Ezekiel 27:19

“Vedan and Javan traded with yarn for your wares,

Wrought iron, cassia and calamus were among your merchandise.”

Vedan and this Javan are both unknown. The latter may have been a Greek conclave in Arabia. They would appear in context to lie between Syria/Israel and Arabia.

However alternative renderings have been suggested. ‘we dan' could be read as ‘and casks' (we danne) and ‘we jawan me'uzal' as ‘and wine (jayin) from Uzal (or Izalla)', thus continuing the theme of wine from Damascus. Uzal may be connected with modern Sana, the capital of Yemen.

However, cassia was a fragrant aromatic substance used in the anointing oil of Exodus 30:23, as was calamus, or ‘sweet cane' (compare Isaiah 43:24; Jeremiah 6:20). In Jeremiah the latter is connected with Arabia which favours reading ‘Vedan and Javan' as places in Arabia.