In Genesis, what was Noah’s age when he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth?

In Genesis, Noah was 500 years old when he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 5:32 introduces the three sons after stating Noah’s age. The passage does not give a separate age for the birth of each son; it presents the figure as the age at which Noah began fathering the group named in the genealogy.

This detail is easy to confuse with Noah’s age at the Flood. Genesis says Noah was 600 years old when the Flood’s waters came upon the Earth, a separate event recorded later. Thus, the narrative places the births of his sons before the Flood by at least a substantial interval.

The sons are important throughout the account: Shem, Ham, and Japheth enter the Ark with Noah, and Genesis later describes their descendants. Their names also occur in genealogical traditions beyond the Flood narrative.