Of _Sem_, _Ham_ and _Japhet_.
Concerning the three sons of _Noah_, _Sem_, _Ham_ and _Japhet_, that the
order of their nativity was according to that of numeration, and
_Japhet_ the youngest son, as most believe, as _Austin_ and others
account, the sons of _Japhet_, and _Europeans_ need not grant: nor will
it so well concord unto the letter of the Text, and its readiest
interpretations. For so is it said in our Translation, _Sem_ the father
of all the sons of _Heber_ the brother of _Japhet_ the elder: so by the
Septuagint, and so by that of _Tremelius_. And therefore when the Vulgar
reads it, _Fratre Japhet majore_, the mistake as _Junius_ observeth,
might be committed by the neglect of the Hebrew account; which
occasioned _Jerom_ so to render it, and many after to believe it. Nor is
that Argument contemptible which is deduced from their Chronology: for
probable it is that _Noah_ had none of them before, and begat them from
that year when it is said he was five hundred years old, and begat
_Sem_, _Ham_ and _Japhet_. Again it is said he was six hundred years old
at the flood, and that two years after _Sem_ was but an hundred;
therefore _Sem_ must be born when _Noah_ was five hundred and two, and
some other before in the year of five hundred and one.
Now whereas the Scripture affordeth the priority of order unto _Sem_, we
cannot from thence infer his primogeniture. For in _Sem_ the holy line
was continued: and therefore however born, his genealogy was most
remarkable. So is it not unusuall in holy Scripture to nominate the
younger before the elder: so is it said, That _Tarah_ begat
_Abraham_[SN: _Gen._ 11.], _Nachor_ and _Haram_: whereas _Haram_ was the
eldest. So _Rebecca_ [SN: _Gen._ 28.] is termed the mother of _Jacob_
and _Esau_. Nor is it strange the younger should be first in
nomination, who have commonly had the priority in the blessings of God,
and been first in his benediction. [SN: _In divine benedictions the
younger often preferred._] So _Abel_ was accepted before _Cain_, _Isaac_
the younger preferred before _Ishmael_ the elder, _Jacob_ before _Esau_,
_Joseph_ was the youngest of twelve, and _David_ the eleventh son and
minor cadet of _Jesse_.
Lastly, though _Japhet_ were not elder then _Sem_, yet must we not
affirm that he was younger then _Cham_, for it is plainly delivered,
that after _Sem_ and _Japhet_ had covered _Noah_, he awaked, and knew
what his youngest son had done unto him +hyios ho neôteros+, is the
expression of the Septuagint, _Filius minor_ of _Jerom_, and _minimus_
of _Tremelius_. And upon these grounds perhaps _Josephus_ doth vary from
the Scripture enumeration, and nameth them _Sem_, _Japhet_ and _Cham_;
which is also observed by the _Annian Berosus_; _Noah cum tribus filiis,
Semo, Japeto, Cham_. And therefore although in the priority of _Sem_ and
_Japhet_, there may be some difficulty, though _Cyril_, _Epiphanius_ and
_Austin_ have accounted _Sem_ the elder, and _Salian_ the _Annalist_,
and _Petavius_ the Chronologist contend for the same, yet _Cham_ is more
plainly and confessedly named the youngest in the Text.
[Sidenote: _That_ Noah _and_ Saturn _were the same person_.]
And this is more conformable unto the Pagan history and Gentile account
hereof, unto whom _Noah_ was _Saturn_, whose symbol was a ship, as
relating unto the Ark, and who is said to have divided the world between
his three sons. _Ham_ is conceived to be _Jupiter_, who was the youngest
son: worshipped by the name of _Hamon_, which was the _Egyptian_ and
_African_ name for _Jupiter_, who is said to have cut off the genitals
of his father, derived from the history of _Ham_, who beheld the
nakednes of his, and by no hard mistake might be confirmed from the Text
[SN: _Gen._ 9. 22.], as _Bochartus_ [SN: _Reading_ Veiaggod et abscidit,
_for_ Veiegged et nunciavit. Bochartus de Geographia sacrâ.] hath well
observed.