Ja´pheth, a son of Noah. In he is mentioned third in order; but some think, from (comp. ), that he was the eldest of Noah's sons, begotten one hundred years before the flood. In , sq., he is called the progenitor of the extensive tribes in the west (of Europe) and north (of Asia), of the Armenians, Medes, Greeks, Thracians, etc. The Arabian traditions rank Japheth among the prophets, and enumerate eleven of his sons, the progenitors of as many Asiatic nations. In these traditions he is therefore simply called progenitor of the Turks and Barbarians.