RIPHATH, or RIPHAT, second son of Gomor, and grandson of Japhet (Gen. x. 3. ריפח Riphat). In most copies he is called Diphath in the Chronicles (1 Chr. i. 6. ריפח Diphath). The resemblance of the two Hebrew letters γ Resh and ד Daleth is so much, that they are very often confounded. But, to the credit of the translators of our English version be it said, that in this instance, as well as in many others, they have restored the original reading, and rendered it Ripath. The learned are not agreed about the country that was peopled by the descendants of Ripath. The Chaldee and Arabic take it for France; Eusebius for the country of the Sauromatæ; the Chronicon Alexandrinum for that of the Garamantæ; Josephus for Paphlagonia. Mela assures us, that anciently the people of this province were called Riphatæ, or Riphatæ; and in Bithynia, bordering upon Paphlagonia, may be found the river Rhebeus, a people called Rhebantæ, and a canton of the same name. These reasons have prevailed with Bochart to believe, that Ripath peopled Paphlagonia. Others think he peopled the Montes Riphei; and this opinion seems the most reasonable to us, because the other sons of Gomor peopled the northern countries towards Scythia, and beyond the Euxine sea.