Genesis 9:1-29

God’s Covenant with Humankind through Noah

9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 9:2 Every living creature of the earth and every bird of the sky will be terrified of you. ¹  Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority. ²  9:3 You may eat any moving thing that lives. ³  As I gave you ⁴  the green plants, I now give ⁵  you everything.

9:4 But ⁶  you must not eat meat ⁷  with its life (that is, ⁸  its blood) in it. ⁹  9:5 For your lifeblood ¹⁰  I will surely exact punishment, ¹¹  from ¹²  every living creature I will exact punishment. From each person ¹³  I will exact punishment for the life of the individual ¹⁴  since the man was his relative. ¹⁵ 

9:6 “Whoever sheds human blood, ¹⁶ 

by other humans ¹⁷ 

must his blood be shed;

for in God’s image ¹⁸ 

God ¹⁹  has made humankind.”

9:7 But as for you, ²⁰  be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it.”

9:8 God said to Noah and his sons, ²¹  9:9 “Look! I now confirm ²²  my covenant with you and your descendants after you ²³  9:10 and with every living creature that is with you, including the birds, the domestic animals, and every living creature of the earth with you, all those that came out of the ark with you – every living creature of the earth. ²⁴  9:11 I confirm ²⁵  my covenant with you: Never again will all living things ²⁶  be wiped out ²⁷  by the waters of a flood; ²⁸  never again will a flood destroy the earth.”

9:12 And God said, “This is the guarantee ²⁹  of the covenant I am making ³⁰  with you ³¹  and every living creature with you, a covenant ³²  for all subsequent ³³  generations: 9:13 I will place ³⁴  my rainbow ³⁵  in the clouds, and it will become ³⁶  a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth. 9:14 Whenever ³⁷  I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 9:15 then I will remember my covenant with you ³⁸  and with all living creatures of all kinds. ³⁹  Never again will the waters become a flood and destroy ⁴⁰  all living things. ⁴¹  9:16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will notice it and remember ⁴²  the perpetual covenant between God and all living creatures of all kinds that are on the earth.”

9:17 So God said to Noah, “This is the guarantee of the covenant that I am confirming between me and all living things ⁴³  that are on the earth.”

The Curse of Canaan

9:18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Now Ham was the father of Canaan.) ⁴⁴  9:19 These were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated. ⁴⁵ 

9:20 Noah, a man of the soil, ⁴⁶  began to plant a vineyard. ⁴⁷  9:21 When he drank some of the wine, he got drunk and uncovered himself ⁴⁸  inside his tent. 9:22 Ham, the father of Canaan, ⁴⁹  saw his father’s nakedness ⁵⁰  and told his two brothers who were outside. 9:23 Shem and Japheth took the garment ⁵¹  and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned ⁵²  the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.

9:24 When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor ⁵³  he learned ⁵⁴  what his youngest son had done ⁵⁵  to him. 9:25 So he said,

“Cursed ⁵⁶  be Canaan! ⁵⁷ 

The lowest of slaves ⁵⁸ 

he will be to his brothers.”

9:26 He also said,

“Worthy of praise is ⁵⁹  the Lord, the God of Shem!

May Canaan be the slave of Shem! ⁶⁰ 

9:27 May God enlarge Japheth’s territory and numbers! ⁶¹ 

May he live ⁶²  in the tents of Shem

and may Canaan be his slave!”

9:28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 9:29 The entire lifetime of Noah was 950 years, and then he died.

Genesis 12:2

12:2 Then I will make you ⁶³  into a great nation, and I will bless you, ⁶⁴ 

and I will make your name great, ⁶⁵ 

so that you will exemplify divine blessing. ⁶⁶ 

Numbers 21:28-30

21:28 For fire went out from Heshbon,

a flame from the city of Sihon.

It has consumed Ar of Moab

and the lords ⁶⁷  of the high places of Arnon.

21:29 Woe to you, Moab.

You are ruined, O people of Chemosh! ⁶⁸ 

He has made his sons fugitives,

and his daughters the prisoners of King Sihon of the Amorites.

21:30 We have overpowered them; ⁶⁹ 

Heshbon has perished as far as Dibon.

We have shattered them as far as Nophah,

which ⁷⁰  reaches to Medeba.”

Numbers 32:33-38

Land Assignment

32:33 So Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the realm of King Sihon of the Amorites, and the realm of King Og of Bashan, the entire land with its cities and the territory surrounding them. ⁷¹  32:34 The Gadites rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 32:35 Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 32:36 Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran as fortified cities, and constructed pens for their flocks. 32:37 The Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 32:38 Nebo, Baal Meon (with a change of name), and Sibmah. They renamed ⁷²  the cities they built.

Deuteronomy 3:12

Distribution of the Transjordanian Allotments

3:12 This is the land we brought under our control at that time: The territory extending from Aroer ⁷³  by the Wadi Arnon and half the Gilead hill country with its cities I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites. ⁷⁴ 

Isaiah 15:1-2

The Lord Will Judge Moab

15:1 Here is a message about Moab:

Indeed, in a night it is devastated,

Ar of Moab is destroyed!

Indeed, in a night it is devastated,

Kir of Moab is destroyed!

15:2 They went up to the temple, ⁷⁵ 

the people of Dibon went up to the high places to lament. ⁷⁶ 

Because of what happened to Nebo and Medeba, ⁷⁷  Moab wails.

Every head is shaved bare,

every beard is trimmed off. ⁷⁸ 

Isaiah 15:4

15:4 The people of ⁷⁹  Heshbon and Elealeh cry out,

their voices are heard as far away as Jahaz.

For this reason Moab’s soldiers shout in distress;

their courage wavers. ⁸⁰ 

Isaiah 16:7-9

16:7 So Moab wails over its demise ⁸¹  –

they all wail!

Completely devastated, they moan

about what has happened to the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth. ⁸² 

16:8 For the fields of Heshbon are dried up,

as well as the vines of Sibmah.

The rulers of the nations trample all over its vines,

which reach Jazer and spread to the desert;

their shoots spread out and cross the sea.

16:9 So I weep along with Jazer ⁸³ 

over the vines of Sibmah.

I will saturate you ⁸⁴  with my tears, Heshbon and Elealeh,

for the conquering invaders shout triumphantly

over your fruit and crops. ⁸⁵ 

Jeremiah 48:21-24

48:21 “Judgment will come on the cities on the high plain: ⁸⁶  on Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath, 48:22 on Dibon, Nebo, and Beth Diblathaim, 48:23 on Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul, and Beth Meon, 48:24 on Kerioth and Bozrah. It will come on all the towns of Moab, both far and near.

[9:2]  ¹ tn Heb “and fear of you and dread of you will be upon every living creature of the earth and upon every bird of the sky.” The suffixes on the nouns “fear” and “dread” are objective genitives. The animals will fear humans from this time forward.

[9:2]  ² tn Heb “into your hand are given.” The “hand” signifies power. To say the animals have been given into the hands of humans means humans have been given authority over them.

[9:3]  ³ tn Heb “every moving thing that lives for you will be for food.”

[9:3]  ⁴ tn The words “I gave you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[9:3]  ⁵ tn The perfect verb form describes the action that accompanies the declaration.

[9:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “only.”

[9:4]  ⁷ tn Or “flesh.”

[9:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “its life, its blood.” The second word is in apposition to the first, explaining what is meant by “its life.” Since the blood is equated with life, meat that had the blood in it was not to be eaten.

[9:4]  ⁹ tn The words “in it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[9:5]  ¹⁰ tn Again the text uses apposition to clarify what kind of blood is being discussed: “your blood, [that is] for your life.” See C. L. Dewar, “The Biblical Use of the Term ‘Blood,’” JTS 4 (1953): 204-8.

[9:5]  ¹¹ tn The word “punishment” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification. The verb דָּרָשׁ (darash) means “to require, to seek, to ask for, to exact.” Here it means that God will exact punishment for the taking of a life. See R. Mawdsley, “Capital Punishment in Gen. 9:6,” CentBib 18 (1975): 20-25.

[9:5]  ¹² tn Heb “from the hand of,” which means “out of the hand of” or “out of the power of” and is nearly identical in sense to the preposition מִן (min) alone.

[9:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “and from the hand of the man.” The article has a generic function, indicating the class, i.e., humankind.

[9:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “of the man.”

[9:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “from the hand of a man, his brother.” The point is that God will require the blood of someone who kills, since the person killed is a relative (“brother”) of the killer. The language reflects Noah’s situation (after the flood everyone would be part of Noah’s extended family), but also supports the concept of the brotherhood of humankind. According to the Genesis account the entire human race descended from Noah.

[9:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the blood of man.”

[9:6]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “by man,” a generic term here for other human beings.

[9:6]  ¹⁸ sn See the notes on the words “humankind” and “likeness” in Gen 1:26, as well as J. Barr, “The Image of God in the Book of Genesis – A Study of Terminology,” BJRL 51 (1968/69): 11-26.

[9:6]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:7]  ²⁰ sn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + pronominal subject + verb) here indicates a strong contrast to what has preceded. Against the backdrop of the warnings about taking life, God now instructs the people to produce life, using terms reminiscent of the mandate given to Adam (Gen 1:28).

[9:8]  ²¹ tn Heb “to Noah and to his sons with him, saying.”

[9:9]  ²² tn Heb “I, look, I confirm.” The particle הִנְנִי (hinni) used with the participle מֵקִים (meqim) gives the sense of immediacy or imminence, as if to say, “Look! I am now confirming.”

[9:9]  ²³ tn The three pronominal suffixes (translated “you,” “your,” and “you”) are masculine plural. As v. 8 indicates, Noah and his sons are addressed.

[9:10]  ²⁴ tn The verbal repetition is apparently for emphasis.

[9:11]  ²⁵ tn The verb וַהֲקִמֹתִי (vahaqimoti) is a perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive and should be translated with the English present tense, just as the participle at the beginning of the speech was (v. 9). Another option is to translate both forms with the English future tense (“I will confirm”).

[9:11]  ²⁶ tn Heb “all flesh.”

[9:11]  ²⁷ tn Heb “cut off.”

[9:11]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and all flesh will not be cut off again by the waters of the flood.”

[9:12]  ²⁹ tn Heb “sign.”

[9:12]  ³⁰ sn On the making of covenants in Genesis, see W. F. Albright, “The Hebrew Expression for ‘Making a Covenant’ in Pre-Israelite Documents,” BASOR 121 (1951): 21-22.

[9:12]  ³¹ tn Heb “between me and between you.”

[9:12]  ³² tn The words “a covenant” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[9:12]  ³³ tn The Hebrew term עוֹלָם (’olam) means “ever, forever, lasting, perpetual.” The covenant would extend to subsequent generations.

[9:13]  ³⁴ tn The translation assumes that the perfect verbal form is used rhetorically, emphasizing the certainty of the action. Other translation options include “I have placed” (present perfect; cf. NIV, NRSV) and “I place” (instantaneous perfect; cf. NEB).

[9:13]  ³⁵ sn The Hebrew word קֶשֶׁת (qeshet) normally refers to a warrior’s bow. Some understand this to mean that God the warrior hangs up his battle bow at the end of the flood, indicating he is now at peace with humankind, but others question the legitimacy of this proposal. See C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:473, and G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:196.

[9:13]  ³⁶ tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect of certitude.

[9:14]  ³⁷ tn The temporal indicator (וְהָיָה, vÿhayah, conjunction + the perfect verb form), often translated “it will be,” anticipates a future development.

[9:15]  ³⁸ tn Heb “which [is] between me and between you.”

[9:15]  ³⁹ tn Heb “all flesh.”

[9:15]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “to destroy.”

[9:15]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “all flesh.”

[9:16]  ⁴² tn The translation assumes that the infinitive לִזְכֹּר (lizkor, “to remember”) here expresses the result of seeing the rainbow. Another option is to understand it as indicating purpose, in which case it could be translated, “I will look at it so that I may remember.”

[9:17]  ⁴³ tn Heb “all flesh.”

[9:18]  ⁴⁴ sn The concluding disjunctive clause is parenthetical. It anticipates the following story, which explains that the Canaanites, Ham’s descendants through Canaan, were cursed because they shared the same moral abandonment that their ancestor displayed. See A. van Selms, “The Canaanites in the Book of Genesis,” OTS 12 (1958): 182-213.

[9:19]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “was scattered.” The verb פָּצָה (patsah, “to scatter” [Niphal, “to be scattered”]) figures prominently in story of the dispersion of humankind in chap. 11.

[9:20]  ⁴⁶ sn The epithet a man of the soil indicates that Noah was a farmer.

[9:20]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard”; Heb “and Noah, a man of the ground, began and he planted a vineyard.”

[9:21]  ⁴⁸ tn The Hebrew verb גָּלָה (galah) in the Hitpael verbal stem (וַיִּתְגַּל, vayyitggal) means “to uncover oneself” or “to be uncovered.” Noah became overheated because of the wine and uncovered himself in the tent.

[9:22]  ⁴⁹ 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.

[9:22]  ⁵⁰ 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).

[9:23]  ⁵¹ tn The word translated “garment” has the Hebrew definite article on it. The article may simply indicate that the garment is definite and vivid in the mind of the narrator, but it could refer instead to Noah’s garment. Did Ham bring it out when he told his brothers?

[9:23]  ⁵² tn Heb “their faces [were turned] back.”

[9:24]  ⁵³ tn Heb “his wine,” used here by metonymy for the drunken stupor it produced.

[9:24]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “he knew.”

[9:24]  ⁵⁵ tn The Hebrew verb עָשָׂה (’asah, “to do”) carries too general a sense to draw the conclusion that Ham had to have done more than look on his father’s nakedness and tell his brothers.

[9:25]  ⁵⁶ 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.

[9:25]  ⁵⁷ 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).

[9:25]  ⁵⁸ 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.

[9:26]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “blessed be.”

[9:26]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “a slave to him”; the referent (Shem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:27]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “may God enlarge Japheth.” The words “territory and numbers” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:27]  ⁶² tn In this context the prefixed verbal form is a jussive (note the distinct jussive forms both before and after this in vv. 26 and 27).

[12:2]  ⁶³ tn The three first person verbs in v. 2a should be classified as cohortatives. The first two have pronominal suffixes, so the form itself does not indicate a cohortative. The third verb form is clearly cohortative.

[12:2]  ⁶⁴ sn I will bless you. The blessing of creation is now carried forward to the patriarch. In the garden God blessed Adam and Eve; in that blessing he gave them (1) a fruitful place, (2) endowed them with fertility to multiply, and (3) made them rulers over creation. That was all ruined at the fall. Now God begins to build his covenant people; in Gen 12-22 he promises to give Abram (1) a land flowing with milk and honey, (2) a great nation without number, and (3) kingship.

[12:2]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “I will make you famous.”

[12:2]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “and be a blessing.” The verb form הְיֵה (hÿyeh) is the Qal imperative of the verb הָיָה (hayah). The vav (ו) with the imperative after the cohortatives indicates purpose or consequence. What does it mean for Abram to “be a blessing”? Will he be a channel or source of blessing for others, or a prime example of divine blessing? A similar statement occurs in Zech 8:13, where God assures his people, “You will be a blessing,” in contrast to the past when they “were a curse.” Certainly “curse” here does not refer to Israel being a source of a curse, but rather to the fact that they became a curse-word or byword among the nations, who regarded them as the epitome of an accursed people (see 2 Kgs 22:19; Jer 42:18; 44:8, 12, 22). Therefore the statement “be a blessing” seems to refer to Israel being transformed into a prime example of a blessed people, whose name will be used in blessing formulae, rather than in curses. If the statement “be a blessing” is understood in the same way in Gen 12:2, then it means that God would so bless Abram that other nations would hear of his fame and hold him up as a paradigm of divine blessing in their blessing formulae.

[21:28]  ⁶⁷ tc Some scholars emend to בָּלְעָה (bal’ah), reading “and devoured,” instead of בַּעֲלֵי (ba’aley, “its lords”); cf. NAB, NRSV, TEV. This emendation is closer to the Greek and makes a better parallelism, but the MT makes good sense as it stands.

[21:29]  ⁶⁸ sn The note of holy war emerges here as the victory is a victory over the local gods as well as over the people.

[21:30]  ⁶⁹ tc The first verb is difficult. MT has “we shot at them.” The Greek has “their posterity perished” (see GKC 218 §76.f).

[21:30]  ⁷⁰ tc The relative pronoun “which” (אֲשֶׁר, ’asher) posed a problem for the ancient scribes here, as indicated by the so-called extraordinary point (punta extraordinaria) over the letter ר (resh) of אֲשֶׁר. Smr and the LXX have “fire” (אֵשׁ, ’esh) here (cf. NAB, NJB, RSV, NRSV). Some modern scholars emend the word to שֹׁאָה (sho’ah, “devastation”).

[32:33]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “the land with its cities in the borders of the cities of the land all around.”

[32:38]  ⁷² tn Heb “called names.”

[3:12]  ⁷³ tn The words “the territory extending” are not in the Hebrew text; they are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[3:12]  ⁷⁴ sn Reubenites and Gadites. By the time of Moses’ address the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had already been granted permission to settle in the Transjordan, provided they helped the other tribes subdue the occupants of Canaan (cf. Num 32:28-42).

[15:2]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “house.”

[15:2]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “even Dibon [to] the high places to weep.” The verb “went up” does double duty in the parallel structure.

[15:2]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “over [or “for”] Nebo and over [or “for”] Medeba.”

[15:2]  ⁷⁸ sn Shaving the head and beard were outward signs of mourning and grief.

[15:4]  ⁷⁹ tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[15:4]  ⁸⁰ tc The Hebrew text has, “For this reason the soldiers of Moab shout, his inner being quivers for him.” To achieve tighter parallelism, some emend the first line, changing חֲלֻצֵי (khalutse, “soldiers”) to חַלְצֵי (khaltse, “loins”) and יָרִיעוּ (yari’u, “they shout,” from רוּעַ, rua’) to יָרְעוּ (yor’u, “they quiver”), a verb from יָרַע (yara’), which also appears in the next line. One can then translate v. 4b as “For this reason the insides of the Moabites quiver, their whole body shakes” (cf. NAB, NRSV).

[16:7]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “So Moab wails for Moab.”

[16:7]  ⁸² tn The Hebrew text has, “for the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth you [masculine plural] moan, surely destroyed.” The “raisin cakes” could have cultic significance (see Hos 3:1), but the next verse focuses on agricultural disaster, so here the raisin cakes are mentioned as an example of the fine foods that are no longer available (see 2 Sam 6:19; Song 2:5) because the vines have been destroyed by the invader (see v. 8). Some prefer to take אֲשִׁישֵׁי (’ashishe, “raisin cakes of”) as “men of” (see HALOT 95 s.v. *אָשִׁישׁ; cf. NIV). The verb form תֶהְגּוּ (tehgu, “you moan”) is probably the result of dittography (note that the preceding word ends in tav [ת]) and should be emended to הגו (a perfect, third plural form), “they moan.”

[16:9]  ⁸³ tn Heb “So I weep with the weeping of Jazer.” Once more the speaker (the Lord? – see v. 10b) plays the role of a mourner (see 15:5).

[16:9]  ⁸⁴ tc The form אֲרַיָּוֶךְ (’arayyavekh) should be emended to אֲרַוָּיֶךְ (’aravvayekh; the vav [ו] and yod [י] have been accidentally transposed) from רָוָה (ravah, “be saturated”).

[16:9]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “for over your fruit and over your harvest shouting has fallen.” The translation assumes that the shouting is that of the conqueror (Jer 51:14). Another possibility is that the shouting is that of the harvesters (see v. 10b, as well as Jer 25:30), in which case one might translate, “for the joyful shouting over the fruit and crops has fallen silent.”

[48:21]  ⁸⁶ sn See the study note on Jer 48:8 for reference to this tableland or high plain that lay between the Arnon and Heshbon.