Havilah

Havilah (חֲוִילָה Ḥăwīlāh) refers to both a land and people in several books of the Bible; the one mentioned in , while the other is mentioned in . In Genesis 2:10–11, it is associated with the Garden of Eden. Two individuals named Havilah are listed in the Table of Nations as descendants of Noah. The name also appears in Genesis 25:18, defining the territory of the Ishmaelites. Extra-biblical literature mentions Havilah as the source of precious jewels used by the Amorites. The exact location of Havilah is debated, with various scholars suggesting it may be in southwest Arabia or North Somalia. In one case, Havilah is associated with the Garden of Eden, that mentioned in the Book of Genesis (2:10–11): And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; In addition to the region described in chapter 2 of Genesis, two individuals named Havilah are listed in the Table of Nations. The Table lists the descendants of Noah, who are considered eponymous ancestors of nations. Besides the name mentioned in , another is mentioned in the Books of Chronicles (). One person is the son of Cush, the son of Ham. The other person is a son of Joktan and descendant of Shem. The name Havilah appears in , where it defines the territory inhabited by the Ishmaelites as being "from Havilah to Shur, opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria"; and in the Books of Samuel (), which states that king Saul smote the Amalekites who were living there, except for King Agag, whom he took prisoner. One passage mentions Israelites being sent to Assyria and Halah. According to the monk Antoine Augustin Calmet, Halah most likely indicates Havilah. In extra-biblical literature, the land of Havilah is mentioned in Pseudo-Philo as the source of the precious jewels that the Amorites used in fashioning their in the days after Joshua, when Kenaz was judge over the Israelites.