We know that every person and every story in the Bible has been placed there for a purpose. A very old and short story in the Bible is about Ham, Noah’s youngest son. And it’s a strange one.
It’s difficult to understand why Ham does what he does, as there is no explanation. Yet we know that it had repercussions for Noah’s lineage for generations.
In the biblical story of Noah and the Ark, Ham was one of Noah’s three sons who helped build the ark and start repopulating the earth after the Great Flood However, Ham’s story took a complicated turn after the floodwaters receded. He became cursed by his own father, and his lineage faced conflict and servitude for generations
So what exactly happened to Ham after the flood, and how did it impact his descendants? Let’s take a deeper look at this complex biblical narrative.
Who Was Ham?
In the Book of Genesis Ham was the younger son of Noah after Shem but before Japheth. Along with his brothers and their wives, Ham boarded the massive ark with his parents to survive the global deluge God unleashed to wipe out sinful humanity.
After a year aboard the ark, the floodwaters receded, and Noah’s family emerged to start rebuilding civilization. As one of just eight survivors, Ham would play a key role in repopulating the earth.
However one fateful incident immediately after the flood would drastically alter the future for Ham and his offspring.
The Shameful Incident with Noah
According to Genesis 9, shortly after the flood Noah became drunk and passed out naked in his tent. Ham saw his father’s nakedness but did nothing to cover him. Instead, he told his brothers Shem and Japheth about it. They walked backward into the tent to avoid seeing Noah’s nakedness and covered him without looking.
When Noah awoke and realized what Ham had done, he cursed not Ham himself but Ham’s son Canaan, stating he would be a slave to his brothers. Noah then blessed Shem and Japheth for their respectful actions.
Why Was Ham’s Behavior So Wrong?
Viewing a parent’s nakedness was considered an extremely shameful act in ancient times. Ham’s offense went far beyond embarrassing his father – it was a serious breach of family honor and virtue.
Ham’s act showed disregard for morality and rejection of Noah’s paternal authority. Instead of discreetly covering his father, Ham broadcast the shame. Noah’s severe reaction reflects ancient attitudes about honor, decency and respect.
While it may seem puzzling today, the incident was a grievous offense in their cultural context. Ham’s moral failure carried severe consequences.
Ham’s Descendants Face Generational Curses
Noah’s cursing of Ham’s son Canaan essentially damned Ham’s descendants to hardship and servitude. Several of Canaan’s offspring settled in the land of Canaan, which Israelites would later conquer:
- Hittites
- Jebusites
- Amorites
- Girgashites
- Hivites
- Arkites
- Sinites
- Arvadites
- Zemarites
- Hamathites
These Canaanite peoples were targets of judgment for their pagan practices and idolatry, facing defeat and slavery. Israelites were instructed to destroy them and take their land.
So Ham’s sinful legacy manifested as generational curses upon his descendants. His line faced judgment and subjugation for centuries due to his shameful actions.
Where Did Ham and His Family Settle?
Based on Genesis 10’s Table of Nations, Ham’s descendants branched out across parts of Africa, Arabia and the Near East.
- Cush – settled in Ethiopia
- Egypt – settled by the Nile
- Put – located in Libya
- Canaan – settled the Promised Land
Additionally, Nimrod, the mighty hunter and king of Babel, was Ham’s great-grandson. Ham’s offspring built great ancient cities like Nineveh and Babylon.
But despite building powerful civilizations, Ham’s descendants still faced oppression. The repercussions of his dishonorable behavior continued for generations.
Could Ham Have Avoided This Fate?
If Ham had simply covered his father’s nakedness and refrained from mocking him, history may have played out very differently. There’s no indication Noah would have cursed Ham if he’d acted respectfully.
Sadly, Ham’s moral failure set his family line on a tragic course. While his brothers Shem and Japheth received blessings, Ham’s offspring encountered slavery, defeat and dispossession.
One impulsive act resonated for centuries, creating generational consequences Ham could never have imagined. His legacy stands as a cautionary tale of how a shameful mistake can permanently impact one’s descendants.
Lessons from Ham’s Story
Thousands of years later, Ham’s story still offers timeless lessons:
- Respect your parents; treat them with dignity.
- Be discreet with sensitive matters; don’t spread shame.
- Honor virtue and morality; don’t justify wrong acts.
- Consider how your actions will affect future generations.
- Sin has rippling consequences, even impacting those far downstream.
While we are not doomed to repeat our ancestors’ failures, it’s wise to learn from them. Ham’s complicated tale will continue inspiring vital conversations around morality and consequences for generations to come.
What Happened When They Left the Ark?
When Noah, his wife, Ham, Shem, and Japheth came out of the ark with their wives, Noah built an altar for the Lord. He sacrificed burnt offerings in thanksgiving to God (Genesis 8:20-21). God then established a covenant with all of them, calling them to be fruitful and multiply and promising that every creature would be subject to them and could be used for food. Then the Great God Jehovah made a covenant with all of them, and with all of us for all time, that He would never destroy the earth again by flood. The sign to remind them and God of this covenant was God’s promise of a rainbow after the rain.
Then things took a turn for the worse. Noah, knowledgeable about growing plants, started a vineyard after the flood. When the grapes grew on the vines, Noah made wine. The Bible doesn’t talk about wine before this, so it’s possible that Noah didn’t know that drinking too much of it would make him drunk, but it does say, “He became drunk.” ”.
According to Matthew Henry’s Commentary, “We have reason to think he was never drunk before nor after; observe how he came now to be overtaken in this fault. It was his sin, and a great sin, so much the worse for its being so soon after a great deliverance; but God left him to himself…” So much so that he passed out and lay uncovered (partially or fully naked) inside his tent.
What happens next changes the course of history for Noah’s family. Genesis 9:22 says “Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside.” Was Ham embarrassed, disgusted, or making fun of his father? We don’t know. All we know is that his brothers had greater respect for Noah, walked into the tent backward with a garment, and covered his nakedness.
What Is the Story of Noah, His Family and the Ark?
It was a situation that grieved God greatly. He had created a perfect world without sin, but it became corrupted by the people He created in His . But God knew that even in this cesspool of wickedness, there was a righteous man: Noah, son of Lamech. Noah “walked with God,” and it was through Noah’s faith and obedience that God would start all over. He would destroy all humanity yet save Noah, his wife, his three sons (Shem, Ham, and Japheth) and their wives, along with many animals.
God chose to send a flood to wipe out all of humanity, and He could have done just that, perhaps safeguarding Noah and his family and animals on a high mountain. But just like many other examples in the Bible, God chose to work through a faithful person who would reflect God’s power and glory through their weakness. God told Noah that He wanted an ark to be built by Noah, a huge vessel that would protect Noah’s family and animals of His own choosing. They would be kept safe from the huge flood He sent to cleanse the earth from evil. The Bible doesn’t explicitly tell us how long it took to build the ark. Still, many have tried to guess from the fact that it was built between the time Noah was 500 and 600 years old– which is when they entered the ark (Genesis 7:6). That doesn’t mean it took 100 years or close to it, but what God wanted us to know was that His instructions were specific and Noah willingly, in faith, did exactly as he was instructed.
When the floodwaters came, Noah entered the ark with his wife, his three sons and their wives, and the animals God told Noah to take with them. Gospel Coalition contributor Joe Carter estimates Noah and his family were on the ark for 370 days: 40 days of rain, 150 days of riding the waters, 150 days of water abating and of Noah sending out birds to find dry ground.
THE 3 WOMEN OF SHEM, HAM, AND JAPHETH NOAH’S DAUGHTER IN LAW ON THE ARK AND AFTER THE FLOOD
FAQ
Where did Noah’s son Ham end up?
Who is Ham in the Quran?
Why was Ham involved in a sordid family incident?
Ham was involved in a sordid family incident. As Noah’s family worked to reestablish civilization after the flood, Noah became “a man of the soil” and grew a vineyard ( Genesis 9:20 ). One day, he became drunk after imbibing some of the wine he had produced. Ham entered Noah’s tent and found his father there, passed out and naked.
What happened after the flood?
Everything changed after the Flood, as recorded in Genesis 9:20-27: Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside.
What happened to Noah’s children after the flood?
Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives, accompanied Noah and his wife on the ark to escape the flood. After the flood, Noah’s sons and their wives and offspring repopulated the earth. The offspring of Shem inherited the Promised Land, displacing the Canaanites, the descendants of Ham.
Why did Noah curse Ham?
Still others think that, as “uncovering nakedness” refers to sexual sin elsewhere in the Bible, Ham committed a sexual sin with his father’s wife, possibly fathering Canaan from it. Regardless, Ham behaved disrespectfully toward his father, Noah, and because of this, Noah cursed him by cursing Ham’s beloved descendent, Canaan.