Talk:Japheth

Older or Younger Brother?
Was Japheth the oldest or the youngest? Some translations say he is the older brother of Shem, while others say Shem was his older brother. He is also always listed last, with the exception of Genesis 10:2-32, where his descendants are listed first (Do note that Noah's sons are listed in verse 1 and Japheth is last on the list).

A Child of God (talk) 19:46, September 10, 2016 (UTC)


 * First, Genesis 5:23 states that Noah begat his three sons was 500 years old.  That list, as in most places, has Shem, Ham and Japheth.  This lends to confusion when, at Genesis 10:21 indicates in some translations that Japheth was the older brother, calling him "Japheth the elder" (KJV).  Other translations read "Shem, the elder brother of Japheth. The Hebrew text reads:   יֶפֶת הַגָּדוֹל (Yefet HaGadol).  The order, with "the elder" following Japheth's name lends weight to the translation in the KJV.


 * Moreover, at the birth of Shem's son Arphaxad (Gen 11:10) two years after the flood states that Shem was at that time 100 years old, distancing him from Noah's 500 years old by two years.  If he is the oldest, then the birth of the others are removed further from Noah's 500th year. Then, in the incident with Ham in the vineyard, Noah awakens to realize what Ham "his younger son" had done (Gen 9:24).  In the Hebrew this is בְּנוֹ הַקָּטָן (Benu HaQatan; that is, "his son, the younger").  The structure is the same, with the modifier coming after the noun.


 * Since the most prominent son is often listed first, even though he is not the first born, it is no stretch to consider that Japheth was the oldest son. Known as "the elder," he probably was the older brother of Shem.  The translation "the younger" for Ham probably can better be translated "the youngest."  The listing of "Shem, Ham and Japheth" may just indicate the proximity of the tribes to Moses when he wrote the account.  He was a Semite, having grown up with Hamites.  He had probably never met a Japhetite, the people living beyond the great sea.