The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim.
Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the clans of the Canaanites dispersed. And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon in the direction of Gerar as far as Gaza, and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. These are the sons of Ham, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations. – Genesis 10:6-20
One takes note of the fact that the line of Ham, supposed to be cursed, seems to be more prolific than the line of Japheth. This is for two reasons, first Moses was more aware of the lineage of people that the forefathers of Israel remained closed to. The second major purpose was to identify many, if not all, of the enemies of Israel.
Even of just the direct sons of Ham the Canaanites and Egyptians (Gen 10:6). These people would factor into the early portion of Israel’s history almost immediately and within the scope of this very first book of canon. Not to be outdone, Cush’s son Nimrod is the establisher of both Babel (Gen 10:10) and Nineveh (Gen 10:12). Both of these cities play crucial roles during the period of decline in the kingdom of Israel. Both cities would come to represent the nations that would be used in judgment against God’s unrepentant people.
It is thus appropriate to see Nimrod as the “mighty hunter before the Lord” (Gen 10:9) since his line will serve to bring military judgment against God’s people at the very direction of God. Before then though, the majority of Ham’s line will be defeated before the nation of Israel by the hand of God. And even the nations of the “mighty hunter” could not escape the judgment of God.
