“Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.” (Genesis 10:1)
It is fascinating to study about the nations that developed after the flood. Noah had 3 sons specifically noted by the Bible, because they are the sons that were righteous, and willing to follow their father’s leadership. Remember, by this time the people of earth were almost completely immoral and did evil perpetually, including Noah’s other sons and daughters. Noah and the 3 sons mentioned in the Bible were on a short list of worthy people, but God was willing to allow anyone in the Ark, if they chose to board the Ark. They had no prerequisites, just a willingness to trust in God’s grace through their faith that He would save them, and then just board the Ark. It’s the same scenario for people today. People refuse to accept Christ and God’s grace by faith and miss the boat – of their own free will. How astoundingly shortsighted.
The 3 sons of Noah that departed the Ark with their 3 wives became all the nations of the world. Recent genetic research leads researchers to believe that there were 4 bloodlines that all humans sprang from. This fits perfectly with the Biblical account, because you have Noah’s bloodline supplied by his sons and then the bloodlines of their 3 wives, for a total of 4 bloodlines. Through these 4 bloodlines all the nations originated.
The sons of Shen, Noah’s first son in succession, founded Persia, Assyria, Lydia and Syria.
The sons of Ham, Noah’s second son in succession, founded Egypt, Ethiopia, Canaan and Babylon.
The sons of Japheth, Noah’s third son in succession, founded Galatia, France, Spain, Wales, Armenia, Germany, Greece, India and Macedonia.
These are not exhaustive lists, because I’m not a scholar in these matters, but the evidence is available through research. Noah’s sons and grandsons spread and filled the earth. This is not only according to the Bible, but also extra-biblical sources. Many nations have written documentation of very long lived patriarchs, who lived for hundreds of years, including China, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. These accounts agree with what the Bible says. Linguistic, archeological, anthropological, genetic and historical resources all lead to the same conclusions as the Bible – we are all of one blood, all decedent of Noah and his extended family through the original people – Adam and Eve. Whether we like it or not, every human is a cousin to every other human.
We should love and care for each other, because we are all family – distant family, but still family.