THE SONS OF NOAH
Key verse: 23
NIV
The Sons of Noah
18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth.(A) (Ham was the father of Canaan.)(B) 19 These were the three sons of Noah,(C) and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth.(D)
20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded[a] to plant a vineyard. 21 When he drank some of its wine,(E) he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked(F) 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,
26 He also said,
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!(J)
May Canaan be the slave(K) of Shem.
27 May God extend Japheth’s[b] territory;(L)
may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,(M)
and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”
28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years.
Footnotes
- Genesis 9:20 Or soil, was the first
- Genesis 9:27 Japheth sounds like the Hebrew for extend.
Cross references
- Genesis 9:18 : S Ge 5:32; Lk 3:36
- Genesis 9:18 : ver 25-27; Ge 10:6, 15
- Genesis 9:19 : Ge 5:32
- Genesis 9:19 : S Ge 1:22; 10:32; 11:4, 8, 9
- Genesis 9:21 : Ge 19:35
- Genesis 9:22 : Hab 2:15
- Genesis 9:25 : Ge 27:12
- Genesis 9:25 : ver 18; Ex 20:5; Ps 79:8; Isa 14:21; Jer 31:29; 32:18
- Genesis 9:25 : Ge 25:23; 27:29, 37, 40; 37:10; 49:8; Nu 24:18; Jos 9:23
- Genesis 9:26 : Ge 14:20; Ex 18:10; Ps 7:17
- Genesis 9:26 : 1Ki 9:21
- Genesis 9:27 : Ge 10:2-5
- Genesis 9:27 : Eph 2:13-14; 3:6
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
Noah's Descendants
18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were (A)Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and (B)from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed.[a]
20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.[b] 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father's nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine (C)and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,
26 He also said,
“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem;
and let Canaan be his servant.
27 May God enlarge Japheth,[c]
and let him dwell in the tents of Shem,
and let Canaan be his servant.”
28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 9:19 Or from these the whole earth was populated
- Genesis 9:20 Or Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard
- Genesis 9:27 Japheth sounds like the Hebrew for enlarge
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. Ham's disrespect for his father (18-22)
Noah was a man of human weaknesses. One day, he enjoyed wine and got drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. His two older sons respected their father and covered his shame. But Ham made fun of him.
2. Noah curses Canaan (23-28)
The human race was beginning again, and there was only one family on earth. From this family came the people who populated the earth. Noah cursed Ham's son Canaan because of what Ham had done. This was not just a family matter; Noah's family was the first building block of human society. Man must live in community, and there must be respect and order. A father, a king or a president must be respected because he represents the whole. Order in society demands that respect be given to those to whom respect is due (Ro 13:6,7). The words of Noah were prophetic. The descendants of Canaan were corrupt; God's hand of judgment fell on them when Israel conquered Canaan.
Prayer: Father, restore mutual respect to this nation and its families.
One Word: Respect to whom respect is due
