May 4, 2025
Nations Descending from Noah's Son, Ham, and Ham's Son Canaan
Question: What do you think is significant about Ham and Canaan as we look forward in Scripture?
Prayer Focus: Ask God for a revelation of something He plans to redeem in your life even though you cannot see it yet.
Go Deeper: Ham was the father of Canaan. After Ham looked upon his father's nakedness in Genesis 9, Noah cursed Ham's youngest son, Canaan. Canaan's descendants became the Canaanites that the Israelites were later commanded to destroy when they entered the promised land. They all had the same forefather, yet one was chosen to be God's people, and one was chosen to be destroyed by the chosen ones.
At first glance, you may feel like it's unfair for God to curse one descendant and bless another. Yet, as we look at how the story of God unfolds, we see that He is using the Hebrew people to bring His son to earth so that eventually, ALL will have access to salvation. What we see in Ham's family line seems a bit unfair, yet God is always looking for ways to reconnect, redeem, and bring us back to Him.
Question: What do you think is significant about Ham and Canaan as we look forward in Scripture?
Prayer Focus: Ask God for a revelation of something He plans to redeem in your life even though you cannot see it yet.
Go Deeper: Ham was the father of Canaan. After Ham looked upon his father's nakedness in Genesis 9, Noah cursed Ham's youngest son, Canaan. Canaan's descendants became the Canaanites that the Israelites were later commanded to destroy when they entered the promised land. They all had the same forefather, yet one was chosen to be God's people, and one was chosen to be destroyed by the chosen ones.
At first glance, you may feel like it's unfair for God to curse one descendant and bless another. Yet, as we look at how the story of God unfolds, we see that He is using the Hebrew people to bring His son to earth so that eventually, ALL will have access to salvation. What we see in Ham's family line seems a bit unfair, yet God is always looking for ways to reconnect, redeem, and bring us back to Him.
Genesis 10:6-20 New Living Translation
6 The descendants of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
7 The descendants of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.
8 Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, who was the first heroic warrior on earth. 9 Since he was the greatest hunter in the world, his name became proverbial. People would say, “This man is like Nimrod, the greatest hunter in the world.” 10 He built his kingdom in the land of Babylonia, with the cities of Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh. 11 From there he expanded his territory to Assyria, building the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, 12 and Resen (the great city located between Nineveh and Calah).
13 Mizraim was the ancestor of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 14 Pathrusites, Casluhites, and the Caphtorites, from whom the Philistines came.
15 Canaan’s oldest son was Sidon, the ancestor of the Sidonians. Canaan was also the ancestor of the Hittites, 16 Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 17 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 18 Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. The Canaanite clans eventually spread out, 19 and the territory of Canaan extended from Sidon in the north to Gerar and Gaza in the south, and east as far as Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, near Lasha.
20 These were the descendants of Ham, identified by clan, language, territory, and national identity.
7 The descendants of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.
8 Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, who was the first heroic warrior on earth. 9 Since he was the greatest hunter in the world, his name became proverbial. People would say, “This man is like Nimrod, the greatest hunter in the world.” 10 He built his kingdom in the land of Babylonia, with the cities of Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh. 11 From there he expanded his territory to Assyria, building the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, 12 and Resen (the great city located between Nineveh and Calah).
13 Mizraim was the ancestor of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 14 Pathrusites, Casluhites, and the Caphtorites, from whom the Philistines came.
15 Canaan’s oldest son was Sidon, the ancestor of the Sidonians. Canaan was also the ancestor of the Hittites, 16 Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 17 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 18 Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. The Canaanite clans eventually spread out, 19 and the territory of Canaan extended from Sidon in the north to Gerar and Gaza in the south, and east as far as Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, near Lasha.
20 These were the descendants of Ham, identified by clan, language, territory, and national identity.