Ham
A son of Noah and the father of Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan. He saw his father's nakedness when Noah lay drunk in his tent and told his two brothers outside, who covered Noah without looking. On waking, Noah cursed not Ham but Ham's son Canaan, condemning him to be a servant of servants — a text with a long and shameful history of misuse. His descendants in the table of nations are the peoples of Africa and the Levantine coast, including the Canaanites and Philistines.
What we know — and how we know it
Scan by NYPL — Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)
Ancient writersThe Jewish historian Josephus retells the account of Noah's son Ham and traces the 'Hamite' nations (including the peoples of Egypt, Cush, Put, and Canaan) descended from him, expanding the Genesis genealogy for a first-century audience.
Where in scripture
Genesis1 ChroniclesNoah was five hundred years old, then Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Genesis 5:32
Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Genesis 6:10
In the same day Noah, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth—the sons of Noah—and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ship—
Genesis 7:13
The sons of Noah who went out from the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham is the father of Canaan.
Genesis 9:18
Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.
Genesis 9:22 — Sees his father's nakedness
Now this is the history of the generations of the sons of Noah and of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.
Genesis 10:1
The sons of Ham were: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
Genesis 10:6
These are the sons of Ham, after their families, according to their languages, in their lands and their nations.
Genesis 10:20
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.
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