Ashkenaz

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

one of the sons of Gomer, and grandson of Japheth, who gave his name to the country first peopled by him in the north and north- western part of Asia Minor, answering to Bithynia; where were traces long after of his name, particularly in that of Ascanius, applied to a bay and city, as well as to some islands lying along the coast. It was also from this country, most probably, that the king Ascanius, mentioned by Homer, came to the aid of Priamus at the siege of Troy. From the same source, likewise, the Pontus Euxinus, or Black Sea, derived its name. It may farther be remarked on the identity of these countries, that the Prophet Jeremiah, predicting the capture of Babylon, and calling by name the countries which were to rise against it, exclaims, "Call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, (or Armenia,) Minni, and Ashkenaz:" which was literally fulfilled; as Xenophon informs us that Cyrus, after taking Sardis, became master of Phrygia on the Hellespont, and took along with him many soldiers of that country.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

ASHKENAZ in   Genesis 10:3 (  1 Chronicles 1:6 ) appears as a son of Gomer (wh. see), which means apparently that the name represents a people akin to the Cimmerians, an Indo-European people who made trouble for the Assyrians in and about Armenia in the later days of their empire, in the 7th cent. b.c. In   Jeremiah 51:27 Ashkenaz is coupled with Ararat and Minni. The view now generally accepted by scholars is that Ashkenaz in the Hebrew text is a slight misreading for Ashkûz , an important tribe akin to the Cimmerians who had to do with Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal, the last great kings of Assyria, the name appearing in the inscriptions as Ashgûz . Further, it is probable that the Skythoi , ‘Scythians,’ represent the same people and word.

J. F. McCurdy.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

One of the three sons of Gomer, Japhet's son, i.e. of the Gomerian branch of the Japhetic division of the human race. Mentioned by Jeremiah ( Jeremiah 51:27) in connection with Ararat and Minni, so that their locality then must have been the Armenan highland. (See  ARARAT.) Their accompanying Cyrus to the siege of Babylon (588 B.C.) is there foretold. Probably a Cymric tribe. The name perhaps appears in Ascanias, a river in Asia Minor, and in Scandinavia. Knobel derives the German race from Ashkenaz, the name still given by the robbins to Germany. He derives the name from As (the original of As-ia) and  genos ,  gens , "a race," our "kin." Hasse suggests a connection with Axenus, Euxine Sea.

People's Dictionary of the Bible

 Ashkenaz ( ăsh'ke-năz),  strong, fortified. 1. A district, probably in Armenia, the home of a tribe of the same name. In  1 Chronicles 1:6;  Jeremiah 51:27 it is called Ashchenaz. See Armenia. 2. Son of Gomer,  Genesis 10:3, of the family of Japhet, and the probable ancestor of those who inhabited the country of the same name,  Jeremiah 51:27, lying along the eastern and southeastern shore of the Black Sea. The precise district is unknown.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

 Ash'kenaz.  (spreading fire). One of the three sons of Gomer, son of Japhet.  Genesis 10:3. We may probably recognize the tribe of Ashkenaz on the northern shore of Asia Minor, in the name of Lake Ascanius, and in Europe, in the name  Scandia, Scandinavia. Knobel considers that Ashkenaz is to be identified with the German race.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A son of Gomer and grandson of Japheth,  Genesis 10:3 . The region people by his descendants is named in  Jeremiah 51:27 with Minni and Ararat, provinces of Armenia. It probably lay towards the Black Sea.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Genesis 10:3 Jeremiah 51:27

Holman Bible Dictionary

Ashchenaz

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Heb. Ashkenaz',  אִשְׁכְּנָז, signif. unknown [comp. ASHPENAZ]; Sept.  Ἀσχανάζ,  Genesis 10:3, v.  r.  Ἀσχενέζ, in  1 Chronicles 1:6;  Ἀσχαναζαῖοι v. r.  Ἀχαναζέοι in Jeremiah li, 27; in both the latter passages Auth. Vers. "Ashchenaz"), the first named of the three sons of Gomer, son of Japhet (B.C. cir. 2478), and of a tribe of his descendants. In Jeremiah it is placed with Ararat and Minni, provinces of Armenia; whence it is probable that Ashkenaz was a province of Armenia (q.v.), or, at least, that it lay not far from it, near the Caucasus, or toward the Black Sea (see Rosenmuller,  Bibl. Geogr. I, i, 258). Among other less probable conjectures may be named the following: Bochart (Phaleg, iii, 9) refers it to the lake Ascanius in Bithynia (Strabo, 12:563 sq.; Plin. v, 43; 31:46, 2), and the city and region of Ascania in Phrygia Minor (Arrian, Alex. i, 30; Plin. v, 40; see Michaelis, "Spicileg. i,:58 sq.); Calmet to the Askantians at Tanais land the marsh Maeotis-(Plin. 6:7, where, however, the best editions read "Contacaptas" for "Ascanticos"); 'Schulthess (Parad. p. 178) to the district Astaunitis (in the vicinity of Ararat) and the neighboring city of Asltanaca. Hasse (Entdeck. i, 19) regards the word as a -corruption -for " Pontus Axenus," so as to designate the inhabitants of the province of Pontus; Josephus (Ant. i, 6, 1) merely says "Aschei-az ( Ἀσχάναζος ) founded the Aschanazians  -( Ἀσχανάζους ), whom the Greeks now call  Rhzgians (  ῾Ρηγῖνες ); " but this latter name does not occur in classical geography (Joseph Mede conjectures the Rhaetians,  ῾Ρηγῖνες, but these are as far from probability as the supposition of the modern Jews that the Germans are meant, see Vater, Com. i, 100). The Targum of Jonathan understands Adiabene ( הִדְיָב ), a province of Assyria; and the Arabic in Genesis the  Sclavi, in Jeremiah the inhabitants near the Caspian Sea. Assuming that the. Japhetic tribes migrated from their original seats westward and northward (See Japhet),.thus peopling Asia Minor and Europe, we may perhaps recognise the tribe of Ashkenaz (as having migrated along the northern shore of Asia Minor) in Europe in the name  Scandia, Scandinavia. Knobel  (Volkertafel, p. 35) regards the word as a compound ( אשאּכנז ), the latter element being equivalent to the Gr.  γένος, Lat.  gens, genus, Eng.  kind, kin; the meaning, therefore, being the As-race. If this were so, it might seem that we here find the origin of the name  Asia, which has subsequently been extended to the whole eastern part of the world. The slightness of the foundation, however, of all these identifications is evident. The opinion of Gorres (Volkertafel, p. 92) that Ashkenaz is to be identified with the Cymry or Gaelic race seems even less probable than that of Knobel. (See Ethnology);

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ash´kē̇ -naz (  אשׁכּנז , 'ashkenaz ): The name occurs in  Genesis 10:3; 1 Ch 16, in the list of the sons of Japheth as a son of Gomer. See Table Of Nations . It occurs also in  Jeremiah 51:27 (the King James Version "Ashchenaz") in connection with the kingdoms of Ararat and Minni, which suggests a location about Armenia.

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Ash´kenaz ( Genesis 10:3), and Ashchenaz ( Jeremiah 51:27), the name of a son of Gomer, son of Japhet, and of a tribe of his descendants. In Jeremiah it is placed with Ararat and Minni, provinces of Armenia; whence it is probable that Ashkenaz was a province of Armenia; or at least that it lay not far from it, near the Caucasus, or towards the Black Sea.