The Significance of Japheth

Dr. Couch, what is the significance of Japheth as mentioned in Genesis 9:27? Does this name have any significance with what is happening with the nations today? ANSWER:  You have some keen insights about history! Yes, this is an important passage about the nations. Japheth in Hebrew means "May he have space." Japheth was the father of the European peoples, the Indo-European nations. The sons of Japheth would "be enlarged" or blessed by God in that they will "dwell in the tents of Shem." Shem is the distant father of the Jewish people, the Shemites, or Semites.    Genesis 10 that follows immediately after 9:27 is called by the Rabbis, "a Messianic document." It lists all the nations of the world, all that come from Noah's three sons, Ham, Shem, and Japheth. The Japhethites, the Europeans have been most blessed by the Jewish people, i.e., through Christianity and by the blessings that were bestowed upon Europe by the Jews themselves.    Unger has said that verse 27 shows that "Jehovah was the peculiar property of the Shemites. The Japhetic line is predicted to enjoy not only expansion of temporal possessions, but spiritual blessings as well. Christianity has had great outreach upon the Japhetic peoples of Europe and America."    Are cultures equal? Yes and no! All peoples are sinners and need the saving grace of Christ, but all peoples have not been equally blessed by the Lord with salvation. It's a fact of history that the Europeans have been most blessed by Israel and the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ. America was founded by Reformation followers and by Europeans who came to these shores driven by spiritual issues. Other cultures have not been so blessed. In fact, other cultures may pull down America because their heritage is not the same. But it also must be said, in reference to America, the Europeans have allowed the cultural degeneration of others to weaken morally this nation. While in one sense we can understand how we have been weakened, we have thrown away our own blessings and heritage ourselves.    The prophecy by Noah in Genesis 9:27 is a large and broad prediction. But it has still dictated the direction of history. Now, there is "no place to hide." The moral and spiritual protection of any culture is over! The nations are now polluted, something that was in a sense foretold in early Genesis. Much more could be written on this issue, but I hope that this helps.    -- Dr. Mal Couch (1-10)