The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the earth.” (Genesis 9:18-19). Noah’s family disembarked from the ark on Mount Ararat, near the headwaters of the Euphrates. Later, they migrated back, 500 miles, to Babylonia, their pre-Flood home. About 100 years later (2245 BCE), they were scattered by the confusion of languages.
SHEM
Shem was the oldest son of Noah (Genesis 5:32, 6:10, 7:13, 9:18, 23, 26-27, 11:10, 1 Chronicles 1:4, 1:17-27 and Luke 3:36) and the ancestor of the Jewish peoples (Genesis 10:1, 21-21). Shem lived six hundred years (11:10-11). In Hebrew, Shem means “name,” perhaps implying that Noah expected this son’s name to become great. In Genesis 11:10-27, the line of descent for the promised seed, which was to crush the power of Satan (3:15 and 5:1-32), is traced through Shem to Abraham, and ultimately through Judah and David to Jesus Christ (Luke 3:36). The blessing of Noah on Shem is taken as an indication that the line of Shem will be the line that will produce the seed that is described in Genesis 3:15. This is the first time in the Bible that God is called the God of some particular individual or group of people. The statement that Canaan would be a servant to Shem was fulfilled centuries later when the Israelites, who descended from Shem, entered the land of Canaan and conquered the inhabitants of the land (1 Kings 9:20-21). In the “table of nations” recorded in Genesis 10, five descendants of Shem are mentioned (Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram). Eber, from the line of Arphaxad, receives particular emphasis among these descendants, when his line is traced to Abraham in 11:16-27. In other words, the descendants of Shem; Shemites or Semites) included Jews, Assyrians, Syrians, and Elamites in the northern Euphrates Valley and its borders.
HAM
Ham was the second son of Noah (Genesis 5:32, 6:10, 7:13, 9:18, 22, Genesis 10:1, 20 and 1 Chronicles 1:8). Ham, then, is seen as the ancestor of the Egyptians, as well as the people in Africa, Arabia, and Canaan. After the Flood, Noah began cultivating vineyards, and on one occasion exposed himself while he was drunk (Genesis 9:20-24). Ham saw his father lying naked and related the incident to Shem and Japheth, who covered Noah up discreetly. When Noah awoke and learned what Ham’s son Canaan had done to him while he was asleep, Noah cursed Ham’s son Canaan, saying his brothers (Cush, Mizraim, and Put) and Shem and Japheth would rule over him. The expression describing Noah’s “youngest son,” refers to Canaan who was the youngest son during the time of this incident. Ham is repeatedly seen as the second of the brothers, not the youngest (5:32, 6:10, 7:13, 9:18 and 10:1). Noah’s curse was on “his youngest son” during the time of this incident and for Canaan and his descendants because Canaan committed some kind of disrespectful act on a sleeping Noah which was not recorded in the Bible. “Son” used for “grandson” was common in ancient times, and it seems to have been used here in this way since Canaan is the “youngest” of the grandsons. The curse, then, as the text clearly says, is on Canaan rather than Ham. Canaan, and his offspring, were to be subject to Ham’s sons, Japheth, and Shem. In other words, the descendants of Ham went southward. The names given indicate south and central Arabia, Egypt, the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, and the east coast of Africa. Canaan, son of Ham, and his descendants settled, and gave their name to, the land which later became the homeland of the Jews.
JAPHETH
Japheth was the third son of Noah (Genesis 5:32, 6:10, 7:13, 9:18, 23, 26-27, 11:10, 1 Chronicles 1:4, 1:17-27 and Luke 3:36). Because he was one of Noah’s three sons (Genesis 5:32; 1 Chronicles 1:4-5), Japheth, along with his wife, was among the eight human survivors of the great Flood. Because Japheth and his brother Shem acted with respect and modesty in covering their father’s nakedness while he was in a drunken condition (Genesis 9:20-23), they were both blessed in Noah’s prophetic pronouncement of 9:26-27. Of Japheth, Noah said, “God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem; and let Canaan be his slave” (RSV). There are two interpretations of the meaning of this prophecy. Some understand the enlargement of Japheth to be a reference to a great increase in numbers of descendants. “To dwell in the tents of Shem” is understood as Japheth’s sharing in the blessing of Shem. According to this view, there is to be a time when God will work primarily with Shem (the people of Israel), but then, at a later time, Japheth will be brought into connection with the faith of Israel and share in its promises. In this view fulfillment is found in the sharing of the gospel with the Gentiles at the beginning of the New Testament church. Others understand the “enlargement of Japheth” to refer to territorial enlargement, and the “dwelling in the tents of Shem” as the conquest of Shemite territory by Japhethites. In this view, fulfillment is found in the Greek and Roman conquests of Palestine. In the “table of nations” in Genesis 10:2, Japheth is listed as the father of Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. These are the ancestors of peoples who lived to the north and west of Israel and who spoke what today are classified as Indo-European languages. In other words, the descendants of Japheth went northward, settled in regions around the Black and Caspian seas; and became progenitors of the Caucasian races of Europe and Asia
PRIMARY SOURCES: Creation Scientists Answer Their Critics; Duane T Gish, Ph.D., 1993. Creation; Dr. Grant Jeffrey; 2003. In The Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood; Dr. Walter Brown; 2008. Unveiling Mysteries of the Bible; Dr. Grant Je