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Commentary on Genesis 9 verses 24–27
Here, I. Noah comes to himself: He awoke from his wine. Sleep cured him, and, we may suppose, so cured him that he never relapsed into that sin afterwards. Those that sleep as Noah did should awake as he did, and not as that drunkard (Pro 23:35) who says when he awakes, I will seek it yet again.
II. The spirit of prophecy comes upon him, and, like dying Jacob, he tells his sons what shall befal them, Gen 49:1.
1.He pronounces a curse on Canaan the son of Ham (Gen 9:25), in whom Ham is himself cursed, either because this son of his was now more guilty than the rest, or because the posterity of this son was afterwards to be rooted out of their land, to make room for Israel. And Moses here records it for the animating of Israel in the wars of Canaan; though the Canaanites were a formidable people, yet they were of old an accursed people, and doomed to ruin. The particular curse is, A servant of servants (that is, the meanest and most despicable servant) shall he be, even to his brethren. Those who by birth were his equals shall by conquest be his lords. This certainly points at the victories obtained by Israel over the Canaanites, by which they were all either put to the sword or put under tribute (Jos 9:23; Jdg 1:28, Jdg 1:30, Jdg 1:33, Jdg 1:35), which happened not till about 800 years after this. Note, (1.) God often visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, especially when the children inherit the fathers' wicked dispositions, and imitate the fathers' wicked practices, and do nothing to cut off the entail of the curse. (2.) Disgrace is justly put upon those that put disgrace upon others, especially that dishonour and grieve their own parents. An undutiful child that mocks at his parents is no more worthy to be called a son, but deserves to be made as a hired servant, nay, as a servant of servants, among his brethren. (3.) Though divine curses operate slowly, yet, first or last, they will take effect. The Canaanites were under a curse of slavery, and yet, for a great while, had the dominion; for a family, a people, a person, may lie under the curse of God, and yet may long prosper in the world, till the measure of their iniquity, like that of the Canaanites, be full. Many are marked for ruin that are not yet ripe for ruin. Therefore, Let not thy heart envy sinners.
2.He entails a blessing upon Shem and Japheth.
(1.)He blesses Shem, or rather blesses God for him, yet so that it entitles him to the greatest honour and happiness imaginable, Gen 9:26. Observe, [1.] He calls the Lord the god of Shem; and happy, thrice happy, is that people whose God is the Lord, Psa 144:15. All blessings are included in this. This was the blessing conferred on Abraham and his seed; the God of heaven was not ashamed to be called their God, Heb 11:16. Shem is sufficiently recompensed for his respect to his father by this, that the Lord himself puts this honour upon him, to be his God, which is a sufficient recompence for all our services and all our sufferings for his name. [2.] He gives to God the glory of that good work which Shem had done, and, instead of blessing and praising him that was the instrument, he blesses and praises God that was the author. Note, The glory of all that is at any time well done, by ourselves or others, must be humbly and thankfully transmitted to God, who works all our good works in us and for us. When we see men's good works we should glorify, not them, but our Father, Mat 5:16. Thus David, in effect, blessed Abigail, when he blessed God that sent her (Sa1 25:32, Sa1 25:33), for it is an honour and a favour to be employed for God and used by him in doing good. [3.] He foresees and foretels that God's gracious dealings with Shem and his family would be such as would evidence to all the world that he was the God of Shem, on which behalf thanksgivings would by many be rendered to him: Blessed be the Lord God of Shem. [4.] It is intimated that the church should be built up and continued in the posterity of Shem; for of him came the Jews, who were, for a great while, the only professing people God had in the world. [5.] Some think reference is here had to Christ, who was the Lord God that, in his human nature, should descend from the loins of Shem; for of him, as concerning the flesh, Christ came. [6.] Canaan is particularly enslaved to him: He shall be his servant. Note, Those that have the Lord for their God shall have as much of the honour and power of this world as he sees good for them.
(2.)He blesses Japheth, and, in him, the isles of the Gentiles, which were peopled by his seed: God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem, Gen 9:27. Now, [1.] Some make this to belong wholly to Japheth, and to denote either, First, His outward prosperity, that his seed should be so numerous and so victorious that they should be masters of the tents of Shem, which was fulfilled when the people of the Jews, the most eminent of Shem's race, were tributaries to the Grecians first and afterwards to the Romans, both of Japheth's seed. Note, Outward prosperity is no infallible mark of the true church: the tents of Shem are not always the tents of the conqueror. Or, Secondly, It denotes the conversion of the Gentiles, and the bringing of them into the church; and then we should read it, God shall persuade Japheth (for so the word signifies), and then, being so persuaded, he shall dwell in the tents of Shem, that is, Jews and Gentiles shall be united together in the gospel fold. After many of the Gentiles shall have been proselyted to the Jewish religion, both shall be one in Christ (Eph 2:14, Eph 2:15), and the Christian church, mostly made up of the Gentiles, shall succeed the Jews in the privileges of church-membership; the latter having first cast themselves out by their unbelief, the Gentiles shall dwell in their tents, Rom 11:11, etc. Note, It is God only that can bring those again into the church who have separated themselves from it. It is the power of God that makes the gospel of Christ effectual to salvation, Rom 1:16. And again, Souls are brought into the church, not by force, but by persuasion, Psa 110:3. They are drawn by the cords of a man, and persuaded by reason to be religious. [2.] Others divide this between Japheth and Shem, Shem having not been directly blessed, Gen 9:26. First, Japheth has the blessing of the earth beneath: God shall enlarge Japheth, enlarge his seed, enlarge his border. Japheth's prosperity peopled all Europe, a great part of Asia, and perhaps America. Note, God is to be acknowledged in all our enlargements. It is he that enlarges the coast and enlarges the heart. And again, many dwell in large tents that do not dwell in God's tents, as Japheth did. Secondly, Shem has the blessing of heaven above: He shall (that is, God shall) dwell in the tents of Shem, that is "From his loins Christ shall come, and in his seed the church shall be continued." The birth-right was now to be divided between Shem and Japheth, Ham being utterly discarded. In the principality which they equally share Canaan shall be servant to both. The double portion is given to Japheth, whom God shall enlarge; but the priesthood is given to Shem, for God shall dwell in the tents of Shem: and certainly we are more happy if we have God dwelling in our tents than if we had there all the silver and gold in the world. It is better to dwell in tents with God than in palaces without him. In Salem, where is God's tabernacle, there is more satisfaction than in all the isles of the Gentiles. Thirdly, They both have dominion over Canaan: Canaan shall be servant to them; so some read it. When Japheth joins with Shem, Canaan falls before them both. When strangers become friends, enemies become servants.
For another mystery was accomplished and predicted in the days of Noah, of which you are not aware. It is this: in the blessings wherewith Noah blessed his two sons, and in the curse pronounced on his son's son. For the Spirit of prophecy would not curse the son that had been by God blessed along with [his brothers]. But since the punishment of the sin would cleave to the whole descent of the son that mocked at his father's nakedness, he made the curse originate with his son. Now, in what he said, he foretold that the descendants of Shem would keep in retention the property and dwellings of Canaan: and again that the descendants of Japheth would take possession of the property of which Shem's descendants had dispossessed Canaan's descendants; and spoil the descendants of Shem, even as they plundered the sons of Canaan. And listen to the way in which it has so come to pass. For you, who have derived your lineage from Shem, invaded the territory of the sons of Canaan by the will of God; and you possessed it. And it is manifest that the sons of Japheth, having invaded you in turn by the judgment of God, have taken your land from you, and have possessed it. Thus it is written: "And Noah awoke from the wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him; and he said, Cursed be Canaan, the servant; a servant shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. May the Lord enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the houses of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant."
Now the three sons of Noah were Shem, Ham and Japheth, from whom again the race was multiplied: for these were the beginning of mankind after the flood. Now of these one fell under a curse, and the two (others) inherited a blessing by reason of their works. For the younger of them, who was called Ham, having mocked his father, and having been condemned of the sin of impiety because of his outrage and unrighteousness against his father, received a curse; and all the posterity that came of him he involved in the curse; whence it came about that his whole race after him were accursed, and in sins they increased and multiplied. But Shem and Japheth, his brothers, because of their piety towards their father obtained a blessing. Now the curse of Ham, wherewith his father Noah cursed him, is this: Cursed be Ham the child; a servant shall he be unto his brethren. This having come upon his race, he begat many descendants upon the earth, (even) for fourteen generations, growing up in a wild condition; and then his race was cut off by God, being delivered up to judgment. For the Canaanites and Hittites and Peresites and Hivites and Amorites and Jebusites and Gergasites and Sodomites, the Arabians also and the dwellers in Phœnicia, all the Egyptians and the Libyans, are of the posterity of Ham, who have fallen under the curse; for the curse is of long duration over the ungodly.
Noah cursed Canaan, saying, “Cursed be Canaan. A slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers.” But what sin could Canaan have committed even if he had been right behind his father when Ham observed the nakedness of Noah? Some say that because Ham had been blessed along with those who entered the ark and came out of it, Noah did not curse Ham himself, even though his son, who was cursed, grieved him greatly. Others, however, say from the fact that Scripture says, “Noah knew everything that his youngest son had done to him,” it is clear that it was not Ham who observed his nakedness, for Ham was the middle son and not the youngest. For this reason they say that Canaan, the youngest, told of the nakedness of the old man. Then Ham went out and jokingly told his brothers. For this reason then, even though it might be thought that Canaan was cursed unjustly in that he did what he did in his youth, still he was cursed justly for he was not cursed in the place of another. Noah knew that Canaan would deserve the curse in his old age, or else he would not have been cursed in his youth.
First of all, let us show great reverence to our parents, as we read in Genesis 9:25-27, that whoever was blessed by their father, was blessed, and whoever was cursed by their father, was cursed! Therefore, God has granted this grace to parents, so that the piety of their children may be provoked. Therefore, it is the duty of children to obey their parents. Honor your father, so that he may bless you.
To be sure, some will say, this shows that the reason he did not curse Ham was that he had enjoyed blessing from God. Nevertheless, why is it that though Ham was the sinner, Canaan had to pay the penalty? This does not happen idly either. Ham did not endure less punishment than his son. He too felt its effects. You know well, of course, how in many cases fathers have begged to endure punishment in place of their children. Seeing their children bearing punishment proves a more grievous form of chastisement for the fathers than being subject to it themselves. Accordingly, this incident occurred so that Ham should endure greater anguish on account of his natural affection, so that God’s blessing should continue without impairment and so that his son in being the object of the curse should atone for his own sins. You see, even if in the present instance he bears the curse on account of his father’s sin, nevertheless it was likely that he was atoning for his own failings. In other words, it was not only for his father’s sin that he bore the curse but perhaps also for the purpose of his suffering a heavier penalty on his own account. After all, for proof that parents are not punished for their children, nor children for their parents, each being liable for the sins he has committed, you can find frequent statements among the inspired authors—as, for instance, when they say, “The teeth of the one eating sour grapes shall be set on edge,” “The soul that shall die is the soul that sins,” and again, “Parents shall not die for their children, nor children for their parents.”
And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
But Noah, awakening from his wine, when he had learned what his younger son had done to him, said: Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers. Awakening from wine, Noah curses his offspring by whom he was mocked; however, he rewards with due blessing those who honored him as their father; and the Lord, according to the voice of the psalm (Psalm 3:6), having slept in death and risen immortal, smote all who opposed him without cause, and shattered the teeth of sinners; but upon his own people he poured the blessing of eternal salvation. Not only is Canaan subjected to a curse, but also to the servitude of his brothers. For what else is that nation today, but a certain scribe of Christians, bearing the law and the prophets as testimony to the affirmation of the Church, so that we might honor through the sacrament what it announces through the letter.
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SUMMARY
Noah's prophetic declaration of a curse upon his grandson, Canaan, following a shameful incident involving Noah's son, Ham. This pivotal verse establishes a trajectory for the future of the Canaanite peoples, foretelling their subjugation, and has unfortunately been subjected to profound historical misinterpretation, particularly concerning its application to race and servitude, which stands in stark contrast to biblical principles of human dignity and equality.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The passage employs several significant literary devices. The most prominent is Prophecy, as Noah's words are not merely an emotional reaction but a divinely inspired foretelling of future events concerning the descendants of Canaan. The phrase "servant of servants" is a powerful example of a Superlative Construction or Hebraism, using the repetition of a noun to express the highest degree of that quality, emphasizing the extreme and abject nature of the servitude. This also functions as Hyperbole to underscore the severity of the future subjugation. The narrative itself also contains elements of Foreshadowing, setting the stage for the later conflicts between Israel and the Canaanite nations, and providing a theological basis for the eventual conquest and displacement of the Canaanites from the land promised to Abraham's descendants.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
The account of Noah's curse on Canaan, while historically specific, carries profound theological and thematic implications. It underscores the biblical principle that actions, particularly those involving honor and dishonor, have significant consequences that can extend across generations. This narrative also serves as a testament to God's sovereign hand in human history, demonstrating His foreknowledge and active involvement in shaping the destinies of nations according to His moral standards and redemptive plan. The curse on Canaan foreshadows the future moral decay and idolatry of the Canaanite nations, whose practices would later lead to their judgment and displacement by God through the Israelites. Crucially, this passage has been grossly misused throughout history to justify abhorrent practices like slavery and racial discrimination. A sound theological understanding recognizes that the curse was specific to Canaan's lineage and their historical trajectory, not a blanket condemnation of any race or a divine mandate for perpetual servitude. The New Testament consistently affirms the unity of humanity and condemns prejudice, emphasizing that all are created in God's image and are equal in Christ.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The narrative of Genesis 9:25 offers several enduring lessons for contemporary believers. It impresses upon us the profound and often far-reaching impact of our actions, particularly those that involve respect or disrespect for family and authority. Ham's actions, while seemingly private, had public and generational consequences, reminding us that our choices are never truly isolated. This passage also serves as a vital call to responsible biblical interpretation, compelling us to diligently study Scripture within its proper historical, cultural, and literary contexts, guarding against the temptation to twist or misuse it to justify prejudice, oppression, or any ideology contrary to the loving and just character of God revealed in Christ. Ultimately, it challenges us to cultivate a posture of honor, humility, and careful discernment, recognizing that every individual is made in the image of God and deserves dignity and respect, regardless of their lineage or background.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was Canaan cursed instead of Ham, his father?
Answer: The biblical text does not explicitly state why Canaan was cursed instead of Ham directly. However, several interpretations are commonly offered. One view is that Noah, as a prophet, was speaking under divine inspiration, and the curse was a prophetic judgment specifically targeting the future wickedness and idolatry of the Canaanite nations descended from Canaan, which God knew would eventually lead to their dispossession. Another perspective suggests that Ham's sin might have been more egregious than merely "seeing" Noah's nakedness, perhaps involving mockery, gloating, or even a more sexually perverse act, and the curse on Canaan was a way to punish Ham indirectly through his youngest and perhaps most favored son, thus impacting his lineage significantly. Ultimately, it reflects God's sovereign choice in the outworking of judgment and the specific historical trajectory of the Canaanite peoples.
Does Genesis 9:25 justify slavery or racial prejudice?
Answer: Absolutely not. This verse has been tragically and gravely misused throughout history, particularly to justify the enslavement and oppression of people of African descent. However, such interpretations are a gross distortion of biblical truth. The curse is specific to Canaan and his descendants, not a blanket curse on all of Ham's lineage or any particular race. The Bible consistently condemns prejudice, affirms the unity of humanity, stating that God "made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth" (Acts 17:26). Furthermore, the New Testament unequivocally promotes love for one's neighbor, justice, and the inherent dignity of all people, rendering any justification of slavery or racism from this or any other passage entirely contrary to the spirit and teachings of Christ.
Is this curse still active today?
Answer: No, the curse on Canaan was a specific prophetic utterance concerning the historical subjugation of the Canaanite nations by the descendants of Shem and Japheth. Its primary historical fulfillment occurred during the Israelite conquest of Canaan and subsequent periods of foreign dominion over the region. In the New Covenant, through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, the power of all curses, particularly those related to sin and its consequences, is broken. Believers in Christ are united in Him, regardless of their earthly lineage, ethnicity, or background, as there is "neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Genesis 9:25 details a specific historical curse that foreshadowed the subjugation of a particular lineage due to the consequences of sin, its ultimate fulfillment and reversal are profoundly found in Jesus Christ. The curse on Canaan, leading to a state of "servant of servants," speaks to the broader human condition of brokenness, the bondage of sin, and the divisions it creates among humanity. Christ, however, came not to perpetuate curses but to bear the curse of sin on the cross, becoming a curse for us "so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:13-14). He is the ultimate "Servant of the Lord" (Isaiah 53:11) who willingly took on the lowest form of servitude, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:7-8), to liberate humanity from the bondage of sin and death. In Christ, the barriers of lineage, ethnicity, and social status are broken down, and all who believe become part of one new humanity, reconciled to God and to one another, united in a new covenant of grace and peace, where there is no longer "Jew or Gentile, slave or free" but all are one in Him (Colossians 3:11).