Japheth

Japheth (meaning wide spreading or possibly the beautiful) was the eldest (or second, depending on interpretation) son of Noah who entered the ark with his wife and survived the flood (Gen. 5:32; 6:10; 7:13). After the flood, when Shem and Japheth honorably covered their drunken father's nakedness, Noah blessed Japheth: "God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant" (Gen. 9:27). His descendants — listed in Genesis 10:2–5 — are the nations of the north and west: Gomer (Cimmerians), Magog, Madai (Medes), Javan (Greeks/Ionians), Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. These became the peoples of Asia Minor, the Aegean, and Europe. The "enlargement of Japheth" was interpreted by many church fathers as prophesying the expansion of Gentile peoples into the covenant blessings of Shem (Israel).