After coming out of the ark, God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. (Genesis 9:1) This would fulfill the commandment He gave to mankind at creation, to “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it;..." (Genesis 1:28) And they would be fruitful and multiply, but first the children of Noah would receive their blessing or curse, based on their behavior towards their father, just as became custom from the time Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden.
And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. Then he said: “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants he shall be to his brethren.” And he said: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem; and may Canaan be his servant.” (Genesis 9:20-27)
Even before the commandments were given, the commandment towards how we treat our parents was in affect; “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16)...and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you." (Deuteronomy 5:16) Because of Ham's dishonoring his father, and instead of covering him up, he mocked him, he and his descendants received a curse, which we will learn more about as we continue studying the scripture, and get to the Canaanites. And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died. (Genesis 9:28-29)
Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood. The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations. (Genesis 10:1-5)
The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.” And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city). Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and Caphtorim). Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth; the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed. And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. These were the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations. (Genesis 10:6-20)
And children were born also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder. The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. Arphaxad begot Salah, and Salah begot Eber. To Eber were born two sons: *the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. And their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east. These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations. (Genesis 10:21-31)
It's funny how God often times does not allow the writers of the scripture to go into detail about certain things that we most want to know, but in other places He goes into great detail about things we don't find as interesting. This is one of those times. God just throws in a phrase, the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, but it is a very important piece of information. (read "Pangea - How God Split the Continents")
From Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the entire world was repopulated. They had wives who came out of the ark with them. They had sons as specified in the scriptures above, but they also had to have had daughters. We understand from scripture that the genealogies of a people usually only list the males, because that's how the family name and line continues, even today.
From the time of Noah and his sons, incest was necessary to repopulate the earth. But the family lines were not polluted by mixing with foreign peoples and fallen angels, as in the time before the flood, when ...the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. ... There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:2-8)
But once the earth was repopulated and spread throughout the world, God would later command against incest, by stating, "None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the Lord. The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness. The nakedness of your father’s wife you shall not uncover; it is your father’s nakedness. The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or elsewhere, their nakedness you shall not uncover. The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for theirs is your own nakedness. The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, begotten by your father—she is your sister—you shall not uncover her nakedness." (Leviticus 18:6-11)
Anyway, these godly offspring (Malachi 2:15), would repopulate the whole world. We should note that we'll be especially involved in studying Shem's descendants, who are in the genealogy of Christ Jesus' earthly father. (Luke 3:23-38) After the world was repopulated, God would cause the people to separate into different areas and languages, and He will divide the earth, separate the continents, which we will study in the next lesson. But for now, These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood. (Genesis 10:32)
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