Bible Figure
Ham
biblical figure, son of Noah
Ham was a son of Noah and ancestor of Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
Biography
Genesis names Ham among Noah's three sons who survived the flood with their wives. Afterward, when Noah became drunk and lay uncovered, Ham saw his father's nakedness and told his brothers, while Shem and Japheth covered Noah without looking. When Noah awoke, he pronounced a curse not on Ham but on Ham's son Canaan, while blessing Shem and Japheth. Genesis 10 traces Ham's descendants through Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan, connecting them with numerous peoples and territories.
Biblical Significance
Ham is a major ancestral figure in the Table of Nations. The biblical text specifically curses Canaan, not Ham, an important distinction given the later misuse of this passage to justify racial theories foreign to the text.