Who Are the Descendants of Ham Today? Tracing the Lineage of Noah’s Middle Son

Ham was one of Noah’s three sons, along with Shem and Japheth, who survived the great flood by taking refuge aboard the ark. As one of the progenitors of the human race after the deluge, Ham’s lineage played a pivotal role in repopulating the earth But who exactly were his descendants, and which modern day peoples can claim Hamite ancestry?

Ham’s Prominent Role in the Old Testament

Ham first appears in the book of Genesis, where he is listed as the middle son of Noah. Along with his brothers and father, Ham was righteous enough to be saved from the flood that wiped out the rest of humanity. Inside the ark, the family endured 40 days and nights of torrential downpour before the waters receded and they were able to disembark on Mount Ararat.

Once on dry land, Ham committed a shameful act by seeing his father Noah naked and drunk inside his tent Instead of covering his father’s nakedness, Ham made a mockery of the situation to his brothers Shem and Japheth. As punishment, Noah cursed Ham’s youngest son Canaan, declaring that he would serve his uncles Shem and Japheth

Despite this incident, Ham went on to become the forefather of several prominent groups mentioned in the Old Testament, including:

• Cushites
• Egyptians
• Philistines
• Canaanites

The Extent of Ham’s Legacy in the Ancient World

As Noah’s middle son, Ham received a significant portion of the world to settle after the flood. According to the Table of Nations in Genesis 10, his domain stretched across much of Africa, from Egypt in the northeast to Ethiopia in the southeast, and as far west as Libya.

Notable descendants of Ham include:

• Cush: Forefather of the Cushites, an ancient civilization centered around the Nile Valley in northeast Africa.
• Mizraim: Hebrew name for Egypt. The Egyptians left an enduring legacy as one of the earliest advanced civilizations.
• Phut: Ancestral tribe of the Libyans in North Africa.
• Canaan: Patriarch of the Canaanites who inhabited the Levant. The early Israelites conquered Canaan according to the Old Testament.

So in many ways, Ham was the progenitor of some of the most influential African civilizations in the ancient Near East and along the Mediterranean coast. His lineage intertwined with the ancestors of the Israelites through intermarriage and conflict.

The Hamites Today: Tracing Ancestry to Africa

When it comes to identifying Ham’s descendants in the modern era, things get more speculative. According to biblical scholars, Africans from below the Sahara desert likely have roots tracing back to ancient Ham. This includes:

• Ethiopians
• Somalians
• Sudanese
• Egyptians
• Libyans

Across the Red Sea, Ham’s great-grandson Joktan was ancestor of several Arabian tribes, so Yemenis and others in the peninsula could potentially claim some Hamite heritage.

More controversially, some have theorized that Ham’s son Mizraim voyaged from Africa to settle in Australia or other parts of Oceania. According to this view, groups such as Australian aboriginals and Papuans of New Guinea might be distant descendants of Ham as well. However, the historical migrations that brought Oceanic peoples to the islands remain a complex and politically charged topic.

In the end, Ham’s African heritage is most strongly represented today by the diverse populations below the Sahara. While we cannot trace an unbroken line back to Noah’s son, their ancestries almost certainly interconnect somewhere in antiquity, as Ham’s offspring established civilizations that would flourish for centuries. His legacy remains stamped across much of the continent to this day.