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Shem, Ham, and Japheth were the three sons of Noah that went into the ark of gopher wood, along with their wives. What became of their descendents follow in order of how they are listed in Genesis 10. Not all of them are repeated here.

Japheth[]

Japheth's line settled in the area of Europe, and were called Gentiles (Genesis 10):

  • Tarshish, in Spain, is a town named after Japheth's son Javan.
  • Dodanim may have lent his name to the Dodecanese Islands.
  • Kittim settled in Cyprus.
  • Ashkenaz settled north of the Caucasus mountains.

Ham[]

Ham's line settled the Levant, Mesopotamia, the North African coast to Libya, south to Ethiopia.

  • Cush may have settled in India, but more likely Ethiopia:
    • Cush's son Nimrod's kingdom consisted many cities, of which Babel, Asshur, and Nineveh were some.
  • Mizraim settled Egypt
    • his son Ludim moved west to Libya
    • his son Casluhim was the father of the Philistines
    • his son Caphtorim settled Crete
  • Canaan, essentially the father of the seven nations (Deuteronomy 7:1), settled the Levant south to Sinai:
    • Sidon
    • Heth, the father of the Hittite
    • the Jebusite
    • the Amorite
    • the Girgasite
    • the Hivite
    • the Arkite
    • the Sinite (probably settled in Sinai)
    • the Arvadite
    • the Zemarite
    • the Hamathite

Shem[]

Shem's line settled mostly the Arabian Peninsula and in Syria:

  • Aram, in the area of Damascus
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