In the Book of Genesis, how many sons did Noah have?

Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth, according to the Book of Genesis.

Genesis introduces these three sons before describing the Flood and the construction of the ark. They enter the ark with Noah, their wives, and Noah’s wife, forming the surviving human family in the biblical narrative.

The names also matter in later biblical genealogies. Genesis 10, often called the Table of Nations, presents peoples and regions as descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Later Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions developed additional stories about them, although the details vary between sources.

A common mix-up is confusing Noah’s three sons with the total number of people said to survive the Flood in Genesis. The narrative names eight people aboard the ark: Noah, his wife, his three sons, and his sons’ wives.