Which son of Noah did not enter the ark (Noah’s lost son)?

Many Christians who have read the Bible are fascinated with Noah’s story. Noah and his family found favor in God’s eyes, and He spared them from the floods that swept off all human existence. God instructed Noah to let build an ark in which his family and animals went in. There have been debates suggesting one of Noah’s sons did not go into the ark; which son of Noah did not enter the ark?

Genesis 9:18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. The scripture details which of Noah’s sons entered the ark, which three, and none was left out.

How many sons did Noah have? Why do some scholars believe that Noah had four sons? Who is the lost son of Noah? Why doesn’t the Bible mention the fourth son of Noah? Noah’s story is one of the historical parts of the Bible; find answers to these questions and more information on the topic.

How many sons did Noah have?

The scripture informs us that Noah had three sons. Genesis 6:10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. However, some scholars have come out to debate this fact. Those who oppose claim Noah had a fourth son.

Proponents of this idea insinuate the fourth nameless son did not enter the ark. Some religions believe Noah had four sons, such as Muslims. It is difficult to prove there is a fourth son since no part of the scripture mentions a fourth son.

According to the Bible’s narration, Japheth was Noah’s firstborn son, Shem was the middle child, and Ham was the last born. After Noah had his last-born son, he could not sire any more children. Therefore, the possibility of having a fourth child is highly contestable. Some scholars claim the fourth son was born when they were on the ark; however, they have criticized this idea.

During the incident where Noah got drunk, and his son Ham saw his nakedness, Genesis 9:20-27, he gave judgment to all his children. You’ll notice that Noah mentions three sons, which we have mentioned. He blesses Shem and Japheth and curses his youngest son. Had there been a fourth child, Noah would have included them in the list.

Also, they mention the sons who went into the ark in Genesis 9:18, who were three, Shem, Japheth, and Ham. Had there been another child, the scripture would not have left out important details. As they got out of the ark, they mentioned three sons but no mention of a fourth child.

Why do some scholars believe that Noah had four sons?

Some scholars have come out to oppose this notion; they claim Noah had four sons. They base their argument on the fact that Canaan was his fourth son. Some scholars have come out to debate this, given Noah punished Canaan, who they presume was the youngest of his children.

They insinuate the youngest son was guilty of looking at Noah’s nakedness which explains why he cursed Canaan as they presume him to be the last born. If you are keen on Bible personalities, you will notice that they mostly have three sons.

Scholars claim this could be a pattern where they did not highlight other children. Therefore, Noah may have had a fourth non-mentioned son. Sadly we cannot ascertain this claim since various Bible verses document Noah’s three sons.

Noah had his first child when he was 500 years old; Genesis 5:32 After Noah was five hundred years old, Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. From that point, the Bible does not document Noah having other children.

Which son of Noah did not enter the ark?
Who is the lost son of Noah? See below

Who is the lost son of Noah?

According to the scripture, Noah had three sons and did not account for a fourth one. Therefore, we cannot ascertain Noah having lost any son. However, other religions, such as Islam, recognize Noah had a lost son.

Those who interpret the Quran imply that Noah had a fourth son who drowned in the floods. Readers of the Quran suggest that his fourth son did not enter the ark and hence drowned in the floods. According to the Irish myth, other arguments claim Noah’s fourth son was called Bith.

They believe Bith was Noah’s fourth son; they denied Bith entry into the ark. Those who believe in this myth claim Bith tried to colonize Ireland along with 54 others, but he met an untimely death and did not see it pass. Mostly, the Irish hold this myth.

There are various myths concerning Noah and his four sons from different communities. Another myth is that the fourth son was born during the floods while in the ark. Others claim the fourth was born after the floods; they claim he invented astronomy.

All these assumptions are yet to be certified, and they remain myths. If you are a believer of the scripture, it should guide you on the number of sons Noah had. If Noah had had another son, he would have been mentioned with his descendants, as Noah’s lineage was important. Noah’s descendants gave rise to the world’s population as the floods swept away all human habitation.

Noah’s lost son
Why doesn’t the Bible mention the fourth son of Noah? See below

Why doesn’t the Bible mention the fourth son of Noah?

The Bible does not mention Noah’s fourth son. It may need no explanation; the scripture would not have failed to highlight this detail. There is no reason to hide any history had there been a fourth son. The presumption of Canaan being his fourth is discredited with verses that account Ham as his father.

Genesis 10:6 the sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. Ham’s sons are listed, Canaan being one of them, which rules out the possibility of Noah being the father.

After the drunkenness incident, Noah became sterile and could not get another child. It is from this incident that some scholars believe that Ham may have castrated his father, which made him unable to sire more children. However, many have debated this as it would not have been possible.

The accounts of when Noah had his sons are in the scripture; the first was born when he was 500 years Genesis 5:32. Later on, Shem was born when his father was 502 years. Genesis 11:10 These are the descendants of Shem; when Shem was a hundred years old, he became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood.

Ham is the youngest of three who must have been born after Shem. As you can see, the Bible gives a detailed account of all of Noah’s sons. For each son, the scripture highlights their descendants. Had there been a fourth, it would be vital to mention their descendants.

Noah blessed his two sons, Japheth and Shem, rewarding them for the respect and humility they showed their father in his moment of weakness. At the same time, he cursed his youngest son’s descendants. The fourth son should have been part of the moment to receive his award equally; since he was non-existent, there was nothing to mention.

Also, we should remember the Bible carries history translated from generation to generation. Various people are involved in its writing. Therefore, it means they did thorough proofreading before publication. It is unlikely that they would miss such a detail.

Throughout the book of Genesis, they mention Noah having three sons several times, which clarifies the question. The subject will remain a topic of debate for many years as each year adds new myths.

References

My three sons

The Sons of Noah

The Legend of the Fourth Son of Noah

Why doesn’t Noah have children after the flood?

Generations of Noah

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