JOKTAN

(Jokʹtan).

A descendant of Eber, brother of Peleg, and father of 13 sons. (Ge 10:25-29; 1Ch 1:19-23) The names of some of Joktan’s descendants appear to have survived at various places in S and SW Arabia. It has been suggested that Joktan was the progenitor of the original peoples of Arabia, as distinguished from the tribes descended from the sons of Abraham by Hagar and Keturah. The geographic limits of the territory inhabited by Joktan’s descendants are Biblically described as running “from Mesha as far as Sephar” (Ge 10:30), but the exact area covered is uncertain.