Dodanim

Dodanim (also spelled Rodanim in 1 Chr. 1:7, likely the original reading) were a people descended from Javan, the son of Japheth, listed in the Table of Nations (Gen. 10:4). The spelling difference between Dodanim and Rodanim—a single Hebrew letter—is attributed by most scholars to a scribal transposition, with Rodanim being supported by the Samaritan Pentateuch and the Septuagint. The Rodanim are widely identified with the inhabitants of the island of Rhodes (Rhodos) and related Aegean maritime peoples.

Their inclusion in the Table of Nations among the Japhethite peoples who spread through the coastlands and islands of the Mediterranean (Gen. 10:5) is consistent with the known role of Rhodian and Aegean traders and colonists in the ancient world. Smith identifies them with the Dardanians of Trojans in one tradition, while favoring the Rhodian identification. No narrative events in Scripture involve the Dodanim/Rodanim directly.