DESCENDANTS OF HAM

HE DESCENDANTS OF HAM
Genesis 10:6-20         Ham's descendants settled towards the south west along the Mediterranean into North Africa and southward into the rest of the continent. Ham had four sons, but grandsons are listed for only three.

THE CUSHITES         The Cushites settled in south Arabia, southern Egypt, the Sudan and northern Ethiopia. Seba is associated with Upper Egypt. Havilah, meaning "sea land" could refer to northern Arabia on the Persian Gulf or Ethiopia. Raamah and Sabtechah were in southern Arabia. Sheba, home of the Queen of Sheba, of I Kings 10, was in southwest Arabia and Dedan in the north. Various tribes in these areas trace their heritage back to Shem, which would indicate some mixing of the tribes.⁽¹⁾

NIMROD          Verse 9:8-10, refer to Cush's son Nimrod. Nimrod's name means "to rebel" or "let us rebel". Nimrod, is called a "mighty hunter". This is in sharp contrast to the prophecy of Noah, that Ham's descendants would be servants to Shem and Japheth. Nimrod built and apparently ruled the first great city after the Floor, Babylon. Afterward he extended his rule into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth and Calah. Nimrod was the first world ruler. The Bible does not say that Nimrod was responsible for the Tower of Babel, but it seems logical that he was being the founder and ruler of the city. The Babylonians invented the first false religion which was a worship of the stars, astrology. Babylon is infamous in Scripture as being a wicked city openly rebelling and fighting against God. The people of these great cities were major enemies of Israel throughout history. Nimrod was not a servant as Noah had prophesied, but the opposite a "mighty hunter".⁽²⁾ It seems Nimrod's goal in life was to disprove the prophecy of his grandfather and it is possible Ham's resentment of his father Noah was kindled in his grandson.

MIZRAIM         Ham's son Mizraim's descendants are associated with North Africa to the island of Crete. The note in verse 14, states that from Casluhium came the Philistim or Philistines.

THE CANAANITES          The origin of the hated and sinful Canaanite who lived in Palestine came for the lineage of Ham. The Canaanites practiced probably the most sordid and evil religions based on murder and sexual perversion. The idol Baal, was the son of El, the head of a pantheon of decadent deities. Their civilizations was so corrupted that God commanded the Children of Israel to completely destroy them including their animals. Other descendants of the Canaanites were the Chinese, from the Sinites, verse 10:17. Further, the Sinites were probably the ancestors of all the Mongoloid peoples including the people of the South Sea Islands and the Americas.