Japheth (Gen 10:2-5) – Deep Dive Bible

Who/what are the ethnic groups or nations listed in Gen 10’s Table of Nations? Where did they live (or in rare cases, do they still)?

I will divide them into Japheth, Ham, and Shem sections. In compiling this list, Josephus was particularly helpful, as were ESV Study Bible and the Holman Atlas. The names are taken from the NASB.

The Sons of Japheth

Sons of Japheth	Location Notes
Gomer	Josephus and Holman have them settled in central Turkey. Josephus adds that they became the Galatians, from whom the Gauls were descended; ESV puts them east of there, in the southern Caucasus region.
Magog	Josephus identifies them with the Scythians, i.e., people who settled north of the Black and Caspian Seas. ESV has them in the southern Caucasus with Gomer, while Holman puts them in central Turkey.
Madai	All my sources agree in identifying these with the Medes, of northern Iran and who later joined with the Persians.
Javan	Josephus identifies these with “Ionians” and says all Greeks descended from him. The other two sources put them in the Aegean islands, anyway.
Tubal	Josephus says these became the “Iberes”—Iberians? But the ESV map puts Tubal in modern-day Georgia in the Caucasus, while Holman places him in central Turkey (Cappadocia).
Meshech	Became the Cappadocians (in central Turkey), says Josephus; its capital was called Mazaca. ESV places them somewhat east of there, still in Turkey, while Holman places them slightly west.
Tiras	Josephus says they became Thrace, on the north of the Aegean Sea, and Holman agrees, but encorporates the suggestion that it included ancient Troy; Etruscians, speculates ESV.
	Note: seven sons, a “complete” number representing others.

The Sons of Gomer

Ashkenaz	Josephus says the the Ashkenazis were “Rheginians,” but what this means is not totally clear. The Talmud purportedly places this in east-central Europe. The ESV and Holman both place them in Caucasus.
Riphath	Josephus identifies this with Paphlagonia, on the north-central coast of Turkey, while Holman places them in eastern Turkey and ESV has no opinion.
Togarmah	Josephus identifies them with Phrygians, in western central Turkey, while the other sources have Togarmah in eastern Turkey or Armenia.

The Sons of Javan

Elishah	Josephus says they are “now the Aeolians,” on the northern part of the Aegean coast of Turkey. The ESV and Holman both put them on Cyprus.
Tarshish	The location of “Tarshish,” in the Bible, is famously unknown, but Josephus confidently has it as Cilicia, the capital of which was Tarsus, on the southeast coast of Turkey. The ESV speculates it is Tartessos in Spain, while Holman says that it is in Italy, or some point thereabout.
Kittim	All agree that Kittim is Cyprus.
Dodanim	Reading “Rhodanim,” ESV and Holman have this as Rhodes; Josephus does not mention it.
	Note: these two latter groups together also make seven in number.