GENESIS 9:18-27

Q: I understand that the curse on Ham has been used to justify subjugation of black peoples. Is that what these verses teach?

Those who used to quote these verses in that manner were being very selective in their reading. First, note the interesting fact that every time Ham is mentioned in these verses, he is called “the father of Canaan.” And in fact, Noah only brings down curses on Ham's son Canaan in verses 25-27, not Ham himself. So who was Canaan the ancestor of? It was obviously the Canaanites, as spelled out in Genesis

10:15-20. This explains and justifies to some extent why Israel was later given the command to subjugate or destroy the people occupying the Promised Land. By contrast, those peoples occupying Africa are said to be the descendants of Ham's other sons, who had no curse pronounced on them by God.