Havilah

Havilah (meaning the sand region or that suffers pain) is both a personal name and a geographical designation in the Old Testament. As a place, Havilah appears most notably in the Eden narrative: the Pishon river encircled the land of Havilah, where gold, bdellium, and the onyx stone were found (Genesis 2:11–12). The location is debated — some identify it with a region of Arabia or the Indian subcontinent based on the resources described; others place it in the upper Mesopotamian region. A second Havilah appears in the table of nations as the extent of the Ishmaelite territory: they "dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt" (Genesis 25:18; 1 Samuel 15:7), placing this Havilah in the Arabian peninsula or Sinai region.

As a personal name, Havilah appears twice in the table of nations: as a son of Cush (Genesis 10:7) and as a son of Joktan (Genesis 10:29), representing two distinct peoples who perhaps settled in regions both bearing the name Havilah.