Havilah (literally meaning "Stretch of Sand") is the name of various lands and/or people mentioned in the Bible. The first mention is in Genesis 2:11 in relation to the Garden of Eden: "The name of the first [river] is the Pishon; it is the one that winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold". Havilah is known for its abundance. In addition to gold, Havilah is reported as having bdellium (a resin similar to myrrh and produced by related plants) and onyx stone - Genesis 2:12.

In addition to the region described in Genesis 2, two individuals named Havilah are listed in the Table of Nations which lists the descendants of Noah, who are considered eponymous ancestors of nations. They are mentioned in Genesis 10:7,29, 1 Chronicles 1:9,23. One is the son of Cush, the son of Ham; the other, a son of Joktan and descendant of Shem.^[1] The former is listed with names associated with the region of the Gulf of Aden while the latter is listed with names associated with the Arabian desert. Such a land in the Arabian desert is mentioned in Genesis 25:18, where it defines the border of the territory inhabited by the Ishmaelites, and in 1 Samuel 15:7, which states that king Saul of Israel attacked the Amalekites who were living there^[2]. Other sources, such as the book of Jashar indicate that the Ishmaelites moved on from there to settle in Tarshish, located in central India, while the book of the book of Jubilees states that the remained in that location. Islam also holds to that believe.

[edit] References and external links

1. ^ "Genesis 10:7,29 1 Chronicles 1:9,23". Biblegateway. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2010:7,29,1%20Chronicles%201:9,23;&version=50;. 
2. ^ "Genesis 2:11,25:18, 1 Samuel 15:7". Biblegateway. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%202:11,25:18,1%20Samuel%2015:7%20;&version=31;#en-NIV-677. 

This article related to the Hebrew Bible is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e