Who was Tiras?

The story of Tiras

Tiras is the seventh and last-listed son of Japheth, the son of Noah, in the Table of Nations (Genesis 10:2). His six brothers are Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal and Meshech, and the same list appears again in the genealogies of Chronicles (1 Chronicles 1:5). Genesis introduces these men as sons born to Noah's sons after the Flood (Genesis 10:1).

Scripture records nothing else about Tiras. It names no wife, children, deeds or place of settlement for him, and unlike his brothers Gomer and Javan, he has no descendants listed. Genesis says that the isles of the Gentiles were divided among Japheth's descendants in their lands, each after his tongue, after their families and in their nations (Genesis 10:5).

The chapter closes by describing how the families of Noah's sons were divided into nations on the earth after the Flood (Genesis 10:32). Because the Table of Nations names peoples as well as individuals, Tiras is often understood as the forefather of a people, but the Bible does not say which one. Later tradition, beginning with the Jewish historian Josephus, linked Tiras with the Thracians.

Others have proposed a connection with a seafaring people of the Aegean. These identifications are not found in Scripture.

Role

Son of Japheth

First mention

Genesis 10:2

Appearances in the Bible

2 mentions

Questions about Tiras