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Genesis 9:25

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9:25So he said,

“Cursed56 be Canaan!57

The lowest of slaves58

he will be to his brothers.”

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Footnotes

  1. 56 For more on the curse, see H. C. Brichto, The Problem of “Curse” in the Hebrew Bible (), and J. Scharbert, 1:405–18.
  2. 57 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,” 9 [1966]: 31–49). In a similar way Jacob pronounced oracles about his sons based on their revealed character (see Gen 49).
  3. 58 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.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

he said,

“Cursed be Canaan;

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

NIVNew International Version (2011)

he said,

“Cursed be Canaan!

The lowest of slaves

will he be to his brothers.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

he said:

Canaan is cursed.

He will be the lowest of slaves to his brothers.

NLTNew Living Translation

Then he cursed Canaan, the son of Ham:

“May Canaan be cursed!

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

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And he said,

“Cursed be Canaan,

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

KJV 1900King James Version

And he said,

Cursed be Canaan;

A servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.