Japheth is listed first in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10.
Genesis 10 begins with the descendants of Japheth, then presents the descendants of Ham, and finally turns to the descendants of Shem. This ordering is noteworthy because Shem is Noah’s first son in the birth-order wording of Genesis 5:32, while the genealogical chapter begins with Japheth. The chapter organizes peoples and territories rather than simply reproducing a family birth list.
Japheth’s section includes names such as Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. Ham’s section includes Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan, while Shem’s section leads toward the line of Terah and Abram in the next chapter. Some translations and traditions discuss the relative ages of the brothers differently, which can create confusion about order. The question asks specifically about the sequence of sections in Genesis 10, where Japheth appears first.