CAM (Hebrew Hām, Volgan Chām). — One of the three sons of Noah (Shem, C. and Iapheth, Gen. 5:32; 6:10; 9:18; I Par. 1:4) saved from the flood (Gen. 8:18), from whom “the whole human race spread over all the earth” (ibid. 9:19). He had four sons (v. CAMITI). For his grave irreverence toward his father, whom he reported to his brothers while, having become drunk through inexperience with wine, he lay uncovered in the tent, he was cursed by him in his younger son Canaan, probably because he did not wish to curse one whom God had already blessed after the flood, or perhaps because Canaan had in some way shared in his father’s offense. In any event, the father too was cursed in the son.
There is no lack of commentators who see in the present text several layers, or who judge the mention of Canaan to be a later substitution for C., made in the text when the Hebrews succeeded in subjugating the Canaanites (in the time of David and Solomon) and held them in abhorrence for their immorality. The gravity of this curse is heightened by the blessing bestowed upon the other two brothers, and by the addition of another curse, which subjected Canaan to each of them (Gen. 9:26–27), prophetic and messianic in character like the other two. Through it, the virtue of some and the irreverence of the others would receive their reward and punishment. But the blessing and the curse would be fulfilled only in the future: C., having allowed himself to be dominated by sensuality, would have to serve his brothers, and his descendants their descendants; the land of Canaan would come into the possession of the Semites (Israel), and the people of Canaan would be excluded from messianic salvation, though not definitively (cf. P. Heinisch, Das Buch Genesis, in Die heilige Schrift des Alten Testamentes I, 1, Bonn 1930, commentary on the verses cited).
C. occurs in the Psalms to designate Egypt (78:51; 105:23, 27; 106:22). In Egyptian km.t (Coptic kemi) means “black.” The term probably passed into Palestine, being transformed into Hām (cf. Arabic ahamm, feminine hammā').