Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: Unlike verses 1-3, the last two persons named in this sequence are not the sons of the previously mentioned person. The writer here lists the father Noah, who represents the tenth generation of humankind, and then names the three sons of Noah. Shem becomes the representative of the eleventh generation of humankind, and it is through his descendants that the line of descent will continue. Simply listing the names as in Revised Standard Version, which follows the form of the Hebrew, will not clearly communicate to the reader that Noah was the father of all three of those whose names follow: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The Septuagint makes it clear by saying “The sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, Japheth” (similarly New International Version, Revised English Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Nueva Versión Internacional). Apart from textual considerations, translators will probably want to make clear that these are Noah’s sons or, more specifically, his “three sons” (Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). Bible en français courant says “Noah was the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.”

The descendants of Shem are the peoples of Mesopotamia and Arabia. The descendants of Ham, whose name in Hebrew means “warmth” or “heat,” are the peoples in northeastern Africa, Syria, and Palestine. The descendants of Japheth are the peoples of Europe and Asia.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .