Ham

Ham (meaning hot, heat, or brown) was the second of Noah's three sons and, according to Genesis 10, the ancestor of the peoples of Africa and the ancient Near East: Egypt (Mizraim), Canaan, Cush (Ethiopia), and Phut (Libya) are listed among his descendants (Gen. 10:6). The name Ham is also used in the Psalms as a poetic name for Egypt: the land of Ham (Ps. 105:23, 27; 106:22), reflecting the ancient connection between the name and Egyptian civilization.

Ham's moral failure occurs in Genesis 9:22–24 when he saw the nakedness of his father while Noah lay drunk in his tent and told his brothers rather than covering Noah discreetly. The precise nature of his offense has been debated, but the canonical narrative treats it as a serious violation of honor and shame conventions, resulting in Noah's curse upon Ham's son Canaan—a curse invoked throughout Israel's later interactions with Canaanite peoples. Ham himself is not cursed, only his son, a distinction that has theological and historical significance.