Person Old Testament
Madai
Madai, a son of Japheth, is considered the ancestor of the Medes. Mentioned in 2 verses across 2 books, first at Genesis 10:2.
Why it matters. Son of Japheth; progenitor of the Medes
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Madai
Madai is mentioned in the Table of Nations (Gen.10) and the genealogy of Chronicles (1Ch.1) as one of the sons of Japheth, the son of Noah. He is considered the ancestor of the Medes, an ancient Iranian people who inhabited the region of Media in western Iran. The Medes played a significant role in the ancient Near East, forming a powerful empire and later contributing to the Persian Empire. In the Bible, the Medes are known for their role in the fall of Babylon, as prophesied by Isaiah and Jeremiah (Isa.13.17; Jer.51.11,28). The inclusion of Madai in the Table of Nations and the genealogy of Chronicles emphasizes the biblical understanding of the origins and relationships of the various nations and people groups in the ancient world. As a descendant of Japheth, Madai is part of the lineage that spread out and populated the coastlands and islands, as described in Genesis 10.5.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
- Parents
- Japheth
Appears in Scripture
Named in 2 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.