Ham

Ham was a place where Chedorlaomer and his allies defeated the Zuzim in battle during the war of the kings (Genesis 14:5).

Ham is mentioned briefly in the account of the war of the kings in Genesis 14. During this conflict, Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam, and his allied kings waged war against the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, and other cities in the region. In the course of their campaign, Chedorlaomer and his allies defeated several groups, including the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim (Genesis 14:5). The Zuzim, who were defeated in Ham, are not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible, and little is known about them. Ham's exact location is also uncertain, as it is not referenced in any other biblical passages or extra-biblical sources. Its mention in the context of the war of the kings suggests that it was a place of some significance during the time of Abraham, but no further details about its history, size, or role in the region are provided. The defeat of the Zuzim in Ham by Chedorlaomer and his allies highlights the power and influence of these foreign kings in the region during this period.

Warm, hot, and hence the south; also an Egyptian word meaning “black”, the youngest son of Noah (Gen. 5:32; comp. 9:22, 24). The curse pronounced by Noah against Ham, properly against Canaan his fourth son, was accomplished when the Jews subsequently exterminated the Canaanites.

One of the most important facts recorded in Gen. 10 is the foundation of the earliest monarchy in Babylonia by Nimrod the grandson of Ham (6, 8, 10). The primitive Babylonian empire was thus Hamitic, and of a cognate race with the primitive inhabitants of Arabia and of Ethiopia.

The race of Ham were the most energetic of all the descendants of Noah in the early times of the post-diluvian world.