Noah

Family: Manasseh · Role: son of Lamech · First appears: Genesis 5

Noah is of Manasseh and the son of Lamech, who begat and named him when Lamech was 182 years old, saying, “This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.” At 500, Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth. In Genesis 6, God called Noah a just man who walked with Him, established a covenant with him, and commanded him to build, seal, and provision an ark, bring in pairs of living creatures, and preserve his household. “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.”

As the flood began, Noah entered the ark with Shem, Ham, Japheth, their wives, and his own wife; God shut him in, and the waters destroyed all other flesh. When God caused the waters to subside and commanded them to leave, Noah went forth with his household and released the living creatures. He then built an altar and offered burnt offerings to God, who blessed Noah and his sons, established a covenant never again to destroy all flesh by a flood, and set the rainbow as its token. Noah later cursed Canaan to servitude, blessed the God of Shem, declared Canaan his servant, and said God would enlarge Japheth while Canaan served him. Noah died after 950 years, and afterward Shem, Ham, and Japheth had sons.

In Numbers, Noah is named among the daughters of Zelophehad, alongside Mahlah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. Their cause was brought before God by Moses; God granted them an inheritance among their father’s brethren and commanded them to marry within their father’s tribe. Noah and her sisters married their cousins, and their inheritance remained within Manasseh.