Falsely accusing Ham

In the account in Gen of Noah getting drunk and being uncovered I have always been taught that ham did something bad. However after many years I now believe that we have been blaming Ham for something that he did not do.
Now let's start with Gen. 5:32 it reads, And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

In the OT when births are recorded, they normally record them in the order of their birth because of birthrights. Notice that Noah was 500 years old when he begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth. I believe that these boys were triplets born in the order given. That means that Ham IS NOT the youngest and scripture says it was the youngest son that did something wrong.


The next thing to know is that during that time period there was no Hebrew words for grandfather, grandmother, grandchild, grandson, granddaughter and so on. Yes, there may be translations that uses those terms, but they are not in the Hebrew. This was a patriarchal society and the oldest living male in a genealogical line would always be called father by the children and the children's children and called sons and daughters of the oldest living male in that line. So consequently, Canaan was the youngest and it was he who did something wrong against Noah or perhaps with Noah's wife according to; Lev18:8 The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.


So how do we know that Canaan was the youngest son of Ham? Gen 10:6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. Notice Canaan is listed last which means he was the youngest.

This is why Noah did not curse Ham. Ham simply saw something happening or that had happened, and it happen at the hands of Canaan thus Canaan was cursed. This is my opinion based on what scripture we have.

Feel free to comment.

 

Gen. 5:32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.