The Skeptics Annotated Bible (19 page)

22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.

24 And
Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.

(9.24)
“Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.”
What did Ham do? Did he just look at his naked father or was there something more to it than that? Some have suggested that Ham committed homosexual rape on his drunken father, and that this was why Ham’s descendants were punished with slavery.
42 Does God approve of slavery?

25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.

29 And
all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years
: and he died.

(9.29)
“All the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years.”

10
Now
these are the generations
of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

(10.1)
“These are the generations”
The entire tenth chapter is one of the many boring genealogies (see 1 Chr 1-9, Mt 1.1-17, Lk 3.23-28 for other examples) that we are told to avoid in 1 Tim 1.4 and Tit 3.9 (“Avoid foolish questions and genealogies.”)

2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.

4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands;
every one after his tongue,
after their families, in their nations.

(10.5, 20, 31)
“Every one after his tongue”
These verses show that, contrary to 11.1, many languages existed before construction began on the tower of Babel.
43 Were there languages before Babel?

6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.

7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.

8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.

10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,

12 And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.

13 And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,

14 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.

15 And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,

16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,

17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,

18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.

19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.

20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families,
after their tongues
, in their countries, and in their nations.

21 Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.

22 The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.

23 And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.

24 And
Arphaxad begat Salah
; and Salah begat Eber.

(10.24)
“Arphaxad begat Salah.”
44 Who was Salah’s father?

25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was
Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided;
and his brother’s name was Joktan.

(10.25)
“Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided.”
Some creationists believe that this verse (and 1 Chr 1.19) refers to continental drift, which, they say, began to occur during the days of Pelag (which means “division”), about 100 or so years after the flood.