The genealogy of the children of Noe, by whom the world was peopled after the flood.
The genealogy of the sons after Noah and the divided nations.
“The total number of the progeny of the three sons of Noah is seventythree, fifteen by Japheth, thirtyone by Ham, twentyseven by Shem. Then Scripture adds, ‘These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.’ And so of the whole number ‘These are the families of the sons of Noah after their generations, in their nations; and by these were the isles of the nations dispersed through the earth after the flood.’ From which we gather that the seventythree (or rather, as I shall presently show, seventytwo) were not individuals but nations. For in a former passage, when the sons of Japheth were enumerated, it is said in conclusion, ‘By these were the isles of the nations divided in their lands, every one after his language, in their tribes and in their nations.’ But nations are expressly mentioned among the sons of Ham, as I showed above. ‘Mizraim begat those who are called Ludim; and so also of the other seven nations.’ And after enumerating all of them it concludes, ‘These are the sons of Ham, in their families, according to their languages, in their territories, and in their nations.’ The reason, then, why the children of several of them are not mentioned is that they belonged by birth to other nations and did not themselves become nations. Why else is it that though eight sons are reckoned to Japheth, the sons of only two of these are mentioned; and though four are reckoned to Ham, only three are spoken of as having sons; and though six are reckoned to Shem, the descendants of only two of these are traced? Did the rest remain childless? We cannot suppose so; but they did not produce nations so great as to warrant their being mentioned but were absorbed in the nations to which they belonged by birth.”(4) -St. Augustine
Women's Prayer Group In Christ 