1 Chronicles 1:7

Elishah Ezekiel (1 Chronicles 27:7) addressing Tyre, "Blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was thine awning." Elishah clearly denotes some islands or coastlands near the territory of Javan, but no closer identification is at present possible. If it be the Alashyaof the Tell-el-Amarna Letters (cp. Flinders Petrie, Syria and Egypt, p. 161), it may be Cyprusor some part of Cyprus; cp. note on Kittim.

Tarshish Probably Tarsus in Cilicia is meant, for the next people mentioned are its near neighbours, the Kittim, i.e. the inhabitants of Cyprus. Tarsus was early colonised by the Greeks and was the capital of the country as early as the close of the fifth century b.c. It is to be distinguished from the Tarshish (Tartessus in the south of Spain) of Ezekiel 27:12.

Kittim spelt in A.V. Chittim(R.V. Kittim) in Numbers 24:24; Isaiah 23:1; Isaiah 23:12; Jeremiah 2:10; Ezekiel 27:6, and Daniel 11:30. The inhabitants of Cyprus are meant, and "Kittim may be a reminiscence of Citium, the name of one of its oldest towns. In later times Kittim" (Chittim) is used vaguely of Western nations; "the ships of Kittim" (Daniel 11:30) are the Roman ships; "the land of Chittim" (Χεττιείμ, 1MMalachi 1:1) is Macedonia (ib.1Ma 8:5).

Dodanim R.V. Rodanim, so Heb. and LXX. (Ῥόδιοι). In the A.V. the spelling is made to agree with that of Genesis 10:4, where, however, the LXX. has again Ῥόδιοι. No doubt the Rhodians are meant; their island was celebrated even in the days of Homer. For the confusion of reading between Dand Rsee note on Riphath, 1 Chronicles 1:6.