John Calvin Commentary Genesis 9:20

"And Noah began to be a husbandman, and planted a vineyard:" — Genesis 9:20 (ASV)

And Noah began to be an husbandman. I do not interpret these words to mean that he then, for the first time, began to give his attention to the cultivation of the fields. Instead, (in my opinion,) Moses rather intimates that Noah, with a collected mind, though now an old man, returned to the cultivation of the fields and to his former labors.

It is, however, uncertain whether he had been a vine-dresser or not. It is commonly believed that wine was not in use before that time. And this opinion has been more willingly received, as it affords an honorable pretext for excusing Noah’s sin. But it does not seem probable to me that the fruit of the vine, which excels all others, should have remained neglected and unprofitable.

Also, Moses does not say that Noah was drunk on the first day he tasted it. Therefore, leaving this question undetermined, I rather suppose that we are to learn from Noah’s drunkenness what a filthy and detestable crime drunkenness is. The holy patriarch, though he had until then been a rare example of frugality and temperance, lost all self-possession and, in a base and shameful manner, prostrated himself naked on the ground, so as to become a laughingstock to all.

Therefore, how carefully ought we to cultivate sobriety, so that nothing like this, or even worse, should happen to us? Formerly, the heathen philosopher said, ‘Wine is the blood of the earth; and therefore, when men intemperately pour it down their throats, they are justly punished by their mother.’

Let us, however, rather remember that when men, by shameful abuse, profane this noble and most precious gift of God, He Himself becomes the Avenger. And let us know that Noah, by the judgment of God, has been set forth as a spectacle to be a warning to others, that they should not become intoxicated by excessive drinking.

Some excuse might certainly be made for the holy man, who, having completed his labor and being exhilarated with wine, imagines that he is only taking his just reward. But God brands him with an eternal mark of disgrace. What then, do we suppose, will happen to those idle-bellies and insatiable gluttons whose sole competition is who shall consume the greatest quantity of wine?

And although this kind of correction was severe, yet it was profitable to the servant of God, since he was recalled to sobriety, so that by continuing in the indulgence of a vice to which he had once yielded, he would not ruin himself; just as we see drunkards eventually become brutalized by continued intemperance.