Genesis 5–10 gives Noah’s three sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth great significance by presenting them as the three ancestors of postdiluvian humanity. Within this section two literary
units focus on them: the story of Noah’s vineyard and drunkenness in Gen 9:18–27 and the Table of Nations in Gen 10. Whereas the first account describes a hierarchical relationship between the three ancestors (and their respective descendants), the second one, in the form of a segmented genealogy, shows the ancestors’ equal dispersion over the world and their inner differentiation into nations, tribes, and languages. Noah’s sons are furthermore mentioned at the end of the genealogy in Gen 5 and in the flood narrative.