Bible Dictionaries
Kittim

Holman Bible Dictionary

(kit' tihm) Tribal name for the island of Cyprus, sometimes spelled Chittim. This name was derived from Kition, a city-state on the southeastern side of the island. Long associated with maritime lore, the island was ruled first by Greece, then the Assyrians, and finally, Rome. Genesis 10:4 traces the people's roots to Noah's son Japheth. Jeremiah and Ezekiel both mention it in their prophecies ( Jeremiah 2:10; Ezekiel 27:6; compare Isaiah 23:1 ,Isaiah 23:1,23:12 ).

Kittim is used in intertestamental writings as denoting all of the land west of Cyprus. 1Maccabees credits it as being the land of Alexander the Great (1 Maccabees 1:1; 1 Maccabees 8:5 ). The writer of Daniel understood it to be a part of the Roman Empire (Daniel 11:30 ) used to threaten Antiochus Epipanes. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain several references to Kittim, the most notable being the defeat of her people (Romans) at the hands of God's people. See Cyprus .