Bible Strands
Genesis 9:18
The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the names of Noah’s three sons exiting the ark immediately after the floodwaters recede and the covenant sign is established. This moment marks the transition from divine judgment to the repopulation of the earth.
The words — The Hebrew וַ/יִּֽהְי֣וּ (va/i.yih.Yu) literally means "and they were," functioning as a narrative connector to introduce the family line. בְנֵי־ (ve.nei-) translates as "sons of," establishing the genealogical framework for the post-flood world.
The thread — The text introduces these names as the foundational lineage that Genesis 10:1 expands into a detailed genealogy. The specific mention of Ham as Canaan’s father directly sets up the curse narrative in Genesis 9:25 and the ethnic divisions in Genesis 10:6.
Why it lands — The verse requires a reader to recognize that human history resumes through a specific, named family rather than an abstract collective. It demands attention to genealogical precision as the structural basis for subsequent biblical narratives of blessing and judgment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.
Cross-references
- Genesis 10:1 This is the account of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who also had sons after the flood.
- Genesis 10:6 The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
- Genesis 9:25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan! A servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”
- Genesis 9:23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment and placed it across their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.
- 1 Chronicles 1:4 The sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.