Yavan

Yavan

The Aramaic word for Greece is Yavan (Strong’s #3120, pronounced yaw-vawn’). Yavan first appears in the Bible in Genesis 10 as a son of Japheth, a son of Noah. It is generally agreed that the descendents of Yavan are the people around the Greek Peninsula, the southern Balkan Peninsula, Crete, and the west coast of Turkey.  Davidson, Mark. Daniel Revisited: Discovering the Four Mideast Signs Leading to the Antichrist (p. 123). WestBowPress. Kindle Edition. 

WORK IN PROGRESS

Zechariah 9:13 (ESV/NIV):  

“For I have bent Judah as my bow; I have made Ephraim its arrow.  

I will stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece,  

and wield you like a warrior’s sword.”

Quick Summary  

God declares that He will use a reunited Israel (Judah + Ephraim) as His own weapons—bow, arrow, and sword—against “Greece” (Hebrew: Yawan). This is widely understood as a prophecy of the Maccabean revolt (167–160 BC), when Jewish fighters led by Judas Maccabeus defeated the Seleucid Greek empire and rededicated the Temple (the origin of Hanukkah).

Detailed Breakdown  

- Judah (southern kingdom) = the bow  

- Ephraim (northern kingdom) = the arrow  

→ Together they symbolize the restored, united Israel.  

- “Your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece” = Jewish warriors vs. Hellenistic (Seleucid) armies.  

- God Himself is the warrior; He “wields” His people to victory.

Historical Fulfillment  

Primary: The Maccabean victories over Antiochus IV Epiphanes (described in 1–2 Maccabees).  

Christian view: Often seen as partially fulfilled in the Maccabees, with ultimate fulfillment in the messianic age (linked to the humble king of v. 9 = Jesus).

Theological Point  

Even when Israel seems weak, God can turn them into unstoppable instruments of deliverance against mighty empires.