ARFAXAD (Arphaxad). - Two biblical personages.
1. A. (Hebr. 'Arpahšad), son of Sem, born 2 years after the flood (Gen. 10, 22; 11, 10), Heber (v.). The name seems also to be an ethnic designation, like Elam, Assur, Aram, Lud. Perhaps it denotes Arrapachitis (Ptolemy, Geogr., VI, 1, 2; Assyr. Arrapha), in the mountainous region northeast of Mesopotamia; more probably it denotes the Chaldeans (Kaidim) of lower Mesopotamia, whence Abramo came.
2. A., king of Media (Iudt. 1, 1 and 5), defeated by Nabuchodonosor of Ninive; no trace of either is found in other ancient documents. The altered name seems to correspond to Phraortes, the Mede Fravartish or Parruvartis. It does not here denote Phraortes I (ca. 647-625 B.C.), successor of Deioces, who founded the Median dynasty (Herodotus, I, 102); but rather Phraortes II, who, according to the Behistun (Bisutûn) inscription, was defeated by Darius I (522-485) in the region of Raga (cf. Iudt. 1, 5, 15). Others suppose another personage from the time of Artaserse II (404-358) or of Artaserse III (358-337), not yet identifiable. Giuseppe Prieto