The Hebrew name Ham (חָם) means hot or warm. Ham was the second son of Noah (Genesis 5:32), who survived the flood. After the flood, Ham dishonored his father Noah and received a prophetic curse on his son Canaan. Ham's descendants through his sons Cush, Egypt (Mizraim), Put, and Canaan populated Africa and Canaan.
Ham's narrative carries significant theological weight. His dishonorable treatment of Noah illustrates the consequences of failing to honor parents and spiritual authority (Deuteronomy 5:16; Genesis 9:22–25). Yet the Hamitic peoples are not outside God's redemptive plan. Psalm 105 calls Egypt 'the land of Ham' as the place where God displayed His power through the plagues. Cush (Ethiopia) is included in eschatological salvation: Ethiopia will stretch out her hands to God (Psalm 68:31). This points to the universal scope of the gospel, reaching all of Noah's descendants.