Son of Eber (Genesis 10:25; Genesis 10:30; 1 Chronicles 1:19). Head of the Joktanite Arabs. His settlements were in S. Arabia, "from Mesha unto Sephar a mount of the East" (Zafari, a seaport E. of Yemen; an emporium of trade with Africa and India). The Arab Kahtan whose sons peopled Yemen or Arabia Felix. Cushites from Ham (Genesis 10:7) and Ludites from Shem (Genesis 10:22) were already there, and intermingled with them. The seafaring element was derived from the Cushites, the Shemites not being seafaring; also the Cyclopean masonry and the rock cut Himyeritic inscriptions indicate the presence of Cushites. Arab tradition makes Joktan or Kahtan progenitor of the purest tribes of central and southern Arabia. The Scripture list of his descendants confirms this; almost all the names are certainly connected with this locality: "Almodad (El-Mudad), Sheleph (Sulaf or Silfan), Hazarmaveth" (Hadramaut), etc.
From the co-author of the classic Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary, Fausset's Bible Dictionary stands as one of the best single-volume Bible encyclopedias ever written for general use. The author's writing style is always clear and concise, and he tackles issues important to the average student of the Bible, not just the Biblical scholars. This makes Fausset an excellent tool for both everyday Bible study and in-depth lesson or sermon preparation.Wikipedia
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