'Shem' can be understood to be internal worship, 'Japheth' is the corresponding external worship, 'Ham' is internal worship corrupted, and 'Canaan' is external worship separate from internal. These people never existed, but the kinds of worship had these names applied to them.

(Odkazy: Arcana Coelestia 1140)

1723. 'At the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's valley' means the state of the External Man as regards goods and truths at that time. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'the valley of Shaveh' and also of the 'king's valley'. 'The valley of Shaveh' means the goods of the External Man, 'the king's valley' the truths of the same Man. The External Man is called 'a valley' on account of its being below. That which is more external is also lower, just as that which is more internal is also higher. That 'a king' means truth has been stated already in 1672.