Havilah

1. Second of the five sons of Cush, the son of Ham, the second son of Noah (Gen 10:7; I Chr 1:9). The association of this Havilah with Cush, which often designates Ethiopia, conforms with the identification of the place name Havilah (see No. 3) with a district in Ethiopia.

2. The 12th of the 13 sons of Joktan, a descendant of Shem son of Noah (Gen 10:29; I Chr 1:23). The association of this Havilah with Hazarmaveth (Gen 10:26), Uzal (Gen 10:27) and Sheba (Gen 10:28) suggests a location in southern Arabia.

3. According to the Garden of Eden narrative, a country completely surrounded by the Pishon River (Gen 2:11), which is noted for its gold, bdellium and onyx (Gen 2:12). Opinions vary as to its exact location. Some identify it with a district in Ethiopia which is called Aualis in Greek and Latin sources.

4. In Genesis 25:18, "Havilah", near Shur which is close to Egypt, is the western boundary of the encampments of the Ishmaelites. It was in this location that Saul defeated the Amalekites (I Sam 15:7). Presumably this Havilah was in the southern part of Palestine.

Concordance
HAVILAH 1: Gen 10:7. I Chr 1:9
HAVILAH 2: Gen 10:29. I Chr 1:23
HAVILAH 3: Gen 2:11
HAVILAH 4: Gen 25:18. I Sam 15:7

For the small town in the United States, see Havilah, California.

For the album by the Drones, see Havilah (album).

Havilah (literally meaning "Stretch of Sand") is the name of various lands and/or people mentioned in the Bible. The first mention is in Genesis 2:11 in relation to the Garden of Eden: "The name of the first [river] is the Pishon; it is the one that winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold". Havilah is known for its abundance. In addition to gold, Havilah is reported as having bdellium (a resin similar to myrrh and produced by related plants) and onyx stone - Genesis 2:12.

In addition to the region described in Genesis 2, two individuals named Havilah are listed in the Table of Nations which lists the descendants of Noah, who are considered eponymous ancestors of nations. They are mentioned in Genesis 10:7,29, 1 Chronicles 1:9,23. One is the son of Cush, the son of Ham; the other, a son of Joktan and descendant of Shem.^[1] The former is listed with names associated with the region of the Gulf of Aden while the latter is listed with names associated with the Arabian desert. Such a land in the Arabian desert is mentioned in Genesis 25:18, where it defines the border of the territory inhabited by the Ishmaelites, and in 1 Samuel 15:7, which states that king Saul of Israel attacked the Amalekites who were living there^[2]. Other sources, such as the book of Jashar indicate that the Ishmaelites moved on from there to settle in Tarshish, located in central India, while the book of the book of Jubilees states that the remained in that location. Islam also holds to that believe.

References and external links

1. ^ "Genesis 10:7,29 1 Chronicles 1:9,23". Biblegateway. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2010:7,29,1%20Chronicles%201:9,23;&version=50;. 
2. ^ "Genesis 2:11,25:18, 1 Samuel 15:7". Biblegateway. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%202:11,25:18,1%20Samuel%2015:7%20;&version=31;#en-NIV-677. 

This article related to the Hebrew Bible is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)