Original Word: יֶפֶת
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Yepheth
Pronunciation: yeh'-feth
Phonetic Spelling: (yeh'-feth)
KJV: Japheth
NASB: Japheth
Word Origin: [from H6601 (פָּתָה - To entice)]

1. expansion
2. Jepheth, a son of Noah
3. also his posterity

Japheth

From pathah; expansion; Jepheth, a son of Noah; also his posterity -- Japheth.

see HEBREW pathah

Word Origin
from pathah
Definition
a son of Noah
NASB Translation
Japheth (11).

יֶ֫פֶת proper name, masculine third son of Noah, Ιαφεθ; — יֶפֶת: לְיֶפֶת ׳יַפְתְּ א Genesis 9:27( J), Genesis 7:13; Genesis 10:2 (P) = 1 Chronicles 1:4; Genesis 9:23; Genesis 10:21(J); יָפֶ֑ת Genesis 9:18 (J), Genesis 5:32; Genesis 6:10; Genesis 10:1 (P), 1 Chronicles 1:5.

Name and Lineage

Japheth is the third-named son of Noah and the brother of Shem and Ham (Genesis 5:32; Genesis 6:10). After the Flood he becomes the forefather of at least seven sons—Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras (Genesis 10:2)—from whom many post-diluvian nations are traced.

Occurrences in Scripture

Japheth appears eleven times, exclusively in Genesis 5–10 and the parallel genealogy of 1 Chronicles 1. These notices cluster around three themes: the Flood, the patriarchal blessing, and the Table of Nations.

Role in the Flood Narrative

When the ark was entered, “in that very day Noah entered the ark, along with Shem, Ham, and Japheth” (Genesis 7:13). After the waters recede, the three brothers serve as the new progenitors of humanity. Japheth’s inclusion underscores God’s preservation of a righteous remnant and His continuing purpose for all peoples.

Honor Shown to Noah

Following Noah’s drunkenness, Ham exposes his father’s nakedness, but “Shem and Japheth took a garment, placed it over their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness” (Genesis 9:23). Japheth’s reverent action contrasts with Ham’s disrespect and becomes the occasion for Noah’s prophetic blessing.

Prophetic Blessing and Nations

Noah declares, “May God enlarge Japheth; may he dwell in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant” (Genesis 9:27). The blessing contains three elements:

1. Enlargement—anticipating numerical growth and territorial breadth among Japheth’s descendants.
2. Fellowship with Shem—hinting at spiritual convergence between Japhethite peoples and the redemptive line housed in Shem.
3. Supremacy over Canaan—foreshadowing historical subjugation of Canaanite cultures by peoples related to Japheth and Shem alike.

Table of Nations

Genesis 10:1–5 presents Japheth’s sons as the founders of maritime and distant territories: “From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to his language, according to their clans, into their nations” (Genesis 10:5). Ancient tradition commonly connects these clans to Indo-European regions—Gomer with the Cimmerians, Javan with the Ionians, and so forth—highlighting the early dispersion of peoples after Babel.

Genealogical Records in Chronicles

1 Chronicles 1:4–5 restates Japheth’s line within Israel’s sacred chronicle, integrating Gentile origins into the covenant account and demonstrating that the history of all nations is subject to the same providential order that governs Israel.

Historical Traditions and Descendants

Jewish and early Christian writers often identified Japheth as the ancestor of peoples north and west of the Holy Land. Josephus associated him with the Greeks and Scythians; medieval traditions extended his lineage to Europe at large. While extra-biblical data vary, Scripture itself establishes Japheth as the source of significant Gentile populations that feature throughout redemptive history.

Theological and Ministry Implications

1. Universality of God’s Purpose: Japheth’s enlargement anticipates the Gospel’s reach to the nations. The same Lord who covenanted with Abraham also intends salvation “to the very ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).
2. Honor and Reverence: Japheth’s respectful act toward Noah models filial piety and the honoring of spiritual authority.
3. Unity in Diversity: The prophecy that Japheth will “dwell in the tents of Shem” points to the eventual inclusion of Gentiles in the blessings mediated through the descendants of Shem, culminating in the church composed of Jews and Gentiles alike (see Ephesians 2:11-22).

Connections to New Testament Themes

Although Japheth is not named in the New Testament, the apostolic mission to the Gentiles reflects the enlargement promised to him. The languages, lands, and cultures descending from Japheth become ripe fields for the proclamation of Christ, fulfilling the trajectory initiated in Genesis.

Lessons for Believers Today

• God’s faithfulness spans all ethnic lines; every people group belongs within His saving plan.
• Respect for parental and spiritual authority invites blessing.
• The church’s global outreach answers a promise rooted as early as Noah’s prophecy over Japheth, encouraging confidence in Scripture’s coherence and God’s unchanging redemptive agenda.

וָיֶ֖פֶת וָיֶ֜פֶת וָיָ֑פֶת וָיָֽפֶת׃ ויפת ויפת׃ יֶ֔פֶת יֶ֥פֶת יָֽפֶת׃ יפת יפת׃ לְיֶ֔פֶת ליפת lə·ye·p̄eṯ leYefet ləyep̄eṯ vaYafet vaYefet wā·yā·p̄eṯ wā·ye·p̄eṯ wāyāp̄eṯ wāyep̄eṯ yā·p̄eṯ Yafet yāp̄eṯ ye·p̄eṯ Yefet yep̄eṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts