The Story in Genesis
Gen 9:20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
Gen 9:21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
Gen 9:22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
Gen 9:23 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.
Gen 9:24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.
Gen 9:25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
Gen 9:26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
This is a very interesting text. It brings to mind many questions. Why would Noah curse a child for the sins of his father; doesn’t the Bible condemn this (Ezekiel 18:20)? Why does Noah not curse Ham? Why is seeing your father naked a sin, after all, can a father not bathe in the same bath as his child? Why is Noah mad at this? What exactly did Ham “do to” Noah?
Before addressing the meaning of the text, it is important to understand how the Bible was written, to whom the Bible was written, and how to know the meaning of stories in the Bible.
Cultural Idioms
Throughout the Bible, Jewish cultural idioms are used. American authors do this all the time. They speak of “hitting the road”, someone “stabbing” someone in the back, or doing something “against the clock”. It would be a tragic injustice for future readers not to understand cultural idioms and, instead, interpret the words literally. Take a few Biblical examples:
Job 1:21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
This is a very curious passage. Taken literally, the events described would horrify any normal person. The text, however, seems to gloss over (“glossing over” is another American idiom) this statement. This statement makes very little sense unless it is realized that “lowest parts of the earth” and “womb” were idiomatically identical in Jewish culture. See King David’s Psalm on the formation of unborn children:
Psa 139:13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
Psa 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
Psa 139:15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
It is clear, from the wording of verse 13 and verse 15 that womb and lowest parts of the earth are used interchangeably.
Anachronisms
Because the Bible was written to actual human beings by actual human beings to convey actual ideas, sometimes words and concepts are used anachronistically. If someone is talking about the foundation of the city of Rome, they may say that “Romulus and Remus arrived at Rome around 750 BC”. Although the city was not yet founded, it is normal to give listeners an adequate understanding of events by anachronistically using words and concepts. The Bible does this several times:
Gen 21:14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
…
Gen 21:31 Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them.
Gen 21:32 Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.
Before Beersheba is even named, Abraham is said to be wandering in the wilderness of Beersheba. Likewise, take an example from the New Testament. In Luke the story develops John the Baptist far into his ministry before it introduces the birth of Christ:
Luk 1:80 And the child [John the Baptist] grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
[very next verse is Luk 2:1]
Luk 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
…
Luk 2:5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
Someone wishing to critique the Bible might object that this was introduced anachronistically. But because human beings converse, write, and explain concepts anachronistically, these critiques should be ignored. Anachronistic use of words are normal in conversation, especially if they are used to convey meaningful concepts.
Euphemisms
The Bible loves using euphemisms (note that the “Bible loves” is another American idiom). This is especially true when talking about shameful body anatomy and shameful actions of which Paul describes as shameful “even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.” (Eph 5:12). The Bible is replete with examples of this:
Gen 4:1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
Did Adam “know” his wife? Did Adam not meet his wife until she had a baby? Or is this a euphemism for sexual relations as used also in Mat 1:25.
Mat 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
What does “came together” mean? Does it mean that he had never seen or talked to Mary before this event? Or is this a euphemism for sexual relations?
Deu 25:11 When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets:
Take him by his “secrets”? This is definitely a euphemism for male anatomy.
Paul uses euphemisms when talking about death:
1Co 15:6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
Also,
1Co 15:18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
Peter uses the same euphemism while quoting a hypothetical scoffer:
2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
Pretend a Biblical literalist would come along claiming each word was not to be taken figuratively. Each time a Biblical scholar would claim “falling asleep” meant death, the literalist would claim it meant “to take a nap”. How would one prove to this person that “falling asleep” meant death?
Hopefully, the literalist could be explained the concept that human beings communicate in idioms. Idioms communicate very effectively and efficiently to intended audiences. Where consistent phrases are used that make very little sense by the same author of another culture, the chance is that an idiom is at play. If an author explains an idiom, texts by that author which use the same words have a high probability of being an idiom.
Back to the Story
With these concepts in mind, Genesis 9 takes on a whole new meaning:
Gen 9:20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
Gen 9:21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
Gen 9:22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
Gen 9:23 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.
Gen 9:24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.
Gen 9:25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
Gen 9:26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
It is curious that Ham is linked with Canaan in verse 21 and then Canaan is cursed in verse 25. Ham, after all, had multiple children (4 boys at least of which Canaan was presumably the youngest). Literalists might claim that Canaan was the most wicked child, but this is nowhere in this text. The literalist is violating his own rules of interpretation to explain Canaan’s curse. The Bible NEVER informs the reader about the individual named Canaan except the place of his decedent’s residence and his lineage.
Canaan’s curse would make sense if it was a curse to a nation. After all, like Esau being Jacob’s servant, nowhere does the Bible explain that the man Canaan was actually a servant to his brothers. God tells us that he sees children as nations (this would be true while nations are first forming):
Gen 25:23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
Esau never served Jacob, but, today, Jacob’s decedents, living in a small country, out-gun and out-prosper the entire vast swaths of decedents of Esau. The Israelites are the ones screening day-laborers coming into their territory, not vice versa. Esau, as an individual, was mightier than Jacob, so much so that when Jacob went to meet Esau he lined up his household in reverse order of importance in case Esau would kill them all (Gen 33). The curse was national. God does not curse babies.
If God was cursing an individual it violates all rules of fairness and goodness of God. One does not punish a child for the actions of his father (Ezekiel 18:20) (Deuteronomy 24:16). God rewards individuals who turn to him (Jer 26:3 and Gen 18:23).
So why was the nation of Canaan cursed? Moses, the same author of Genesis, lets future readers in on the Hebrew idiom:
Lev 20:11 And the man that lieth with his father’s wife hath uncovered his father’s nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
This idiom explains several other passages in the Bible as well. Without this explanation the verses may be hard to understand.
1Sa 20:30 Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother’s nakedness?
Eze 16:36 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them;
Hab 2:15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!
Discovering nakedness is a euphemism for sexual relations. This makes Gen 9 all the more clear.
Gen 9:20 Noah begins making wine
Gen 9:21 Noah gets drunk
Gen 9:22 Ham (father of Canaan is highlighted) seeing that his father is incapacitated makes advances on his mother. After all, sex is pleasurable, men tend to desire multiple partners, not many women are available after a global flood, and his mother is probably still attractive due to pre-flood aging conditions. He gloats of his conquest to his brothers.
Gen 9:23 The brothers try damage control. They cover up their mother (is she drunk also?). The Bible tends to omit relevant facts about woman in Genesis (what was her name?).
Gen 9:24 Noah comes back into consciousness and figures out that his wife is pregnant (after some time).
Gen 9:25-26 He curses the new nation that will be formed from this union.
The verse 22 highlighting of Ham as Canaan’s father makes sense if the Jewish reader understood the incestuous origin of Canaan. This would also be an anachronistic clarification that would be very helpful to the reader in this circumstance. Otherwise, it makes very little sense. Why Canaan over his brothers?
The lapse in time in verse 24 can be explained as would a normal storyteller would use lapses in time. In Mat 3:13, Jesus appears, out of nowhere and fully grown. The last time Mathew had talked about him, Jesus was just a child. Nowhere is there a development transition. It is normal to skip large segments of time in telling stories.
The literalist story is different:
Gen 9:20 Noah begins making wine
Gen 9:21 Noah gets drunk
Gen 9:22 Ham walks into Noah’s tent and sees him naked. Ham then has perverted thoughts or has some sort of debased enjoyment (Literalists claim this with no textual evidence).
Gen 9:23 The brothers walk into the tent backwards and cover up their naked father.
Gen 9:24 Noah comes back into consciousness and figures out that Ham saw him naked (how? The text does not tell, so the literalist must think this happened by magic).
Gen 9:25-26 He curses a baby/child/young boy for the sin of the father presumably because the son was wicked (though the text never indicates this).
Note the time lapse between verses 24 and 25 in this version as well. Did Noah wake up, realize what had happened and then proclaim a curse all without talking to the brothers or even leaving the tent? Some sort of time lapse is indicated in the sentence. Storytellers use time lapses for convenience.
In short, those who claim that Ham merely saw his father naked have no explanation for Canaan’s curse and end up claiming that God curses children for the sins of their fathers. They also end up believing that multi-generational curses can be levied for mere sight of something that naturally occurs in human beings (nakedness). They also violate their own interpretation rules with candor. The facts point to Canaan being the result of an incestuous relationship between Noah’s wife and Ham.
reality is not optional 
this is an excellent analysis that really teaches a lot about this Genesis story. Thank you!
God is indeed a just God!
Noah may have had another wife, who could have been very close to the age of Ham or even younger than Ham. They probably became attracted to each other. Therefore Ham wrongfully had sexual relations with her and impregnated her. I do not believe that Ham would have and could have have sexual relations with his own mother. That translation is offensive and quite misunderstood.
We know eight souls were saved on the ark:
1Pe 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
So who does Genesis name as these eight?
Gen 7:13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
Noah. His wife.
Shem. His wife.
Ham. His wife.
Japheth. His wife.
So, you must be saying that Noah had an original wife that perished before the flood or during the flood. If she existed, she wasn’t on the ark. The text doesn’t indicate this second wife existed, although she could have.
Another thing to keep in mind is that incest was not illegal or immoral during the initial phase of humanity. Where did Cain get his wife?
IIt was not uncommon for older men to marry younger women and often the women died younger so yes, it is possible as you said, the wife that went in the arc with Noah could have been a second wife. Noah may have become a widow and remarried another woman. However Ham could have been taken in as a son by Noah during his 500 years prior to entering the arc. Keep in mind they did not use the word adoption back then. On the other hand, Ham could have actually been his son like Ishmael was Abraham’s but from a maiden or concubine thus basically what we call today a child born out of wedlock and his mother may have died (explaining why different names are attributed to Noah’s wife in different accounts). That would mean that like it was the case with Ishmael and Isaack, Ham would have lost a son’s hereditary privileges after Japheth and Shem were born.
The Book of Jasher (5th chapter) says when Noah was 480 years old he got Naamah, age 580, as a wife and she bare him Japheth then Shem was born when Noah was 502 years old. Remember, back then they did not age like we do today and lived hundreds of years in apparent good health and vigor. Interestingly later after Yah tells Noah to build the arc He tells him to procure THREE wives for his sons. So here we have an account of Noah’s wife having two sons, Japheth and Shem, yet he is to get three wives for his sons…
Back to Genesis, to uncover a man’s nakedness was a Hebrew idiomatic expression meaning laying with that man’s wife. In this case it could have been due to desire but Ham had a wife already. More often than not this type of action was a way to assert power over a man, sort of like animals do out in the wild. This is what Absalom did in the sight of all Israel when he took over David’s throne, and he did it with all 10 of David’s concubines… Goes along with the custom of severing an important man’s head after killing him (like David did with Goliath). When Ham announced to his brothers that his dad was naked he was actually BRAGGING to them as he thought he was now the top man. Only his brothers did not go along with him and instead covered their dad showing their respect and intentions in so doing,
As to why Noah did not curse Ham there could be two reasons. On the one hand Yah had already blessed Ham and you can’t curse what Yah has already blessed (which is why you can’t curse Israel without consequences). Number two, Canaan may have been the one doing “the deed” at his father’s request. Again back then a grandson was often regarded as a son thus Noah may have said younger son meaning Canaan. That or Canaan indeed was born from the incestuous union. Either way Canaan was a rebellious man who did not even settled in the area Noah assigned to him (west Africa) but STOLE part of the land Noah assigned to Shem, what it turns out to be the same land Yahveh promised Abraham later on (see Book of Jubilees). By the way, Abraham learned Torah as a ten year old from Shem himself (Jubilees).
Right on, Christopher! But notice the genealogies in Gen 4 and Gen 5. Noah is the goal of the line of Seth, while Naamah is the goal of the line of Cain. I believe Noah’s first wife died before the flood. Genesis six is explaining how human gigantism survived the flood. Noah, a son of God, brought Naamah, a daughter of men, onto the ark which produced Canaan via Ham. Canaanite incest manifested gigantism later. The contest between David and Goliath partially and literally fulfilled Gen 3:15. The close proximity of the Philistines to the Canaanites facilitated intermarriage.
The whole theme of Bond, Sin, Judgment, and Banishment is repeated again in a similarly besotted scene after Sodom and Gomorrah which produced the Moabites and Ammonite by Lot and his daughters.
Do you think there is a chance angels intermingled with humans again after the flood?
I don’t see the demonic angels theory as viable. The reason I am doubtful is that it is way out in left field. Why would Moses introduce this odd episode of angels taking human women without follow-up or more detail to serve the purpose of the book of Genesis? I’m sure you know the main counter-points to that argument so I won’t list them now. I’m totally convinced that Gen 3:15 and the two lines resurface in the book of Revelation with the same theme of those who follow the Lamb and those who follow the beast etc.
It’s no coincidence that when Noah is introduced at the end of ch. 5, suddenly we hear that the seed of the woman took wives from the seed of the serpent. I believe there are the early chapters of Genesis echo again in the latter chapters of Revelation. For instance, the seven heads and ten horns of the beast correspond to the seven generations of Cain, and the ten generations of Seth. In other words, the ten horns on the beast are (I think) apostate Christian kings. I stumbled onto a sort of chiasm:
Genesis 1:15
Then God made two great lights: the greater light
to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.
&
Revelation 22:5
There shall be no night there: They need no lamp
nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light.
Genesis 2:9
The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil. Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden.
&
Revelation 22:1
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding
from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street,
and on either side of the river, was the tree of life…
Genesis 2:12
And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there.
&
Revelation 21:18
The construction of its wall was of Jasper, and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones.
Genesis 2:22
Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man
He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
&
Revelation 21:9
“Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”
Genesis 3:8
And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden
in the spirit of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves…
&
Revelation 20:11
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it,
from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away.
Genesis 3:13
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
&
Revelation 20:2
He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the
Devil and Satan and bound him for a thousand years, and
cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a
seal on him so that he should deceive the nations no more
till the thousand years were finished.
Genesis 3:20
And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
&
Revelation 19:7
The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.
And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright….
Genesis 4:17
And he built a city and called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech. Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah and the name of the second, Zillah. And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute. And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah. Then Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice, Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, even a young man for hurting me. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy sevenfold.”
&
Revelation 18:21
“Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore. The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.” After I heard these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.”
Genesis 7:1
Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen
that you are righteous before Me in this generation.
&
Revelation 18:4
Come out of her, my people lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.
For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
Genesis 7:18
The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.
&
Revelation 17:9
“The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short space. The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth and is of the seven, and is going to perdition. The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind and shall give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings and those with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” Then he said to me, ‘The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.”
Genesis 9:4
But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning.
&
Revelation 17:6
I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints
and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.
Genesis 9:22
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But 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 away and they
did not see their father’s nakedness.
&
Revelation 16:15*
Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches,
and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.
Genesis 11:9
Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD
did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence
did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
&
Revelation 16:16*
And he gathered them together into a place
called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Genesis 19:24
Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace.
&
Revelation 14:9
He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever.
Genesis 22:13
Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.” Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, blessing I will bless you, and multiplying, I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
&
Revelation 14:1
Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder.
End
Could I send you my whole theory on Noah’s wife? I have a booklet or email file.
David
Please do. I would be very interested in reading it. christopher.c.fisher@gmail.com
Hi Christopher. Do you have still have the information that was shared with you concerning David’s Whole Theory on Noah’s wife? I would love to read this brothers notes. Please let me know! Thank you!
I have it. Send me an email. Christopher.c.Fisher@gmail.com
I you do not believe that sons of God fornicated with sons of men, and then you believe Noah’s wife died before the flood, then you can not believe the Hebrew history. Why bother to read or study the bible, just re-write it.
Please David do send it. I have been given revelation on this subject that sounds pretty much like what you have in this blog. Thanks
Bible says they would… Gen 6.
Also Yeshua declared the last days wold be as in the days of Noah, a clear reference to intermingling. Just because their sizes are now normal (oxygenation of the planet?) does not mean they are not among us.After all Mat 13 states these “weeds’ will be cut off first.
Yes but NO WHERE in SCRIPTURE does it say NOAH had two wives. It says Noah his WIFE and his 3 sons and their wives 8 souls. The Jasher book is CORRUPT NOAH did not marry the Gx granddaughter of CAIN! That is a jewish FABLE! And Cain did nt marry his sister he married one of the preadamic women that were CREATED in Genesis CH 1 vs 26-27 and their was enough people their to not only furnish cain with a wife but also enough man power to build a city UNUK or ERECH Assyrian Language Aramaec language that he named after his son UNUK/ENOCH in Iraq.You are correct though that canaan was a product of incest=DEFECTIVE just look at how abominable his race was incest and he married a daughter of HOREBISH or CAIN = SERPENT SEED women makes a recipe for DISASTER!
The Book of Jasher opens the possibility that Naamah was Noah’s second wife and that Ham was adopted. Jasher and Shem were Noah’s sons maybe from a previous marriage (this would explain why Noah’s wife is known by various names in different accounts). It says there Noah had two sons but then it goes on to say he procured three wives for Jasher, Shem and Ham. At any rate it is possible Nephilim seed was already in Ham and in his son Canaan. In the Book of Jubilees by the way we see that Canaan forced his way into the land that Noah had given Shem (which happens to be the Promised Land).
That’s IDIOTIC! The scripture NEVER said that Npah ever even met Naamah let alone married her! The scripture does say however that 8 souls only went inti the ark and that only 8 souls came out period! Ham molested his own mother and impregnated her with CANAAN he was not a GIANT he was a pure ADAMITE but he was a product of incest. Now that being said he married setpent seed wives who did not come forth out of the ark though. They were part angelic and part afamic
The response of Shem and Japheth is quite mild indeed if Ham molested their mother. “Hey Shem, Ham just raped mom. Let’s cover up Dad.” ??
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“Note the time lapse between verses 24 and 25 in this version as well. Did Noah wake up, realize what had happened and then proclaim a curse all without talking to the brothers or even leaving the tent? Some sort of time lapse is indicated in the sentence. Storytellers use time lapses for convenience.”
“Storytellers use time lapses for convenience.”
First of all, I believe that a storyteller will let us know if indeed a time lapse occurs(saying something like: ‘2 months later’, or : After ‘Canaan was born’ . Second, this is the Bible we are talking about, you would think that the Bible of all things would at least TRY to be a bit more clear of the message. If the we can add and remove Gospels as we please, why can we not change the wording to be a bit more revealing to the actual message being conveyed?
Benhardt,
I noticed something about the passage of time in this story. “…(Noah) planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became…..etc.” The two events seem to coincide with very little time between them. But we know it must be three years intervening.
Noah planted a vineyard and drank wine at the fruition of time. Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, (in the fruition of time) he said, “Cursed be Canaan…” Also, “Canaan shall be servant to his brethren…”, Shem and Japheth. Canaan was brother to Shem and Japheth by law. And Canaan was the son by marriage who did NOT go forth from the Ark. Gen 9:18
To add, if I may.. Shem was the oldest, & to Shem would the Blessing of their father go. The blessing passed down by the father was the same as a King passing down the crown to his oldest son.. Shem would, thus, by the next ‘King’ of the family. Unless… If one could ‘Know’ the ‘queen’, & a child is born, that child would circumvent this, & have be king..
Thus, Ham wanted a name for himself (dividing himself from his own family, to achieve what he believed was his), & knew his mother. Ham then named the 1st land he came to, after this son, “Canaan”..
its all explained in this link on you tube,the wicked generation(demonology)
Ham’s deductive reasoning? What if Ham had sex with Noah’s wife to find out if she was responsible for the passing on of the serpent seed (Nephilim) from the people on Earth before the flood? Ham’s son, Canaan, may have looked like the Nephilim before the flood, so that meant the seed was passed either thru his wife or his mother since we know Noah’s line was pure. Noah cursed Canaan after realizing what Ham had done and after seeing Canaan’s appearance…OR maybe Noah’s wife after sex with Ham had Canaan…either way, it was the appearance of what they all knew to be offspring of Nephilim (which is why all were destroyed except Noah’s family)…to rid the earth of the serpent seed. Jesus said that the end days will be like the days of Noah (before the flood).
It makes sense the appearance made obvious Canaan’s lineage. It would also explain how later Canaan forced his way into the Promised Land by usurping Shem’s territory. Did not Cain asked Yahveh to give him a mark so nobody would attack him? What better mark than becoming a giant that nobody would likely attack? Giants after the flood were smaller than before the flood (if one goes by archeological remains) but they were still giants just as the bible said there would be. This includes Nimrod who by all accounts seems to have been a Nephilim as well.
hi Shoshana, bless you. The existence of giants before, and after the flood, is intriguing. Gen 6:4 “and afterward” is speaking to post flood Canaanites dwelling in the promised land. I believe they are the offspring of Ham and Naamah. Naamah had within her recessive genes prone to gigantism. It isn’t a question of “pure” or “impure.”
Second, compare the Revelation with the book of Genesis:
The Lamb corresponds to Adam.
The Bride corresponds to Eve.
The dragon corresponds to the serpent.
The beast corresponds to the city of Enoch.
The false prophet corresponds to Lamech.
The harlot corresponds to Naamah.
Sampson and Solomon, sons of God, might men of old, men of renown, fell into the same snare as the line of Seth. They married beautiful women outside the faith. The simplest interpretation is usually the best interpretation. :)
Sorry but I dont see the connection you make:
“compare the Revelation with the book of Genesis:
The Lamb corresponds to Adam.
The Bride corresponds to Eve.
The dragon corresponds to the serpent.
The beast corresponds to the city of Enoch.
The false prophet corresponds to Lamech.
The harlot corresponds to Naamah.”
Where do you get this information from? Yes the Bride is Eve, also Israel and the dragon the serpent, satan. The Lamb as well as the Red Heifer were Yeshua, the Second Adam. Dont know about all the rest you list here.
The series of symbols are listed in the same order in Genesis and Revelation.
Adam prefigures the Lamb.
Eve prefigures Israel and the church.
The serpent prefigures Satan.
The city of Enoch prefigures the State deified.
Lamech prefigures the man of sin, or Anti Christ.
Naamah prefigures the apostate church.
There is a blurring together of the identities of the dragon, beast, false prophet, and harlot. The villains share characteristics: Red coloring. False prophet introduced as a beast. The Beast prophesying, Harlot in red, riding the beast, the name of Babylon interchangeable with Beast and Harlot etc. It is a DREAM that will never make earthly sense. Hyper literalists really miss this.
The seven heads of Cain and the ten horns of
Seth are counted by the number of generations in their lines.
Babylon is a symbol of the whole kingdom of darkness concentrated in the apostate church throughout history.
This view of Revelation is called Idealistic Recapitulationism. The book is in both a serial and parallel format. It shows how history is cyclical and the these themes are repeated over and over, making Revelation relevant for the people of God throughout history…..
Greatings
Ive heard another take on this story that seems to make sense to me without involving Noahs wife.
First of all…when Noahs 3 sons are mentioned Ham is always mentioned in the middle. Japheth Ham and Shem
Ham isnt the youngest.
God blessed The 3 sons and said to multiply and replenish the earth.. so i would say they started having children. Soon after the flood.
Time went on and Noah grew grapes…made wine and Noah got drunk from the fermented wine…probably to help him forget the horror of the screams outside the ark when the people tried to get in.
Noah passed out in the tent and was naked
The Ham (the father of Canaan) saw his fathers nakedness…told his brothers what he saw…and his brothers covered their father backwards so they didnt look at him laying there naked.
When Noah woke up he KNEW what his younger son did to him.
And then he cursed Canaan. So the line of canaan was cursed…and we see from that line sodomy was prevelant…we find sodom and Gomorrah came from Canaan
So heres my take on it.
God had already blessed Noahs 3 sons…Noah cannot curse someone that God had blessed so Canaan was cursed.
But since the son cant be cursed because of the fathers sin. I dont believe it was Ham that did the sinning..except seeing his father naked. But Ham also saw what was done to his father.
Noahs sons had children already..time had past the sons were multiplying because of Gods blessing.
So Ham had children and Canaan was his youngest.
So Canaan went into his grandfathers tent and sodomized Noah while he was passed out drunk.
Ham saw that and then told his brothers so they covered Noah.
As soon as Noah woke…Noah Knew what Hams youngest son did to him.
Ham is not the youngest. Ham was blessed by God.
Canaan fits the role of youngest and to me Canaans sondomy is the reason why Noah cursed Canaan
And from Canaan sodomy started and canaaanites became sodomites from canaaans sin.
Just as Adams sin passed to all mankind Canaans sin passed to his offspring.
It wasnt Ham that sinned but Canaan.
Something to think about
M. Lind, you haven’t realized that Noah is calling Canaan ‘the brothers of Shem and Japheth’ when they were actually their uncle. The only reason he would be slaves of his brothers/uncles, Shem and Japheth would be that Noah’s wife was also Canaan’s mother.
Genesis 9: 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,
“Cursed be Canaan!
The lowest of slaves
will he be to his brothers.”
26 He also said,
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
27 May God extend Japheth’s territory;
may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,
and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”
Yeah that was my first take on that however then I read Jasher and also remembered Ham’s other grandson, Nimrod, that also seemed to have been a Nephilim himself… Nephilim are of mixed seed and while one can argue he was of later angelical intermixing Ham’s other sons, Canaan in particular, leave us with a more complete picture.
Hi, very interesting conversation… please remember that Moses is faithfully nurturing the children of Israel. He can’t tell them the truth of Noah taking a wife outside the faith. If he had written that Noah married an unbeliever, the sons of Israel would find justification for taking the daughters of Canaan as wives. Thus, Moses is recounting the history with a view to preserving the innocence of the new covenant nation. Second, why was Ham in Noah’s tent? Was there no privacy? Elderly Noah, inebriated, made a drunken attempt at re-populating the world. Naamah, his new wife, knew he would pass out, and Ham, on cue, Entered. Noah awoke from his wine, knew what Ham had done to him, and then in the fruition of time cursed the baby Canaan. Look, if Noah’s wife hadn’t betrayed him, baby Canaan would have been his precious little grandson! The innocent wife of Ham is untouched by Noah’s cursing of Canaan because she is not the mother of Canaan, Naamah is the mother of Canaan. Notice the double A in both names.
Who was the wife that Noah took in the arc with him? The Book of Jasher names Noah’s wife as Naamah, granddaughter of Seth. This apparently is not the same Naamah sister of Tubal Cain. The Bible states Noah, his wife, three sons and their respective wives entered the arc along with 7 pairs each of clean animals, and 1 pair of each of the unclean ones, Gen 6-7. One son, Ham, caused some havoc later on and Hams’ younger son, Canaan, received the curse for what happened.
What about Ham, who was he? Ham could have been taken in as a son by Noah during his 500 years prior to Noah entering the arc. Keep in mind they did not use the word adoption back then. On the other hand, Ham could have actually been Noah’s son like Ishmael was Abraham’s but from a servant or a concubine, thus basically what we call today a child born out of wedlock, and his mother may have died (explaining why different names are attributed to Noah’s ‘wife’ in different accounts). That would mean that, like it was the case with Ishmael and Isaack, Ham would have lost a legitimate son’s hereditary privileges after Japheth and Shem were born.
The Book of Jasher (5th chapter) says when Noah was 480 years old he got Naamah, age 580, as a wife and she bare him Japheth, then she bare him Shem when Noah was 502 years old. Remember, back then they did not age like we do today and lived hundreds of years in apparent good health and vigor. Interestingly later at the end of the chapter it says after Yah tells Noah to build the arc, He tells him to procure THREE wives for his sons. So here we have an account of Noah’s wife actually having two sons, Japheth and Shem, yet he is to get three wives for his sons… It is to be noted that Jasher wrote that Japheth and Shem “went the ways of the Lord”, yet the same is not written about Ham.
In the Bible to uncover a man’s nakedness was a Hebraic idiomatic expression meaning laying with that man’s wife. In Noah’s incident I don’t think it was due to desire as Ham had a wife already. It could have been that sodomy may have occurred as Noah knew what happened when he woke up. However we don’t really know how Noah knew what happened when he woke up, maybe he heard it from his sons. What we do know is that “uncovering a man’s nakedness” meant laying with that man’s wife, Lev 18:7-16, 20:11-21. More often than not this type of action was a way to assert power over a man, sort of like animals do out in the wild. This is what Absalom did in the sight of all Israel when he took over David’s throne, and he did it with all 10 of David’s concubines on the roof of the palace… Goes along the line of the custom of severing an important man’s head after killing him (like David did with Goliath).
When Ham announced to his brothers that his dad was naked he was actually BRAGGING to them as he thought he was now the top man. He could have covered his dad’s body but didn’t, instead he announced it. Moreover, he would not have announced it if he had committed a shameful deed for other reasons, he was bragging trying to assert his leadership as clan head. Only when they heard Shem and Japheth did not go along with him and instead literally covered their dad showing their respect and intentions of backing their dad in so doing. Shem and Japheth by their action showed they feared Yahveh and had their dad’s back and loyally stood by Noah’s side. They received their father’s blessing and Canaan the curse.
As to why Noah did not curse Ham there could be two reasons. On the one hand Yah had already blessed Ham and you can’t curse what Yah has already blessed (which is why you can’t curse Israel without consequences). Number two, Canaan may have been the one doing “the deed” at his father’s request. Again back then a grandson was often regarded as a son thus Noah may have said “younger son” meaning Canaan. That or Canaan indeed was born from the incestuous union. Either way Canaan was a rebellious man who did not even settle in the area Noah assigned to him (west Africa) but STOLE part of the land Noah assigned to Shem, what it turns out to be the same land Yahveh promised Abraham later on (see Book of Jubilees). By the way, Abraham learned Torah as a ten year old from Shem himself (Jubilees).
Hi Shoshana,
Thanks for your thoughtful reply. Whatever Ham had done to Noah, he didn’t wake up which eliminates sodomy and castration. If Ham had raped his own mother (the mother of Japheth and Shem) the response of the brothers was rather tame and passive. The key here is that Noah was covered by the privacy of his tent. Ham really had no legitimate business in Noah’s tent while he was sleeping naked.
Yes, Ham boasted to the brothers of his conquest of the alpha female in the same manner as Absalom. Why is it that Moses does not tell us the name of our common mother, the mother of Shem, Ham and Japheth? It’s not chauvinism because he tells us the names of Lamech’s wives, Ada and Zillah. Inexplicably, he tells us the name of Tubal-cains sister!! WHY!? Why even mention Lamech at all? He perished in the flood. I think Genesis 4 is a ship’s manifest of Noah’s Ark. It lists the personnel, the tools, the animals, everything. There were zero children. There’s no evidence of adoption by Noah.
Our problem here is that we are making assumptions that are not found in the text. (where do you get Jasher from?? :) Canaan was the result of Ham’s seeing the nakedness of the father, thus, as you rightly point out Ham must have taken Noahs’ place as patriarch in the privacy of his tent.
This is the clincher: Why are there Nephilim in Canaan after the flood? Because royal Naamah (daughter of Lamech) was carrying recessive genetic material within her that was passed down to the Canaanite clans. Goliath is proof because he was a descendent of the Anakim of the book of Joshua. The contest between David and Goliath is a partial fulfillment of Genesis 3:15.
your thinking is bent , the sin of ham was simply seeing noa nude if it wasnt why did shem n japheth not walk straight foward to noa cus they also wud have sind seeing noas nude body the walked backwards to not sin . noa scolded ham n cursed canaan till today y? bcus hams wife was nephilm hybrid canaan was nephpilim hybrid and the curse turned him black african ham had four kids he only named one of his sons cush which means black nephilim offspring blak skin is proof of curse and the rest of his other kids too .noa cursed canaan cus he was nphilim hybrid he had to curse him cus nephilim have no part in kingdom of god all children of ham are cursed black nephilim hybrids ham
thanks for this holistic analysis. It is a different perspective to the cause of the course of Canaan. that is an awesome work.
I guess I agree! I thought originally that Cannan had slept with his grandfather and that was the incestuous relationship. There isn’t my room for speculation without proper context. No one really knows how long Noah and his family was off the ark. Either very interesting fodder to mull around my head.
This is a reasonable explanation of this difficult passage. On it’s face it really does seem unfair.
We have evidence that there were giants after flood. I theorize that corrupt DNA must have been brought over w Hams wife. But perhaps all wives of Noah’s sons had some contaminated DNA. I thought this had something to do w curse going to Hams son but if this were the case all Noah’s grandsons would b cursed. Still trying to figure things out. I know God doesn’t do things for no reason. The son of Cush was Nimrod who had Adams garment that God made for him. He was wearing it when Esau killed him.
I don’t know where Canaan was or if he was ever made to serve his uncles. Still looking.
I think you’re right about what happened w Noah’s wife as we see this described in other parts of Bible as such.
I came to your site because of something I had been told so I started to dig in it myself your research has opened up my eye’s thank you. What was the relationship between David and Jonathan and what does 1st Samuel 20:30-31 mean?
It seems they just had a deep friendship. Shame to your mother’s nakedness seems to be an idiom for “shame that you were conceived” (mother’s nakedness = the sex act) followed by why: “Because David will inherent the kingdom and not him.”
1Sa 20:30 Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?
1Sa 20:31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.”
The fault in this thinking is obvious, it assumes every possible idiomatic expression is idiomatic. No, it’s not.
That’s not it at all. Because one can stab a person in the back literally while also figuratively stabbing someone in the back. Just because the latter seems more popular, does not discount that it could have happened literally.
Another problem is that it has to interpret every part idiomatically and figuratively to support it, not just the part about nakedness. Things like saying that covering Noah was damage control, have to insert time into Noah waking up, etc. Even in examples shown, Absalom’s uncovering of nakedness was explained more literally, elsewhere.
It also discounts the Bible does not use idiomatic expression itself except when it does, it always explains itself literally afterwards. People talking in dialogue in it do, but not the Bible when it acts as a narrator. In this passage, it acts as a narrator. It is not the people talking.
The fault in this thinking is obvious, it assumes every possible idiomatic expression is idiomatic.
That’s not it at all. Because one can stab a person in the back literally while also figuratively stabbing someone in the back. Just because the latter seems more popular, does not discount that it could have happened literally.
Another problem is that it has to interpret every part idiomatically and figuratively to support it, not just the part about nakedness. Things like saying that covering Noah was damage control, have to insert time into Noah waking up, etc. Even in examples shown, Absalom’s uncovering of nakedness was explained more literally, elsewhere.
It also discounts the Bible does not use idiomatic expression itself except when it does, it always explains itself literally afterwards. People talking in dialogue in it do, but not the Bible when it acts as a narrator. In this passage, it acts as a narrator. It is not the people talking.
The descendents of Esaù were the Edomites and any modern day descendents would be Jews because they were forcibly converted to Judaism before the coming of Christ. In fact Herod was an Idumaen (or Edomite).
Judas Maccabeus conquered their territory for a time around 163 BC.[44] They were again subdued by John Hyrcanus (c. 125 BC), who forcibly converted them, among others, to Judaism,[45] and incorporated them into the Jewish nation,[26] despite the opposition of the Pharisees. (Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edom)
The fact that it states And Noah began to be an husbandman, Doesn’t that mean he had gotten another wife. Otherwise he would have already been a husband.
I am astounded by the pure Biblical ignorance that so many are willing to post here in response to your interpretation of these specific passages from Genesis. Anyone with any true Biblical knowledge and the Holy Spirits guiding would know that the incest was the case for the reason for the curse and it is directed at a nation from this union.
Hey dlj549, I would suggest you get a dictionary.
The meaning of ‘husbandman’ is just saying he was a farmer.
how do you curse a child who has not been borned?
how do you call the name a child to be cursed that has not been borned?
My thoughts are that the Nephilim were on the earth before and after the flood
The bible says every one on the earth died except those in the boat. So the only way a person with Nephilim DNA could survive would be on that boat
I conclude that Noah had a concubine that was at least part Nephilim which is why she is not mentioned and I think it was this concubine of Noah that Ham had intercourse with.
I back my conclusion with LEV. 18:8 You shall not uncover the nakedness of you fathers wife; it is your father’s nakedness.
I also think Ham did it for the same reason Absalom slept with some of King David’s wives.
I could be wrong but I feel that all the fallen angels who were married to the daughters of Adam were dealt with.
I also feel that the children of Adam and Eve mixed extensively with the hybrid Nephilim and that was one of the reasons for the flood.
The Nephilim were the product or children of the Watchers who were Angels created by the triune Creator God and the daughters of Adam and Eve.
The Watchers were capable of having sex which tells me there must have been female Watchers who were also capable of having sex but were sterile.
The Watchers saw that the daughters of Adam were beautiful and desired them so they came down to earth and married all they chose.
Unlike the female Watchers the male Watchers were fertile so to speak. They desired to have children from these earthly humans so that they could usurp Our father God’s plans.
by replacing them with their own children. so to speak. But just like in earthly animals when you mix two species (Angels & Humans) or (Lions and tigers) you get undesired results.
The Nephilim became giants simply because their growth hormone or glands did not work properly. My guess is that the females had normal growth glans while the males had bad growth hormones or glands and they grew to be very tall.
Much of this is just conjecture based on what I see as fact.
I also feel that this was a way for the evil one to usurp Noah as patriarch of the children of Adam placing the seed of the Watchers over the seed of Adam.
Noah curse on Canaan invalidated this attempt.
Ok, that’s what most believe but it seems to me that most like that supernatural idea of angels sleeping with humans perhaps due to living in an era exposed to alien movies of these ‘third kind. To me according to Jesus angels cannot procreate as they can’t marry or have sex. “When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven..” Mark 12:25
Nephilims and later the Giants of Anak are nothing more than what was left of those who were ‘still giants’ as mankind has diminished in height. The sons of Gid are the descendants of Seth who married the daughters of men, descendants of Cain. And their children had nothing to do with why they were giants as they were all giants from the beginning
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When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven..” Mark 12:25
Jac, notice this… they will be like angels… IN HEAVEN.
In Jude 1.6 the text says that the angels in Gn 6 “left their proper habitation/dwelling” (oikētērion = οἰκητήριον) or, in other words, took bodies like ours.
One thing is an angel in its proper dwelling but when they enter this physical realm they need a proper “interface”.
This is an excellent analysis. If the wife of Noah was indeed Naamah, the sister of Tubalcain, as alluded to in other texts, then the genetic result of this sorry union could easily have magnified the fallen genes in Canaan. No wonder the land of Canaan had giants!
Even today, we’ll occasionally see unusually tall people or people with six fingers or toes, a genetic aberration synonymous with the Rephaim, of whom was Goliath.
This would explain why we are all sinners, but it would also explain the existence of a particularly evil sect who currently control the world from the shadows.