jerusalem), יָפוֺ Joshua 19:46; Jonah 1:3; 2Chron 2:15 = יָפוֺא Ezra 3:7; ᵐ5 Ιοππα, modern Jaffa.

Overview

Yapho (Joppa) is the ancient maritime gateway of the southern Levant, situated on a rocky promontory about fifty-five kilometers (thirty-four miles) northwest of Jerusalem. Sheltered by an anchorage unique along the central coast, the port served God’s covenant people as a conduit for commerce, craftsmanship, and covenantal mission.

Geographical Setting and Strategic Importance

The city commands the only natural harbor between the Nile Delta and Haifa. Ships approaching from the Mediterranean found a lee behind its offshore reefs, making the site indispensable for the import of timber and other bulk goods needed in the hill country. Its elevation also offered visibility far out to sea, allowing watchmen to herald inbound fleets.

Old Testament References

1. Joshua 19:46 assigns the area facing “Joppa” to the tribe of Dan, anchoring the city inside Israel’s promised inheritance even though Dan later migrated northward.
2. 2 Chronicles 2:16 records Hiram of Tyre promising Solomon, “We will bring them to you on rafts by sea to Joppa,” underscoring the collaborative supply line for the First Temple.
3. Ezra 3:7 recounts the same sea route after the exile, when cedar logs again entered through Joppa “according to the grant … from Cyrus,” demonstrating providential continuity across centuries.
4. Jonah 1:3 portrays the prophet descending to Joppa to flee “away from the presence of the LORD,” turning the harbor into a stage where human disobedience meets divine pursuit.

Service to Temple Construction

Joppa functioned as the coastal terminus for Lebanon’s cedars—first under Solomon, later under Zerubbabel. Timber floated southward was off-loaded, hauled up the Beth-horon ascent, and set in place on Mount Moriah. Thus Yahweh fused international resources with Israel’s worship, foreshadowing the inclusion of the nations in His redemptive plan.

Prophetic Narrative: Jonah and Missional Implications

Through Jonah, Joppa embodies the tension between covenant privilege and global commission. Standing on the shoreline, the prophet could either move inland in obedience or embark outward in rebellion. His attempted flight spotlights the futility of evading God’s call and anticipates the saving outreach that will one day flow through the same port to the Gentiles.

Tribal Allocation and Israelite Identity

Though Dan’s initial allotment reached to “the territory across from Joppa,” persistent Philistine pressure pushed the tribe inland (Judges 18). Joppa’s liminal status—within the promised borders yet contested—mirrors Israel’s broader struggle to possess its inheritance by faith rather than by sight.

Continuity into the New Testament

The site reappears as Ioppe in Acts. Here Peter raises Tabitha to life (Acts 9:36-42) and receives the rooftop vision that opens the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10:9-23). The same harbor that once hosted Jonah’s flight becomes the launch point for the Church’s outreach, highlighting Scripture’s cohesive storyline.

Archaeological and Historical Witness

Excavations at modern Jaffa have uncovered Late Bronze ramparts, Iron Age pottery, and a second-millennium Egyptian gate, confirming Joppa’s status as a fortified port well before the Israelite conquest. Classical writers—Pliny, Ptolemy, and Josephus—echo the biblical testimony, describing a harbor bustling with trade.

Theological Themes and Ministry Application

• God employs strategic locations to advance His redemptive purposes.
• Covenant faithfulness includes stewarding economic and logistical hubs for righteous ends.
• Attempts to flee divine assignment (Jonah) contrast with availability to divine revelation (Peter), urging believers to embrace rather than escape their mission field.
• The repeated transport of cedar through Joppa underscores God’s ability to re-open closed doors (after exile) and to supply every need for His dwelling among His people.

Across every testament and era, Yahweh turns the waves breaking at Joppa into a soundtrack of providence, fidelity, and global grace.

יָפ֑וֹ יָפ֔וֹא יָפ֜וֹ יָפֽוֹ׃ יפו יפו׃ יפוא yā·p̄ō·w yā·p̄ōw yaFo yāp̄ōwInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts