According to Genesis, what were Noah’s three sons called?

The story behind the answer

According to Genesis, Noah’s three sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis names the three brothers in the genealogy immediately before the Flood narrative. It later says that Shem, Ham, and Japheth entered the Ark with Noah, their father, and their wives. Their names are among the most familiar details in the biblical account.

After the Flood, Genesis presents the sons as ancestors of different peoples in the “Table of Nations.” Shem is associated with the line leading to Abraham, while Ham and Japheth receive separate genealogical listings. The biblical text does not describe them as triplets, and it does not give their exact ages when they boarded the Ark. Their mother is also not named in Genesis.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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