Noah’s Sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth:

“Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.”
(Genesis 9:18–19, NKJV)

• Shem
  •     Ancestor of the Semitic peoples: Elamites, Assyrians, Arameans, Hebrews.
  •     His line includes Arphaxad, which eventually leads to Abraham (Genesis 11).
  •     Through Abraham, Israel, and David, the lineage continues to Jesus Christ (Matthew 1).

• Ham
  •     Father of Cush, Mizraim (Egypt), Put, and Canaan.
  •     Cush’s line includes Nimrod, “a mighty hunter before the Lord” (Genesis 10:8–9).
  •     Ham’s descendants settled in Africa and the Near East, including Egypt, Philistia, and the Canaanite nations.

• Japheth
  •     Ancestor of Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
  •     His descendants spread across Europe and Asia.
  •     Genesis 10:5 notes that “from these the coastland peoples spread.”

The Vineyard Incident:

“Then Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent.”
(Genesis 9:20–21, NKJV)

•     Ham saw his father’s nakedness and told his brothers.
•     Shem and Japheth walked backward with a garment, covering Noah without looking at him.

•     Noah’s response:
•     Cursed be Canaan (Ham’s son): “A servant of servants he shall be to his brethren.” (Genesis 9:25)
•     Blessing on Shem: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem. And may Canaan be his servant.” (Genesis 9:26)
•     Blessing on Japheth: “May God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem. And may Canaan be his servant.” (Genesis 9:27)

The Table of Nations:

“Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood.”
(Genesis 10:1, NKJV)

Descendants of Japheth
•     Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, Tiras.
•     Associated with Indo-European peoples, including Greeks (Javan) and Scythians.

Descendants of Ham
•     Cush, Mizraim, Put, Canaan.
•     Nimrod (from Cush) became a mighty ruler, founding Babel, Nineveh, and other cities.
•     From Ham came Egypt, Philistia, and the Canaanite nations.

Descendants of Shem
•     Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, Aram.
•     Arphaxad’s line leads to Abraham (Genesis 11).
•     Shem’s descendants are central to the biblical narrative of Israel.

“These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood.”
(Genesis 10:32, NKJV)