Person Old Testament
Ham
Ham, one of Noah's three sons, was the father of Canaan and the ancestor of various nations. Mentioned in 10 verses across 2 books, first at Genesis 5:32.
Why it matters. One of Noah's three sons, father of Canaan.
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Ham
Ham was one of the three sons of Noah, along with Shem and Japheth (Gen.5.32; 6.10). He and his wife were among the eight people who survived the great flood in Noah's ark (Gen.7.13). After the flood, Ham became the father of Canaan (Gen.9.18). An incident occurred in which Ham saw his father Noah naked and informed his brothers (Gen.9.22). When Noah awoke and learned of Ham's actions, he pronounced a curse on Canaan, Ham's son (Gen.9.24-25). Ham is also mentioned as the ancestor of various nations, including the Cushites, Egyptians, Put, and Canaanites (Gen.10.6-20). These nations are often referred to as the "sons of Ham" and are generally associated with the regions of Africa and the Middle East. In the Table of Nations (Genesis 10), Ham's descendants are listed, providing insight into the geographical distribution of ancient people groups. Ham's significance in the Bible lies primarily in his role as the father of Canaan and the ancestor of nations that would later play important roles in the history of Israel.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
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Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 10 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.