CAM (Heb. Häm, Vulg. Cham). — One of the three sons of Noah (Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Gen. 5:32; 6:10; 9:18; 1 Chron. 1:4) saved from the flood (Gen. 8:18) and from whom «the whole human race was spread over all the earth» (ibid. 9:19). He had four sons (v. HAMITES). For his grave irreverence toward his father, which he reported to his brothers while the latter, having become drunk from inexperience with wine, lay uncovered in the tent, he was cursed by Noah in his youngest son Canaan, probably because he did not wish to curse him who God had already blessed after the flood or perhaps because Canaan had in some way been complicit in the father’s fault. Moreover, in the son was cursed the father as well.
Some commentators do not lack who see in the present text various strata, or judge the mention of Canaan as a late substitution for Ham, made in the text when the Hebrews succeeded in subduing the Canaanites (time of David and Solomon) and held them in subjection for their immorality. The gravity of this curse is heightened by the blessing conferred on the other two brothers, and by the addition of another curse, which assigned Canaan to each of them (Gen. 9:26-27), of a prophetic, messianic character like the other two. By it the virtue of the one and the irreverence of the others would have their reward and punishment. But blessing and curse were realized only in the future: Ham, for having allowed himself to be dominated by sensuality, would have to serve his brothers, his descendants to theirs; the land of Canaan would come into the possession of the Semites (Israel), and the people of Canaan would be excluded from messianic salvation, but not definitively (cf. P. Heinisch, *Das Buch Genesis*, in *Die heilige Schrift des Alten Testaments* I, 1, Bonn 1930, commentary on the cited verses).
Ham occurs in the Psalms to denote Egypt (78:51; 105:23, 27; 106:22). In Egyptian *km.t* (Coptic *kemi*) means “black.” Probably the term passed into Palestine, transforming into Häm (cf. Arabic *ahamm*, fem. *hammā’*). Giorgio Castellino