CH1TTIM, or KITTIM (n+ri a branch of the descendants of Javan, the son of Japheth (Gen. x. 4). The plural termination of Chittim, and other names in this ethnographical survey (ver. 13, 14), renders it probable that the term son must be understood (like its correlate, father; v. An) not in the strict sense of that relation. On the authority of Josephus, who is followed by Epi phanies and Jerome, it has been generally admitted that the Chittim migrated from Phoenicia to Cy prus, and founded there the town of Citium, the modern Chitti. Chethimus possessed the island of Chethima, which is now called Cyprus, and from this all islands and maritime places are called Chethim by the Hebrews' (Joseph. An/lg. i. 6. sec. t). Cicero, it may be remarked, speaks of the Citians as a Phoenician colony (De Finibus, iv. 20), scis enim Citheos clientes twos a Phoe nicia profectos.' Dr. Pococke copied at Citium thirty-three inscriptions in Phoenician characters, of which an engraving is given in his Description of the East (vol. ii. p. 213), and which have re cently been explained by Gesenius in his Alanum. Phonic. (p. 124-133). Some passages in the pro phets (Ezek. xxvii. 6 ; Is. xxiii. 1, 12) imply an intimate connection between Chittim and Tyre. At a later period the name was applied to the Macedonians (1 Maccab. i. 1, XerrEcolit ; and viii. 5, Hengstenberg has lately endeavoured to prove that in every passage in the 0. T. where the word occurs, it means Cyprus, or the Cyprians. On Num. xxiv. 24, he remarks, that the invad are of Ashur and Eber are said to come not /*Int Chittim, but C'Tii "PD, from the coast of Chittim, that being the track of vessels coming from the west of Palestine. In Dan. xi. 30, he
contends that the use of the absolute form, n'ny, instead of the construct, denotes a less intimate connection with the following word, and that the phrase means, like that in Balaam's prophecy (to which he supposes the prophet alludes) ships sail ing along the coast of Chittim. The Vulgate trans kites Chittim, in this passage, Romano!, an inter pretation adopted by several of the ancient Jewish and Christian writers. Bochart attempts to sup port it on etymological grounds, of which Michaelis presumes to say, etymologica autem gum de Latio Bochartus habet, facile ipsi relinquo, quiestiones geographicas his crepundiis carere cupiens.' Chittim seems to be a name of large significa tion (such as our LeVant), applied to the islands and coasts of the Mediterranean, in a loose sense, without fixing the particular part, though particu lar and different parts of the whole are probably in most cases to be understood' (v. Pictorial Bible, notes on Ezek. xxvii. 6) ; Michaelis, Spicilegium Geographic Hebraorum Extern post Bochartum, pars i. pp. 1-7, to3-114 ; Michaelis SuPPlementa ad Lexica Hebraica, pp. 1138, 1377-1380 ; Bo charti Geogr. Sacr. c. '57-161 ; Gesenii Thesaurus, p. 726; Pococke's Description of the East, vol. ii. p. 213 ; Newton's Dissertations on the Prophecies, v. ; Hengstenberg, History of Balaam, etc., p. 500, transl. by J. E. Ryland, Edin. 1848 • Conybeare and Howson's St. Paid, i. 183.—J. E. R.