Logos Bible Study

Genesis 9:18–29

GOD’S WORD TranslationOther versions

English

Arabic

Czech

French

German

Hebrew

Hungarian

Italian

Korean

Latin

Portuguese

Russian

Simplified Chinese

Spanish

Traditional Chinese

Noah Curses Canaan but Blesses Shem and Japheth

18Noah’s sons, who came out of the ship, were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 19These were Noah’s three sons. From them the whole earth was populated. Ham was the father of Canaan.b

20Noah, a farmer, was the first person to plant a vineyard. 21He drank some wine, got drunk, and lay naked inside his tent. 22Ham, father of Canaan, saw his father naked. So he went outside and told his two brothers. 

23Shem and Japheth took a blanket and laid it over their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered their father’s naked body. They turned their faces away so that they didn’t see their father naked. 

24When Noah sobered up, he found out what his youngest son had done to him. 25So he said, 

“Canaan is cursed! 

He will be the lowest slave to his brothers. 

26Praise the Lord, the God of Shem! 

Canaan will be his slave. 

27May God expand the territory of Japheth.c

May he live in the tents of Shem. 

Canaan will be his slave.” 

28Noah lived 350 years after the flood. 29Noah lived a total of 950 years; then he died. 

Read in Logos

Footnotes

  1. b9:19 The second part of verse 18 (in Hebrew) has been placed just after verse 19 to express the complex Hebrew sentence structure more clearly in English.
  2. c9:27 There is a play on words here between the Hebrew yapht (May God expand) and yepheth (Japheth).

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed.

Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, he said,

“Cursed be Canaan;

a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”

He also said,

“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem;

and let Canaan be his servant.

May God enlarge Japheth,

and let him dwell in the tents of Shem,

and let Canaan be his servant.”

After the flood Noah lived 350 years. All the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth.

Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.

When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said,

“Cursed be Canaan!

The lowest of slaves

will he be to his brothers.”

He also said,

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!

May Canaan be the slave of Shem.

May God extend Japheth’s territory;

may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,

and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”

After the flood Noah lived 350 years. Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Noah’s sons who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were Noah’s sons, and from them the whole earth was populated.

Noah, as a man of the soil, began by planting a vineyard. He drank some of the wine, became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a cloak and placed it over both their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father naked.

When Noah awoke from his drinking and learned what his youngest son had done to him, he said:

Canaan is cursed.

He will be the lowest of slaves to his brothers.

He also said:

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem;

Let Canaan be Shem’s slave.

Let God extend Japheth;

let Japheth dwell in the tents of Shem;

let Canaan be Shem’s slave.

Now Noah lived 350 years after the flood. So Noah’s life lasted 950 years; then he died.

NLTNew Living Translation

The sons of Noah who came out of the boat with their father were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham is the father of Canaan.) From these three sons of Noah came all the people who now populate the earth.

After the flood, Noah began to cultivate the ground, and he planted a vineyard. One day he drank some wine he had made, and he became drunk and lay naked inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers. Then Shem and Japheth took a robe, held it over their shoulders, and backed into the tent to cover their father. As they did this, they looked the other way so they would not see him naked.

When Noah woke up from his stupor, he learned what Ham, his youngest son, had done. Then he cursed Canaan, the son of Ham:

“May Canaan be cursed!

May he be the lowest of servants to his relatives.”

Then Noah said,

“May the Lord, the God of Shem, be blessed,

and may Canaan be his servant!

May God expand the territory of Japheth!

May Japheth share the prosperity of Shem,

and may Canaan be his servant.”

Noah lived another 350 years after the great flood. He lived 950 years, and then he died.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Now the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated. And Noah began to be a man of the ground, and he planted a vineyard. And he drank some of the wine and became drunk, and he exposed himself in the midst of his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and he told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, and the two of them put it on their shoulders and, walking backward, they covered the nakedness of their father. And their faces were turned backward, so that they did not see the nakedness of their father. Then Noah awoke from his drunkenness, and he knew what his youngest son had done to him. And he said,

“Cursed be Canaan,

a slave of slaves he shall be to his brothers.”

Then he said,

“Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem,

and let Canaan be a slave to them.

May God make space for Japheth,

and let him dwell in the tents of Shem,

and let Canaan be a slave for him.”

And Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

KJV 1900King James Version

And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread. And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness. And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. And he said,

Cursed be Canaan;

A servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

And he said,

Blessed be the Lord God of Shem;

And Canaan shall be his servant.

God shall enlarge Japheth,

And he shall dwell in the tents of Shem;

And Canaan shall be his servant.

And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.