Genesis 9:18-29

Noah’s Shame and Canaan’s Curse

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

19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated.

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

21 But when he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and uncovered himself inside his tent.

22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside.

23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment and placed it across their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.

24 When Noah awoke from his drunkenness and learned what his youngest son had done to him,

25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan! A servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”

Shem’s Blessing and Noah’s Death

26 He also declared: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the servant of Shem.

27 May God expand the territory of Japheth; ^[b] may he dwell in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant.”

28 After the flood, Noah lived 350 years.

29 So 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.

Footnotes

• [a] Or was the first
• [b] Japheth sounds like the Hebrew for expand.