Genesis 9:18-29

The Sons of Noah

18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.)

19 These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth.

20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded^[a] to plant a vineyard.

21 When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.

22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside.

23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.

24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him,

25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.”

26 He also said, “Praise be to the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem.

27 May God extend Japheth’s^[b] territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”

28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years.

29 Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died.

Genesis 9:18-29 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 9

In this chapter we have an account of God's blessing Noah and his sons, being just come out of the ark, with a renewal of the blessing of propagating their species, and replenishing the earth, the dominion over the creatures, and a freedom from the fear of them; with liberty to eat flesh, only it must not be eaten with blood; with a providential care and preservation of their lives from men and beasts, by making a law that that man or beast should die that shed man's blood, Ge 9:1-6 and after repeating the blessing of procreation, Ge 9:7 mention is made of a covenant God made with Noah, his sons, and all the creatures, that he would drown the world no more, the token of which should be the rainbow in the cloud, Ge 9:8-17 the names of the sons of Noah are observed, by whom the earth was repeopled, Ge 9:18,19 and seem to be observed for the sake of an event after recorded; Noah having planted a vineyard, and drank too freely of the wine of it, lay down uncovered in his tent, which Ham seeing, told his two brothers of it, who in a very modest manner covered him, Ge 9:20-23 of all which Noah being sensible when he awoke, cursed Canaan the son of Ham, and blessed Shem and Japheth, Ge 9:24-27 and the chapter is concluded with the age and death of Noah, Ge 9:28,29.

Cross References

• 1. S Genesis 5:32; Luke 3:36
• 2. ver 25-27; Genesis 10:6,15
• 3. Genesis 5:32
• 4. S Genesis 1:22; Genesis 10:32; Genesis 11:4,8,9
• 5. Genesis 19:35
• 6. Habakkuk 2:15
• 7. Genesis 27:12
• 8. ver 18; Exodus 20:5; Psalms 79:8; Isaiah 14:21; Jeremiah 31:29; Jeremiah 32:18
• 9. Genesis 25:23; Genesis 27:29,37,40; Genesis 37:10; Genesis 49:8; Numbers 24:18; Joshua 9:23
• 10. Genesis 14:20; Exodus 18:10; Psalms 7:17
• 11. 1 Kings 9:21
• 12. Genesis 10:2-5
• 13. Ephesians 2:13-14; Ephesians 3:6
• 14. S Genesis 2:17

Footnotes

• [a] Or "soil, was the first"
• [b] "Japheth" sounds like the Hebrew for "extend."