Albert Barnes Commentary Genesis 9:18-29

"And the sons of Noah, that went forth from the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah: and of these was the whole earth overspread. And Noah began to be a husbandman, and planted a vineyard: and he drank of the wine, and was drunken. And he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father. And their faces were backward, and they saw not their father`s nakedness. And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done unto him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant. God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant. And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: And he died." — Genesis 9:18-29 (ASV)

1. כנען kena‘an — “Kena‘an, bowed down.”
2. נפץ nāpats — “break, scatter, spread.” פוּץ pûts — “break, scatter, flow.”
3. כרם kerem — “orchard, vineyard.”
4. יין yayı̂n — “wine; related: ferment.”

After the blessing on the new heads of the human race has been pronounced, and the covenant with them renewed, we are prepared for a new development of human action. This appears, however, in the form of an event which is itself a suitable preliminary to the subsequent stage of affairs. The prophecy of Noah, delivered in the form of a solemn paternal doom pronounced upon his three sons, sketches in a few striking traits the future history of the separate families of humankind.

(Genesis 9:18–19)

These two verses form a connecting link between the preceding and the following passage. After the recital of the covenant, the statement naturally follows that the whole land was overspread by the three sons of Noah, duly enumerated. This forms a fit conclusion to the previous paragraph. But the writer of these sentences evidently had the following paragraph in view, for he mentions that Ham was the father of Kenaan, which is plainly the preface to the following narrative.

(Genesis 9:20–27)

Then comes the prediction (Genesis 9:20–27), which has a special interest as the first prophetic utterance of man recorded in the Old Testament. The occasion of it is first stated. Noah becomes “a man of the soil.”

If he was previously a mechanic, it is evident he must now attend to the cultivation of the soil, so that he may draw from it the means of subsistence. He planted a vineyard.

God was the first planter (Genesis 2:8); and since that time, we hear nothing of the cultivation of trees until Noah becomes a planter. The cultivation of the vine and the manufacture of wine might have been in practice before this time, as their mention is merely incidental to the present narrative.

But it seems likely from what follows that, though grapes may have been used, wine had not been extracted from them. And was drunken. We are not in a position to estimate the amount of Noah’s guilt in this case, as we do not know how familiar he was with the properties of wine.

But we should take warning from the consequences and beware of the abuse of any of God’s gifts. Ham the father of Kenaan.

It is natural to suppose, as some have done, that Kenaan had something to do with the guilt of this act. However, there is no clear indication of this in the text, and Kenaan’s relationship to Ham may be mentioned again simply in anticipation of the subsequent prophecy.

Ham is punished in his youngest son, who was perhaps a favorite. The intention of this act by his brothers is eminently pure and befitting dutiful sons. The garment refers to the loose mantle or shawl used for wrapping around the body when going to sleep.

The actions of the sons in this unpleasant occurrence, especially that of Ham, give occasion to the following prophetic sentence: “His youngest son.” This seems plainly the meaning of the phrase הקטן בנו benô haqāṭān, “his son, the little.” He must be regarded here as contrasted with the other two, and therefore distinguished as the youngest.

The manner of Scripture here is worthy of particular remark.

1. The prediction arises from a characteristic incident. The conduct of the brothers was of comparatively slight importance in itself, but in the disposition it revealed, it was highly significant.
2. It refers specifically to the near future and to the outward condition of the individuals involved.
3. It foreshadows, using these familiar phrases, the distant future, and the inward, as well as the outward, state of the human family.
4. It outlines the destiny of the whole race from its very starting point.

These simple laws characterize the main body of the predictions of Scripture.

(Genesis 9:25–27)

The prophecy consists of two parts—a malediction and a benediction. Cursed be Kenaan. A curse (Genesis 3:14; Genesis 3:17; Genesis 4:11) is any deprivation, inferiority, or other ill, expressed in the form of a doom, and affecting not always the object directly named, but the party who is transgressing. Thus, the soil is cursed on account of Adam the transgressor (Genesis 3:17). It is apparent that in the present case the prime mover was Ham, who is therefore punished in the prospect of a curse resting on his posterity, and especially on a particular line of it. Let us not imagine, however, that the ways of the Lord are not equal in this matter, for Kenaan and his descendants no doubt abundantly deserved this special visitation.

And as the other descendants of Ham are not otherwise mentioned in the prophecy, we may presume that they shared in the curse pronounced upon Kenaan. In any case, they are not expressly included in the blessing pronounced on the other two divisions of the human family. It should also be observed that this prediction does not affirm an absolute perpetuity in the doom of Ham or Kenaan. It only delineates their relative condition until the whole race is again included within the scope of prophecy.

A servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. — The curse here consists in servitude, which is in itself an inferiority, and, among the children of self-will, tends more and more to all the terrible evils of slavery.

Slavery originated in war and conquest. The mere warrior put captives to death, the cannibal devoured them, and the economist fed them for their labor. Accordingly, slavery soon made its appearance in all countries that were conquered.

A system of slavery, imposed without consent and for no crime, is a dire evil. Besides the direct injustice of robbing a fellow human being of personal liberty, it dissolves marriage, breaks the family tie, and disregards the conscience. It therefore trades in the souls as well as the bodies of humankind.

It is a historical fact that the degradation of slavery has fallen especially upon the race of Ham. A portion of the Kenaanites became slaves among the Israelites, who were of the race of Shem. The early Babylonians, the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, and Egyptians, who all belonged to the race of Ham, were subjugated by the Assyrians (who were Shemites), the Persians, the Macedonians, and the Romans (who were all Japhethites). And in modern times it is well known that most of the nations of Europe traded in African slaves. “A servant of servants” means a slave of the most abject kind. Unto his brethren. If the doom of slavery is referred to the race of Ham, then his brothers are the descendants of Japheth and Shem, who have held many of the Hamites in bondage.

If we limit the sentence to Kenaan, then his brothers may include the other descendants of Ham. It is said that the subservient tribe is also the most tyrannical; and it is the fact that Africans have participated in the forcible seizing and selling into slavery in distant lands of their own kinsmen and fellow-countrymen.

(Genesis 9:26, Genesis 9:27)

And he said. — The prediction concerning the other two brothers is a distinct utterance of Noah. Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem. The characteristic blessing of Shem is that Yahweh, the one true, living, known God, is his God. The knowledge and worship of the Creator are preserved in the family of Shem when it is lost or fatally obscured among the other descendants of Noah. The prophet is so conscious of the unspeakable blessing of knowing and loving the true God that he breaks out into thanksgiving in the very act of announcing the transcendent privilege of Shem.

There is a dark side, however, to this prophetic thought, as it implies that the two other families of humankind, at least for part of the period under the prophet’s view, were estranged from the true and living God. History corroborates both aspects of this prophetic sentence for two thousand four hundred years. During most of this long period, the Holy Yahweh Omnipotent was unknown to the great mass of the Japhethites, Hamites, and even Shemites. And it was only by the special election and consecration of an individual Shemite to be the head of a special people, and the father of the faithful, that He did not cease to be the God of even a remnant of Shem.

Then follows the refrain, And Kenaan shall be servant unto them. The phrase “to them” proves that Shem here includes the race descended from him, consisting of many individuals.

Scripture sees the race in the father, traces its unity back to him, discerns in him the leading traits of character that often mark his most distant posterity, and identifies with him in destiny all those of his race who continue to take after him.

Thus, Adam denotes the whole race; Shem, Ham, and Japheth, its three great branches. Attention to this law of the unity, continuity, and identity of a race will greatly aid us in understanding the dealings of Providence with the several branches of the human family. We also learn from the same phrase that this solemn sentence is no mere outburst of Noah’s personal feelings.

He is not speaking of Shem and Kenaan merely, but of the future races that will spring from them. This appears even more plainly from the fact that Japheth, as well as Ham, is described as long estranged from the true God. And now that we are on spiritual ground, it should be observed that Kenaan’s curse is not exclusion, either present or future, from the mercy of God. That is an evil he brings upon himself by a voluntary departure from the living God. The curse merely affects the body—personal liberty. It is a mere degradation from some of the natural rights of our common humanity and does not of itself cut him off from any offer of mercy or benefit of repentant faith.

God shall enlarge Japheth. — God is here spoken of by His generic name. This intimates, or at least coincides with, the fact that Japheth did not continue that nearness of approach to Him which is implied in the use of the personal name.

There is in the original a play upon the word “Japheth,” which itself signifies enlargement. This enlargement is the most striking point in the history of Japheth, who is the ancestor of the inhabitants of Europe, Asia, and America—except for the region between the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, the Euxine Sea, the Caspian Sea, and the mountains beyond the Tigris, which was the main seat of the Shemites.

This expansive power refers not only to the territory and the multitude of the Japhethites but also to their intellectual and active faculties. The metaphysics of the Hindus, the philosophy of the Greeks, the military prowess of the Romans, and the modern science and civilization of the world are due to the race of Japheth.

And though the moral and the spiritual were first developed among the Shemites, yet the Japhethites have proved themselves capable of rising to the heights of these lofty themes and have elaborated that noble form of human speech, which was adopted, in the providence of God, as best suited to convey to humankind that further development of Old Testament truth which is provided in the New Testament.

And he shall dwell in the tents of Shem. — We regard Japheth as the subject of this sentence because if God were its subject, the meaning would be substantially the same as the blessing of Shem already given, and because this would intermingle the blessing of Shem with that of Japheth, without any important addition to our information. However, when Japheth is the subject of the sentence, we learn that he shall dwell in the tents of Shem—an entirely new proposition. This form of expression does not indicate a direct invasion and conquest of the land of Shem, which would not be consistent with the blessing pronounced on him in the previous sentence: it rather implies that this dwelling together would be a benefit to Japheth and no injury to Shem.

Accordingly, we find that when the Persians conquered the Babylonian empire, they restored the Jews to their native land; when Alexander the Great conquered the Persians, he gave protection to the Jews; and when the Romans subdued the Greek monarchy, they befriended the chosen nation and allowed them a large measure of self-government. In their time came the Messiah and instituted that new form of the church of the Old Testament which not only retained the best part of the ancient people of God but extended itself over the whole of Europe, the chief seat of Japheth; went with him wherever he went; and is today, through the blessing of God on Japheth's political and moral influence, penetrating into the moral darkness of Ham, as well as the remainder of Shem and Japheth himself.

Thus, in the highest of all senses, Japheth is dwelling in the tents of Shem.

Again comes the refrain, And Kenaan shall be servant unto them. A portion of Japheth still holds a portion of Ham in bondage. But this very bondage has been the means of bringing some of the sons of Ham to dwell in the tents of Shem; and the day is not far distant when Japheth will relinquish altogether the compulsory hold on his brother, and dedicate his entire moral influence over him to the revival of the knowledge and love of God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, in his race.

Thus, it appears that the destiny of these three great branches of the Noachic family, during the time of their separation on the high question of their relation to God, is faithfully traced out in this remarkable prediction. Ham is aptly represented by Kenaan, the slave, who is seized, enslaved, and sold even by his own kinsmen to one another and to the descendants of Shem and Japheth. Shem includes within his posterity the select family who know God as the Lord, the God of promise, of mercy, of salvation. Japheth is enlarged by God and eventually becomes acquainted with Him whom he once ignorantly worshipped.

The historian recognizes these as key points in the experience of the three races, as long as they continue apart. The time is approaching when this strange intermediate development will reach a happy conclusion, in the reunion of all the members of the human family, according to clearer and more far-reaching prophecies yet to be delivered.

(Genesis 9:28, Genesis 9:29)

The history of Noah is now closed (Genesis 9:28–29), in the customary form of the fifth chapter of Genesis. This marks a connection between the third and fourth documents and points to a single author, or at least compiler, of both.

The document now closed could not have had the last paragraph added to it until after Noah's death. However, with the exception of these two verses, it might have been composed hundreds of years earlier.

This strongly favors the idea of a constant continuator or, in any case, a continuation of the sacred history. Every new prophet and inspired writer whom God raised up added the necessary portion and made the necessary insertions in the sacred record. Thus, the Word of God had a progressive growth and adaptation to the successive ages of the church.

The present document stands between the old world and the new world. Therefore, it has a dual character, being the close of the antediluvian history and the introduction to that of the postdiluvian race.

It records a great event, full of warning for all future human generations. It also notes the delegation of authority from God to humanity to punish the murderer by death, and therefore to enforce all the lesser sanctions of law for breaches of the civil compact.

It therefore points out the institution of civil government as coming from God and clearly shows the accountability of all governments to God for all the powers they hold and for the manner in which they are exercised. This also is a great historical lesson for all ages.