Curse of Ham Japheth? And why will Japheth "dwell in the tents of Shem"? Further difficulties include Ham's being referred to as "the youngest son", when all other lists make him Noah's second son. Per Sarna, the biggest challenge of the narrative is why Canaan was cursed, rather than Ham, and the concealed details of the shameful incident bear the same reticence of Reuben's sexual transgression. The narrative's short five verses indicate that Canaan's Hamite paternity must have had great significance to the narrator or redactor, according to Sarna, who adds, "The curse on Canaan, invoked in response to an act of moral
The Books of the Bible single column. These changes, along with the removal of chapter and verse numbers and the recombination of divided works, are designed to "encourage meaningful units to be read in their entirety and so with greater appreciation and understanding." The format for "The Books of the Bible" was developed from 2003–2007 under the direction of Glenn Paauw, Director of Product Development at the International Bible Society (now Biblica). Editors who worked on the volume included Lisa Anderson, Paul Berry, John Dunham, Jim Rottenborn and Micah Wieringa. The graphic designer was Kate Hoyman. Consultants to the project included John R. Kohlenberger III,