“Cursed 3 be Canaan! 4
The lowest of slaves 5
he will be to his brothers.”
9:26 He also said,
“Worthy of praise is 6 the Lord, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem! 7
10:15 Canaan was the father of 8 Sidon his firstborn, 9 Heth, 10 10:16 the Jebusites, 11 Amorites, 12 Girgashites, 13 10:17 Hivites, 14 Arkites, 15 Sinites, 16 10:18 Arvadites, 17 Zemarites, 18 and Hamathites. 19 Eventually the families of the Canaanites were scattered 10:19 and the borders of Canaan extended 20 from Sidon 21 all the way to 22 Gerar as far as Gaza, and all the way to 23 Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
1 sn For the second time (see v. 18) the text informs the reader of the relationship between Ham and Canaan. Genesis 10 will explain that Canaan was the ancestor of the Canaanite tribes living in the promised land.
2 tn Some would translate “had sexual relations with,” arguing that Ham committed a homosexual act with his drunken father for which he was cursed. However, the expression “see nakedness” usually refers to observation of another’s nakedness, not a sexual act (see Gen 42:9, 12 where “nakedness” is used metaphorically to convey the idea of “weakness” or “vulnerability”; Deut 23:14 where “nakedness” refers to excrement; Isa 47:3; Ezek 16:37; Lam 1:8). The following verse (v. 23) clearly indicates that visual observation, not a homosexual act, is in view here. In Lev 20:17 the expression “see nakedness” does appear to be a euphemism for sexual intercourse, but the context there, unlike that of Gen 9:22, clearly indicates that in that passage sexual contact is in view. The expression “see nakedness” does not in itself suggest a sexual connotation. Some relate Gen 9:22 to Lev 18:6-11, 15-19, where the expression “uncover [another’s] nakedness” (the Piel form of גָּלָה, galah) refers euphemistically to sexual intercourse. However, Gen 9:22 does not say Ham “uncovered” the nakedness of his father. According to the text, Noah uncovered himself; Ham merely saw his father naked. The point of the text is that Ham had no respect for his father. Rather than covering his father up, he told his brothers. Noah then gave an oracle that Ham’s descendants, who would be characterized by the same moral abandonment, would be cursed. Leviticus 18 describes that greater evil of the Canaanites (see vv. 24-28).
3 sn For more on the curse, see H. C. Brichto, The Problem of “Curse” in the Hebrew Bible (JBLMS), and J. Scharbert, TDOT 1:405-18.
4 sn Cursed be Canaan. The curse is pronounced on Canaan, not Ham. Noah sees a problem in Ham’s character, and on the basis of that he delivers a prophecy about the future descendants who will live in slavery to such things and then be controlled by others. (For more on the idea of slavery in general, see E. M. Yamauchi, “Slaves of God,” BETS 9 [1966]: 31-49). In a similar way Jacob pronounced oracles about his sons based on their revealed character (see Gen 49).
5 tn Heb “a servant of servants” (עֶבֶד עֲבָדִים, ’eved ’avadim), an example of the superlative genitive. It means Canaan will become the most abject of slaves.
6 tn Heb “blessed be.”
7 tn Heb “a slave to him”; the referent (Shem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Heb “fathered.”
9 sn Sidon was the foremost city in Phoenicia; here Sidon may be the name of its founder.
10 tn Some see a reference to “Hittites” here (cf. NIV), but this seems unlikely. See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.
11 sn The Jebusites were the Canaanite inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem.
12 sn Here Amorites refers to smaller groups of Canaanite inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Palestine, rather than the large waves of Amurru, or western Semites, who migrated to the region.
13 sn The Girgashites are an otherwise unknown Canaanite tribe, though the name is possibly mentioned in Ugaritic texts (see G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 1:226).
14 sn The Hivites were Canaanite tribes of a Hurrian origin.
15 sn The Arkites lived in Arka, a city in Lebanon, north of Sidon.
16 sn The Sinites lived in Sin, another town in Lebanon.
17 sn The Arvadites lived in the city Arvad, located on an island near the mainland close to the river El Kebir.
18 sn The Zemarites lived in the town Sumur, north of Arka.
19 sn The Hamathites lived in Hamath on the Orontes River.
20 tn Heb “were.”
21 map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
22 tn Heb “as you go.”
23 tn Heb “as you go.”