Esau
Esau is the elder son of Isaac in the Hebrew Bible. He is mentioned in the Book of Genesis and by the minor prophet, prophets Obadiah and Malachi. The story of Jacob and Esau reflects the historical relationship between Israel and Edom, aiming ...
's eldest son), an Edomite and associate of Seir. According to the book of Genesis, his brothers were Omar, Teman, (''Zepho''), Gatam, Kenaz and his half-brother Amalek the son of a concubine. He is mentioned in the chapter of Esau's genealogical records, Genesis 36:11.
According to the legend quoted in Josippon and Jasher, he was captured by the military forces of
Joseph
Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...
and imprisoned, but escaped and was later serving as a general for Libya then Kittim. According to this account, he became a Latin King in Latium which was the area where Rome was to be founded later along the Tiber river. King Zepho son of Eliphaz was called Janus Saturnus by his subjects.Book of Jasher Sacred-texts Apocrypha
In the Kabbalistic "Treatise on the Left Emanation" by Isaac ha-Cohen of Soria, Zephon (called Tzephon) is one of the angels associated with the 6th sephira, Tiphereth.
In
John Milton
John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'' was written in blank verse and included 12 books, written in a time of immense religious flux and politic ...
's ''
Paradise Lost
''Paradise Lost'' is an Epic poetry, epic poem in blank verse by the English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The poem concerns the Bible, biblical story of the fall of man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their ex ...
'', Zephon, also Zepho was an
angel
An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
, sent by the
archangel
Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the Catholic hierarchy of angels, based on and put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in the 5th or 6th century in his book ''De Coelesti Hierarchia'' (''On the Celestial Hierarchy'') ...
Gabriel
In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...
together with
Ithuriel
Ithuriel is an angel mentioned in John Milton's 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost''.
''Paradise Lost''
In ''Paradise Lost'', Ithuriel is one of two angels (the other being Zephon) charged by the archangel Gabriel to go in search of Satan, who is lo ...
, to find out the location of
Satan
Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...
after his Fall. According to Milton, Zephon is a
cherub
A cherub (; : cherubim; ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'') is one type of supernatural being in the Abrahamic religions. The numerous depictions of cherubim assign to them many different roles, such as protecting the entrance of the Garden of ...
and a guardian prince of
Paradise
In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...
.
In
Canaanite religion
Canaanite religion or Syro-Canaanite religions refers to the myths, cults and ritual practices of people in the Levant during roughly the first three millennia BC. Canaanite religions were polytheistic and in some cases monolatristic. They we ...
Zephon was also identified with Jebel Aqra, the home of the
Elohim
''Elohim'' ( ) is a Hebrew word meaning "gods" or "godhood". Although the word is plural in form, in the Hebrew Bible it most often takes singular verbal or pronominal agreement and refers to a single deity, particularly but not always the Go ...
List of angels in theology
This is a list of angels in religion, theology, astrology and magic, including both specific angels (e.g., Gabriel) and types of angels (e.g., seraphim
A seraph ( ; pl.: ) is a Angelic being, celestial or heavenly being originating in Anci ...