Joktan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joktan or Yoktan (Hebrew: יָקְטָן, Standard Yoqtan Tiberian Yoqṭān ; Arabic: قحطان, Qahtan; "little") was the second of the two sons of Eber (Gen. 10:25; 1 Chr. 1:19) mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.
In the Book of Genesis 10:25 "And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan."
There is an Arab tradition that Joktan (Arabic: Kahtan) was the progenitor of all the main tribes of Central and Southern Arabia. There are thirteen children of Joktan: Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth (i.e., Hadramaut), Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Havilah, Jobab, and Ophir (not in Arabia). Seven of them are said to each be the founder of an Arabian tribe. The most famous of those tribes are the Sabaeans the founders of the old kingdom (the sons of Sheba) to his father Yashgob, the son of Ya'areb, the son of Qahtan.