And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.
24. his youngest son ] The rendering of the R.V. marg. and of the A.V., younger (so LXX , Lat. minor), is not permissible. The Hebrew word, where there is a comparison between more than two persons, means “the youngest,” as in the story of David (1Sa 16:11; 1Sa 17:14). The difficulty, which has led to the rendering of the R.V. marg. and the A.V., arises from the fact that in the order of Noah’s sons given by J in Gen 9:18, and by P in Gen 5:32, Gen 6:10, Gen 7:13, and Gen 10:1, Japheth is mentioned third, and was therefore considered to be the youngest. If, however, as seems probable, we are here dealing with a distinct tradition, in which the third and youngest son was Canaan, the difficulty caused by the words, “his youngest son,” taken in conjunction with the curse pronounced upon Canaan (Ham not being mentioned), will disappear.
Origen, in order to escape the difficulty, suggested that Canaan, the youngest son of Ham (Gen 10:6), saw his grandfather, Noah, lying exposed, and reported it to his father, Ham; and this theory has found favour with many. But, at the best, it is an ingenious gloss; it is not in the text, but an addition to it.
had done ] Nothing is told of the youngest son’s misconduct. So far as our text goes, he had merely reported to his brothers their father’s shameful condition. These words, however, suggest that the narrative in Gen 9:22 has for good reasons been abbreviated or modified.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 24. See Clarke on Ge 9:22
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Noah awoke from his wine, from his drunkenness, or from his sleep, the effect of it,
and knew, either by the information of his sons, or by Divine inspiration,
what his younger son had done unto him; or, his little son, either Ham, mentioned Gen 9:22, or Canaan, mentioned in Gen 9:25; by comparing of which places it may be gathered that Canaan first saw it, and told his father Ham of it, and he told it to his brethren. The latter seems here principally intended,
1. Because the curse following is appropriated to him.
2. Because of the title of younger or little son, which seems not to be so properly added if Ham was meant; both because it doth not appear that he was the youngest, for wheresoever these three brethren are mentioned he is always put in the middle place, and because that addition seems to be unnecessary and impertinent to the present business, which if Canaan be intended, is proper and pertinent, by way of distinction, to show that he spake of his grandson, or his sons son.
Object. He calleth him his son.
Answ. Grandchildren are frequently called their grandfathers sons in Scripture, as Gen 29:5; 2Sa 19:24; 1Ch 1:17.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
24. This incident could scarcelyhave happened till twenty years after the flood; for Canaan, whoseconduct was more offensive than that even of his father, was not borntill after that event. It is probable that there is a long intervalincluded between these verses and that this prophecy, like that ofJacob on his sons, was not uttered till near the close of Noah’s lifewhen the prophetic spirit came upon him; this presumption isstrengthened by the mention of his death immediately after.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Noah awoke from his wine,…. From his sleep, which his wine brought on him; when the force and strength of that was gone, and when not only he awaked, but came to himself, and was sober;
and knew what his younger son had done to him; either by revelation, as some, or prophecy, as Ben Gersom, or by the relation of his two sons, whom, when finding himself covered with another’s garment, he might question how it came about, and they told him the whole affair: some, as Aben Ezra, Ben Gersom, and Abendana, think that this was not Ham, the younger son of Noah, and whom some also will have not to be the youngest, being always placed middlemost, but Canaan, the fourth and youngest son of Ham; and whom Noah indeed might call his younger, or “his son, the little one” p; as it was usual for grandchildren to be called the sons of their grandfather; see Ge 29:5 and Noah might be informed how his little son, or rather grandson Canaan, had been in his tent, and seeing him in the posture he was, went very merrily, and told his father Ham of it, who made a jest of it also; and this seems the more reasonable, since Canaan was immediately cursed by Noah, as in the following verse; [See comments on Ge 9:22] this affair must happen many years after Noah’s coming out of the ark, since then his sons had no children; whereas Ham had at this time four sons, and Canaan was the youngest of them; and he was grown up to an age sufficient to be concerned in this matter, of treating his grandfather in an ill way, so as to bring his curse upon him: Jarchi interprets “little” by abominable and contemptible, supposing it refers not to age, but character, and which was bad both in Ham and Canaan:
[See comments on Ge 9:22].
p “filius suus parvus”, Montanus; “filius ejus parvus”, Cartwright.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| Noah’s Prophecy. | B. C. 2347. |
24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. 26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
Here, I. Noah comes to himself: He awoke from his wine. Sleep cured him, and, we may suppose, so cured him that he never relapsed into that sin afterwards. Those that sleep as Noah did should awake as he did, and not as that drunkard (Prov. xxiii. 35) who says when he awakes, I will seek it yet again.
II. The spirit of prophecy comes upon him, and, like dying Jacob, he tells his sons what shall befal them, ch. xlix. 1.
1. He pronounces a curse on Canaan the son of Ham (v. 25), in whom Ham is himself cursed, either because this son of his was now more guilty than the rest, or because the posterity of this son was afterwards to be rooted out of their land, to make room for Israel. And Moses here records it for the animating of Israel in the wars of Canaan; though the Canaanites were a formidable people, yet they were of old an accursed people, and doomed to ruin. The particular curse is, A servant of servants (that is, the meanest and most despicable servant) shall he be, even to his brethren. Those who by birth were his equals shall by conquest be his lords. This certainly points at the victories obtained by Israel over the Canaanites, by which they were all either put to the sword or put under tribute (Jos 9:23; Jdg 1:28; Jdg 1:30; Jdg 1:33; Jdg 1:35), which happened not till about 800 years after this. Note, (1.) God often visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, especially when the children inherit the fathers’ wicked dispositions, and imitate the fathers’ wicked practices, and do nothing to cut off the entail of the curse. (2.) Disgrace is justly put upon those that put disgrace upon others, especially that dishonour and grieve their own parents. An undutiful child that mocks at his parents is no more worthy to be called a son, but deserves to be made as a hired servant, nay, as a servant of servants, among his brethren. (3.) Though divine curses operate slowly, yet, first or last, they will take effect. The Canaanites were under a curse of slavery, and yet, for a great while, had the dominion; for a family, a people, a person, may lie under the curse of God, and yet may long prosper in the world, till the measure of their iniquity, like that of the Canaanites, be full. Many are marked for ruin that are not yet ripe for ruin. Therefore, Let not thy heart envy sinners.
2. He entails a blessing upon Shem and Japheth.
(1.) He blesses Shem, or rather blesses God for him, yet so that it entitles him to the greatest honour and happiness imaginable, v. 26. Observe, [1.] He calls the Lord the god of Shem; and happy, thrice happy, is that people whose God is the LORD, Ps. cxliv. 15. All blessings are included in this. This was the blessing conferred on Abraham and his seed; the God of heaven was not ashamed to be called their God, Heb. xi. 16. Shem is sufficiently recompensed for his respect to his father by this, that the Lord himself puts this honour upon him, to be his God, which is a sufficient recompence for all our services and all our sufferings for his name. [2.] He gives to God the glory of that good work which Shem had done, and, instead of blessing and praising him that was the instrument, he blesses and praises God that was the author. Note, The glory of all that is at any time well done, by ourselves or others, must be humbly and thankfully transmitted to God, who works all our good works in us and for us. When we see men’s good works we should glorify, not them, but our Father, Matt. v. 16. Thus David, in effect, blessed Abigail, when he blessed God that sent her (1Sa 25:32; 1Sa 25:33), for it is an honour and a favour to be employed for God and used by him in doing good. [3.] He foresees and foretels that God’s gracious dealings with Shem and his family would be such as would evidence to all the world that he was the God of Shem, on which behalf thanksgivings would by many be rendered to him: Blessed be the Lord God of Shem. [4.] It is intimated that the church should be built up and continued in the posterity of Shem; for of him came the Jews, who were, for a great while, the only professing people God had in the world. [5.] Some think reference is here had to Christ, who was the Lord God that, in his human nature, should descend from the loins of Shem; for of him, as concerning the flesh, Christ came. [6.] Canaan is particularly enslaved to him: He shall be his servant. Note, Those that have the Lord for their God shall have as much of the honour and power of this world as he sees good for them.
(2.) He blesses Japheth, and, in him, the isles of the Gentiles, which were peopled by his seed: God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem, v. 27. Now, [1.] Some make this to belong wholly to Japheth, and to denote either, First, His outward prosperity, that his seed should be so numerous and so victorious that they should be masters of the tents of Shem, which was fulfilled when the people of the Jews, the most eminent of Shem’s race, were tributaries to the Grecians first and afterwards to the Romans, both of Japheth’s seed. Note, Outward prosperity is no infallible mark of the true church: the tents of Shem are not always the tents of the conqueror. Or, Secondly, It denotes the conversion of the Gentiles, and the bringing of them into the church; and then we should read it, God shall persuade Japheth (for so the word signifies), and then, being so persuaded, he shall dwell in the tents of Shem, that is, Jews and Gentiles shall be united together in the gospel fold. After many of the Gentiles shall have been proselyted to the Jewish religion, both shall be one in Christ (Eph 2:14; Eph 2:15), and the Christian church, mostly made up of the Gentiles, shall succeed the Jews in the privileges of church-membership; the latter having first cast themselves out by their unbelief, the Gentiles shall dwell in their tents, Rom. xi. 11, c. Note, It is God only that can bring those again into the church who have separated themselves from it. It is the power of God that makes the gospel of Christ effectual to salvation, Rom. i. 16. And again, Souls are brought into the church, not by force, but by persuasion, Ps. cx. 3. They are drawn by the cords of a man, and persuaded by reason to be religious. [2.] Others divide this between Japheth and Shem, Shem having not been directly blessed, <i>v. 26. First, Japheth has the blessing of the earth beneath: God shall enlarge Japheth, enlarge his seed, enlarge his border. Japheth’s prosperity peopled all Europe, a great part of Asia, and perhaps America. Note, God is to be acknowledged in all our enlargements. It is he that enlarges the coast and enlarges the heart. And again, many dwell in large tents that do not dwell in God’s tents, as Japheth did. Secondly, Shem has the blessing of heaven above: He shall (that is, God shall) dwell in the tents of Shem, that is “From his loins Christ shall come, and in his seed the church shall be continued.” The birth-right was now to be divided between Shem and Japheth, Ham being utterly discarded. In the principality which they equally share Canaan shall be servant to both. The double portion is given to Japheth, whom God shall enlarge; but the priesthood is given to Shem, for God shall dwell in the tents of Shem: and certainly we are more happy if we have God dwelling in our tents than if we had there all the silver and gold in the world. It is better to dwell in tents with God than in palaces without him. In Salem, where is God’s tabernacle, there is more satisfaction than in all the isles of the Gentiles. Thirdly, They both have dominion over Canaan: Canaan shall be servant to them; so some read it. When Japheth joins with Shem, Canaan falls before them both. When strangers become friends, enemies become servants.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
24. And Noah awoke. It might seem to some that Noah, although he had just cause of anger, still conducted himself with too little modesty and gravity; and that he ought, at least, silently to have mourned over his sin before God; and also, with shame, to have given proof of his repentance to men: but that now as if he had committed no offense, he fulminates with excessive severity against his son. (297) Moses, however, does not here relate reproaches uttered by Noah, under the excitement of rage and anger, but rather introduces him speaking in the spirit of prophecy. Wherefore we ought not to doubt, that the holy man was truly humbled (as he ought to be) under a sense of his fault, and honestly reflected on his own deserts; but now, having received the grant of pardon, and his condemnation being removed, he proceeds as the herald of Divine judgment. It is not indeed to be doubted that the holy man, endued with a disposition otherwise gentle, and being one of the best of parents, would pronounce this sentence upon his son with the most bitter grief of mind. For he saw him miraculously preserved amongst a few and having a place among the very flower of the human race. Now, therefore, when, with his own mouth, he is compelled to separate him from the Church of God, he doubtless would grievously bewail the malediction of his son. But by this example, God would admonish us that the constancy of our faith must be retained, if at any time we see those fail who are most closely united to us, and that our spirits ought not to be broken; nay, that we must so exercise the severity which God enjoins, as not to spare even our own bowels. And whereas, Noah does not pronounce a sentence so harsh, except by Divine inspiration, it behaves us to infer from the severity of the punishment how abominable in the sight of God is the impious contempt of parents, since it perverts the sacred order of nature, and violates the majesty and authority of God, in the person of those whom he has commanded to preside in his place.
(297) This is an objection, to which the answer immediately follows.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(24) Noah . . . knew what his younger son had done unto him.Heb., his son, the little one. This can only mean his youngest son. So it is applied to Benjamin in Gen. 42:34; Gen. 43:29, and to David in 1Sa. 16:11, where the words literally are, there re- maineth yet the little one. Now Ham was not the youngest son, but Japheth; and it is not Ham who is cursed, but Canaan. So far from Ham being accursed, his descendants were building mighty cities, such as Egyptian Thebes, Nineveh, and Babylon, were rearing palaces, digging canals, organising governments, and founding empires at a time when the descendants of Japheth were wandering over Europe with no better weapons than implements of flint and bone. The application of the curse to Ham seems to have been suggested to commentators by the degradation of the African race in modern times, and especially by the prevalence of negro slavery: but anciently the converse was the case, and for centuries the Egyptians, a Hamite race, made the Israelites serve them.
We must not extend, therefore, to Ham the curse pronounced upon Canaan. But what had Canaan done to deserve it? As the son, the little one, was not Ham, so certainly it was not Japheth, but probably it was Canaan. He was the youngest son of Ham, and in Hebrew son is occasionally used for grandson (Gen. 29:5; Gen. 31:55), and so he might be described as Noahs youngest son, being the youngest member of his family. Origen quotes a tradition that Canaan was the first who saw Noahs exposure, and that he told it to his father. Aben Ezra says that Canaan had done worse than mock, though the Scripture does not in words reveal his crime. With some such surmise we must be content; and the meaning seems to be, Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what (Canaan) his youngest son (or grandson) had done unto him; and it was a deed so shameless that he said, Cursed be Canaan.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
24. Awoke and knew His stupor was not so deep as to prevent his being conscious of Ham’s shameful conduct .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him.’
After Noah’s careless abandon he has to face the unpleasant consequences. This is always the case with sin. It is quite clear that whatever Ham had done was looked on with the utmost seriousness.
“Had done to him”. It was not the discovery of his father’s condition which was his sin, but his consequent behaviour. We note that Ham is said to be his youngest son. Thus the order in which sons are given is not necessarily that of seniority. See 10:21 which also suggests that Japheth was the second oldest.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The curse upon Canaan
v. 24. And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. v. 25. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. v. 26. And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. v. 27. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. v. 28. And Noah lived after the Flood three hundred and fifty years.
v. 29. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Gen 9:24. Noah awokeand knew what his younger, &c. Noah when awaking would find the garment upon him, which Shem and Japheth had brought, and would thence, doubtless, be led to inquire whence and how it came, and so would know, by information, what his younger son had done unto him: words which plainly intimate more than bare seeing, and shew, that something irreverent and disrespectful had been done by that younger son.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Gen 9:24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.
Ver. 24. And Noah awoke from his wine. ] And returned no more to it. Once was enough; “the time past may well suffice, to have walked in excess of wine”. 1Pe 4:3 We will buy repentance so dear no more. It is expressly noted of Judah, that “he knew Tamar again no more”. Gen 38:26 And we may be well assured, that Noah was never drunk again. Solomon’s drunkard cries, “when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again”. Pro 23:35 As swine break their bellies, so do such men their heads, with filthy quaffing; yea, “whoredom and wine, and new wine, take away the heart,” saith the prophet. Hos 4:11 They beset and infatuate, yea, rob a man of himself, and lay a beast in his room. Our drunkards say, as the vine in Jotham’s parable; Non possum relinquere vinum meum .” Take away my liquor, you take away my life.” a How often, saith a grave divine, b have I seen vermin sucking the drunkard’s blood, as fast as he that of the grape and malt, yet would he not leave his hold, or lose his draught! Some are soaked with drink, and then laid out to be sunned and scorned.
And knew what his younger son had done unto him.
a Malle se vitam quam vinum eripi . – August. De Temp. Serm. 131.
b Mr Harris’s Drunkard’s Cup.
awoke. Septuagint eknepho, only here 1Sa 25:37. Hab 2:7, Hab 2:19; and Joe 1:5. In N.T. only 1Co 15:34, means very much awake, awake to wisdom.
younger = than Japheth, not Shem. See notes on Gen 5:32; Gen 10:1.
Reciprocal: Gen 5:29 – he called
Gen 9:24. Noah knew Either by the information of his sons, or by divine inspiration, what his younger son, (Hebrews his son, , the younger, or little one,) had done unto him. Canaan is thought by many to be chiefly intended. 1st, Because the following curse is appropriated to him; and, 2d, Because the title of younger, little son, does not seem so properly added if Ham be meant, it not being probable that he was the youngest of Noahs sons; for when they are mentioned together, he is never named last, but always second. Be this as it may, it is very likely he partook of his fathers sin, and probably first saw the situation which his grandfather was in, and told it to his father, who then told it to his brethren.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments