Let’s start out by reading Genesis 6:10, “And Noah begot three sons: Shem, HAM, and Japheth” (NKJV).  Now let’s read Genesis 10:6, “The sons of HAM were Cush, MIZRAIM, Put, and Canaan.” It is interesting to note two facts that help to answer your question. Here is the FIRST FACT: The name “Mizraim” is the Hebrew name for “Egypt” (you can check this out in a good Hebrew concordance, like Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible). Here is the SECOND FACT: Egypt is called “the land of Ham” twice in the Bible. “Israel also came into Egypt, and Jacob dwelt in the LAND OF HAM” (Psalm 105:23). “They forgot God their Savior, Who had done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the LAND OF HAM, awesome things by the Red Sea” (Psalm 106:21-22). Another verse that links Ham with Egypt is Psalm 78:51, “And destroyed all the firstborn in Egypt, the first of their strength in the TENTS OF HAM.” It is clear from these scriptures that Noah’s son HAM and Ham’s son MIZRAIM are vitally connected to Egypt and thus we believe that at some point after the flood in Noah’s day Mizraim migrated to North Africa and the nation of Egypt was born. Ham’s sons CUSH and PUT also settled in northern Africa, in the nations of Ethiopia and Libya. Egypt and Ethiopia are mentioned together in Isaiah 20:3-4 and Nahum 3:9, while Ethiopia and Libya are seen together in Jeremiah 46:9 and Ezekiel 30:5; 38:5. If we were to trace the genealogies of Shem, Ham and Japheth, we would see that they became the “fathers of the nations” with Shem being the “Semitic nations” (Jews, Arabs, Babylonians, Assyrians, Arameans and Phoenicians); Ham being the “Hamitic nations” (Egyptians, Ethiopians, Canaanites, and Philistines); and Japheth being the “Japhetic nations” (Medes, Greeks, Cypriots and possibly the Caucasians of Europe and northern Asia).

Perhaps it would be of interest AND edifying to ask, “Why are these men and the nations that came about through them so prominent throughout Scripture?” Ah, because God is most interested in “His earthly people the Jews and the nations that are in some kind of relationship to them.” The “line of Shem” is obviously the most important, for this is the “godly line” through which the Messiah/Savior would be born. We see the genealogy of Shem in Genesis 11:10—32 which ends with Abram, who was later called Abraham, the “father of the Hebrew nation.” This is the nation which gave birth to Jesus Christ (see Matthew 1:1 with Romans 9:3-5). The “line of Ham” is also very important, for the nation of Israel had its real beginning in Egypt when they were delivered from 400 years of bondage (see Genesis 15:12-14) on the night of the Passover (Exodus chapter 12). The “line of Japheth” is the least important, but they too had (and will have) a history in relation to the nation of Israel. Again, it is the nation of Israel and those who have some connection to her that interests the Lord above all others. This is why we don’t see the history of some nations mentioned in Holy Scripture. A prime example of that would be China, which is a very powerful and influential nation today, but one that has little or nothing to do with Israel (though perhaps China will be prominent among the “kings from the east” spoken of in Revelation 16:12-16 (see also Revelation 9:13-16).  (DO)  (507.3)