And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
21. and he drank ] The representation is that of the man who first made wine out of grapes, and drinking of it in ignorance was overcome by its potency. No blame is attached to him.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 21. He drank of the wine, c.] It is very probable that this was the first time the wine was cultivated and it is as probable that the strength or intoxicating power of the expressed juice was never before known. Noah, therefore, might have drunk it at this time without the least blame, as he knew not till this trial the effects it would produce. I once knew a case which I believe to be perfectly parallel. A person who had scarcely ever heard of cider, and whose beverage through his whole life had been only milk or water, coming wet and very much fatigued to a farmer’s house in Somersetshire, begged for a little water or milk. The good woman of the house, seeing him very much exhausted, kindly said, “I will give you a little cider, which will do you more good.” The honest man, understanding no more of cider than merely that it was the simple juice of apples, after some hesitation drank about a half pint of it; the consequence was, that in less than half an hour he was perfectly intoxicated, and could neither speak plain nor walk! This case I myself witnessed. A stranger to the circumstances, seeing this person, would pronounce him drunk; and perhaps at a third hand he might be represented as a drunkard, and thus his character be blasted; while of the crime of drunkenness he was as innocent as an infant.
This I presume to have been precisely the case with Noah; and no person without an absolute breach of every rule of charity and candour, can attach any blame to the character of Noah on this ground, unless from a subsequent account they were well assured that, knowing the power and effects of the liquor, he had repeated the act. Some expositors seem to be glad to fix on a fact like this, which by their distortion becomes a crime; and then, in a strain of sympathetic tenderness, affect to deplore “the failings and imperfections of the best of men;” when, from the interpretation that should be given of the place, neither failing nor imperfection can possibly appear.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Either through ignorance and inexperience of the nature and strength of that liquor, or through the infirmity of the flesh, which was tempted by its great and, to him, new pleasantness, and by the refreshment he found in it under the weary labours of his body, and the sad thoughts of his mind, for the desolate condition of the world.
He was uncovered, either to relieve himself against the heat of the climate and season, or from his negligence and carelessness; which might easily happen, because mens garments at that time were loose, as they were in the following ages, when breeches were not in common use, and therefore were peculiarly prescribed to the priests, Exo 28:42; Eze 44:18-19.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
21. And he drank of the wine, andwas drunkenperhaps at the festivities of the vintage season.This solitary stain on the character of so eminently pious a manmust, it is believed, have been the result of age or inadvertency.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And he drank of the wine, and was drunken,…. Either not being acquainted with the strength of it, as is thought by many; or having been used to weaker liquor, as water; or through the infirmity of his age; however, he was overtaken with it, and which is recorded, not to disgrace him, but to caution men against the evil of intemperance, as well as to encourage repenting sinners to expect pardon: and this shows that the best of men are not exempted from sin, nor secure from falling; and that though Noah was a perfect man, yet not as to be without sin; and that whereas he was a righteous man, he was not so by the righteousness of works, but by the righteousness of faith:
and he was uncovered within his tent; being in liquor when he laid down, he was either negligent of his long and loose garments, such as the eastern people wore without breeches, and did not take care to wrap them about him; or in his sleep, through the heat of the weather, or of the wine, or both, threw them off.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(21) He was uncovered is, literally, he uncovered himself. It was no accident, but a wilful breach of modesty.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
21. Was drunken Here is the first recorded instance of drunkenness, and its revolting consequences . It is probable that in this case it was a sin of ignorance, for Noah’s character as a “perfect” man, who “walked with God,” seems to warrant this assumption .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And he drank of the wine and became drunk, and was uncovered within his tent.’
In a drunken state Noah lies naked in his tent, unaware of the impropriety of his situation. In his right mind he would never have done this for he knew men might enter the tent, and to be seen naked was a shameful thing ever since man’s first sin. There may be a suggestion in this that Noah once more reveals sinful man’s ‘nakedness’ by his weakness in misusing the wine, another sign of disobedience to God. And there is certainly a warning here of what carelessness with wine can do even to the ‘perfect’ man.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Gen 9:21. He drank of the wine, and was drunken Became inebriated, not knowing, perhaps, the nature and strength of the liquor; or being, through age, incapable of bearing it; and Moses is so faithful an historian, that he records the failings and imperfections of the most venerable patriarchs, as well as their excellencies. This remark is from Dr. Newton, the learned Bishop of Bristol; whose judicious exposition of the subsequent passage we shall follow, from his useful dissertations on the prophecies.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
Reader! it is not among the smallest of our mercies, that God the Holy Ghost hath caused the infirmities of his saints to be left on record; by which we are taught, that the best of men are but men, and of like passions with ourselves. There is none but Jesus, to whom that sweet scripture is applicable, Heb 7:26 . For the real character of Noah, and, indeed, of all the faithful like him, compare this 21st verse with Gen 6:9 , then turn to 2Ch 32:31 , both which together will serve to explain what, in scripture language, is meant by a just man.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 9:21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
Ver. 21. And was drunk. ] For his own shame, but our learning. Instruunt nos patres tum docentes tum labentes . a The best have their blemishes, and a black part, as that cloud had, that conducted Israel out of Egypt; which, while the Egyptians followed, they fell into the sea. Heb 11:29
And was uncovered within his tent.
a Augustin.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
wine: first occurance. Hebrew. yayin. See App-27.
[Conversion Note:Some versions of the Companion Bible text on the Internet have the following comment for this verse but the original book (that I have) does not. Nevertheless the comment is presented.]
Compare Lev 18:8, which says: “The nakedness of thy father’s wife shall thou not uncover: it is thy father’s nakedness.” Ham committed a sinful sex act with his mother. See also Lev 20:11.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
and was: Gen 6:9, Gen 19:32-36, Pro 20:1, Pro 23:31, Pro 23:32, Ecc 7:20, Luk 22:3, Luk 22:4, Rom 13:13, 1Co 10:12, Gal 5:21, Tit 2:2
and he: Hab 2:15, Hab 2:16, Rev 3:18
Reciprocal: Num 12:15 – and the 2Sa 13:28 – heart is merry Pro 23:30 – tarry Pro 30:17 – eye Eph 5:18 – be not
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 9:21. And he drank of the wine, and was drunk It is highly probable he did not know the effect of it before. And he was uncovered in his tent Made naked to his shame.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
9:21 And he drank of the wine, and was {o} drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
(o) This is set before us to show what a horrible thing drunkenness is.