Sons of Noah

After the flood, Noah’s decendents were the only human’s left to repopulate the earth. Though they each brought different aspects to the human culture as we now know it, the sons of Noah were each very different. It is said that the contribution of Shem had been a spiritual one, of Ham a industrial one, and of Japheth a intellectual one. Ham, Shem, and Japheth, the three sons of Noah each parted ways on Mount Ararat. Shem brought Spirituality and Religion, and the founders of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Japheth produced knowledge, leaving in his steps a mental stimulation, which multiplied to all people. To the world, Ham brought many different races, of who populated a great part of the earth, and he also brought new inventions.

Shem, the eldest son of Noah is known for his spiritual groundwork. Five of the sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Lud, Aram, and Arphaxed. From Elam came the Elamintes, the original inhabitants of Iran, and also Arabia. Asshur’s people were of Assyria. From Lud came the Lydians, who founded Anatolia, which became Turkey. From Aram came the Aramaic people, Armenia, Mesopotamia, and Syria. Arphaxed, said to be one of the ancestors of Abraham, was father of the Akkadians who lived in Iraq and built the first post-Babel empire. With an emphasis on righteousness, spirituality is easily paired with Shem. Unlike his brothers, Ham, who focused on power, and Japheth who focused on understanding, Shem’s descendents focused on righteousness. From Shem’s lineage came the founders of Christianity, Islam (Mohammedanism), and Judaism. Though all of Noah’s sons practiced religion, Shem had the most prominent faith in the God of Israel. Nevertheless, Shem’s descendents were not all correct in their pursue for religion. Some, taking the inspiration of faith, modified their beliefs and from them came paganism.

Japheth, the middle son of Noah is known for his intellectual contribution to the world. Japheth had seven sons in all, Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Mesech, and Tiras. From Gomer came the Cimmerians, who resided in what is now Russia, until the Scythians, who were the descendents of Magog, forced them out. Also from the line of Magog came the Slavs, Russians, Bulgarians, Bohemians, Poles, Slovaks, and Croatians. Madai, the third son of Japheth, the middle son of Noah, is ancestor to the Medes, Persians, Afghans, and Kurds. Javan and his four sons, Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim, are known as the ancestors of the Mediterranean people. Presumably, from Javan’s sons came Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Tarsus, Cilicia, Italy and Rhodes. Living South of the Black Sea were Tiras’s first descendents, the Thracians, a now extinct race. The Thracians were also the predecessors of the Albanians. From Tiras comes the line of Georgians, Armenians, and Chaldeans all from Cappadocia or Eastern Turkey. Mesech was the father of the Phrygians, who inhabited Turkey.

From one of the first times his name is mentioned in the Bible, Ham has done something wrong. He has shamed his father, Noah, by not covering him up in his nakedness. Once Noah found out about this, he cursed Ham’s son, Canaan. “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brother.” Noah goes on, blessing his other two sons, and again saying that Canaan will be their slaves. Although his lineage was cursed to be the lowest of slaves unto his brother, his decendents still flourished. It is said that from the line of Ham came the greater percent of non-white people. From Ham came the people of Africa, and the Aborigines of Australia.

Ham had four sons, Mizraim, Cush, Put, and Canaan. Mizraim’s descendents are easily identified with Egypt through his two sons, Naphtuhim and Pathrusim Cush, the second son mentioned, is father of Sudan, and Ethiopia. Put is coupled with Lybia, of which his decendents flourished. Canaan, the only cursed son of Ham, increased, and from his heritage came the Hivites, Jebusites, Arvadites, Girgashites, Amorites, Arkites, Sinites, Hittites, Sidonians, Perizzites, Zemarites. The Hamitic people vaguely are known for their inventions. It is presumed that the Hamitic people were the first to domesticate many animals, discover copper, steel, and iron, and invent machinery and techniques. The world now owes to the Hamitic people the invention of many building techniques, tools, and materials. As the only cursed son of Ham, is it interesting to know that his descendents became the most perverse adversaries of the Hebrews.

After studying the sons of Noah, it is easy to see the remarkable traits that were passed on to following generations. Each of the three sons played a colossal part in the reformation and regeneration of the world. From their lineage, we are able to see that the entire world came from those three sons. It is amazing to realize how many different races and cultures were brought into the world. The three sons, Shem, Japheth and Ham, all brought specific characteristics, planned by God, to fill the earth. Although there were mistakes made along the way, God’s will was done in everything.