1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.
6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
11 And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
18 And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.
19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.
20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
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.
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.
28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.
29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.
1 And God H430 blessed H1288 Noah H5146 and his sons, H1121 and said H559 unto them, Be fruitful, H6509 and multiply, H7235 and replenish H4390 the earth. H776
2 And the fear of you H4172 and the dread of you H2844 shall be upon every beast H2416 of the earth, H776 and upon every fowl H5775 of the air, H8064 upon all that moveth H7430 upon the earth, H127 and upon all the fishes H1709 of the sea; H3220 into your hand H3027 are they delivered. H5414
3 Every moving thing H7431 that liveth H2416 shall be meat H402 for you; even as the green H3418 herb H6212 have I given H5414 you all things.
4 But H389 flesh H1320 with the life H5315 thereof, which is the blood H1818 thereof, shall ye not eat. H398
5 And surely H389 your blood H1818 of your lives H5315 will I require; H1875 at the hand H3027 of every beast H2416 will I require it, H1875 and at the hand H3027 of man; H120 at the hand H3027 of every man's H376 brother H251 will I require H1875 the life H5315 of man. H120
6 Whoso sheddeth H8210 man's H120 blood, H1818 by man H120 shall his blood H1818 be shed: H8210 for in the image H6754 of God H430 made H6213 he man. H120
7 And you, be ye fruitful, H6509 and multiply; H7235 bring forth abundantly H8317 in the earth, H776 and multiply H7235 therein.
8 And God H430 spake H559 unto Noah, H5146 and to his sons H1121 with him, saying, H559
9 And I, behold, I establish H6965 my covenant H1285 with you, and with your seed H2233 after you; H310
10 And with every living H2416 creature H5315 that is with you, of the fowl, H5775 of the cattle, H929 and of every beast H2416 of the earth H776 with you; from all that go out H3318 of the ark, H8392 to every beast H2416 of the earth. H776
11 And I will establish H6965 my covenant H1285 with you; neither shall all flesh H1320 be cut off H3772 any more by the waters H4325 of a flood; H3999 neither shall there any more be a flood H3999 to destroy H7843 the earth. H776
12 And God H430 said, H559 This is the token H226 of the covenant H1285 which I H589 make H5414 between me and you and every living H2416 creature H5315 that is with you, for perpetual H5769 generations: H1755
13 I do set H5414 my bow H7198 in the cloud, H6051 and it shall be for a token H226 of a covenant H1285 between me and the earth. H776
14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring H6049 a cloud H6051 over the earth, H776 that the bow H7198 shall be seen H7200 in the cloud: H6051
15 And I will remember H2142 my covenant, H1285 which is between me and you and every living H2416 creature H5315 of all flesh; H1320 and the waters H4325 shall no more H5750 become a flood H3999 to destroy H7843 all flesh. H1320
16 And the bow H7198 shall be in the cloud; H6051 and I will look upon it, H7200 that I may remember H2142 the everlasting H5769 covenant H1285 between H996 God H430 and H996 every living H2416 creature H5315 of all flesh H1320 that is upon the earth. H776
17 And God H430 said H559 unto Noah, H5146 This is the token H226 of the covenant, H1285 which I have established H6965 between me and all flesh H1320 that is upon the earth. H776
18 And the sons H1121 of Noah, H5146 that went forth H3318 of the ark, H8392 were Shem, H8035 and Ham, H2526 and Japheth: H3315 and Ham H2526 H1931 is the father H1 of Canaan. H3667
19 These are the three H7969 sons H1121 of Noah: H5146 and of them was the whole earth H776 overspread. H5310
20 And Noah H5146 began H2490 to be an husbandman, H376 H127 and he planted H5193 a vineyard: H3754
21 And he drank H8354 of the wine, H3196 and was drunken; H7937 and he was uncovered H1540 within H8432 his tent. H168
22 And Ham, H2526 the father H1 of Canaan, H3667 saw H7200 the nakedness H6172 of his father, H1 and told H5046 his two H8147 brethren H251 without. H2351
23 And Shem H8035 and Japheth H3315 took H3947 a garment, H8071 and laid H7760 it upon both H8147 their shoulders, H7926 and went H3212 backward, H322 and covered H3680 the nakedness H6172 of their father; H1 and their faces H6440 were backward, H322 and they saw H7200 not their father's H1 nakedness. H6172
24 And Noah H5146 awoke H3364 from his wine, H3196 and knew H3045 what his younger H6996 son H1121 had done H6213 unto him.
25 And he said, H559 Cursed H779 be Canaan; H3667 a servant H5650 of servants H5650 shall he be unto his brethren. H251
26 And he said, H559 Blessed H1288 be the LORD H3068 God H430 of Shem; H8035 and Canaan H3667 shall be H1961 his servant. H5650
27 God H430 shall enlarge H6601 Japheth, H3315 and he shall dwell H7931 in the tents H168 of Shem; H8035 and Canaan H3667 shall be his servant. H5650
28 And Noah H5146 lived H2421 after H310 the flood H3999 three H7969 hundred H3967 H8141 and fifty H2572 years. H8141
29 And all the days H3117 of Noah H5146 were nine H8672 hundred H3967 H8141 and fifty H2572 years: H8141 and he died. H4191
1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every bird of the heavens; With all wherewith the ground teemeth, and all the fishes of the sea, into your hand are they delivered.
3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be food for you; As the green herb have I given you all.
4 But flesh with the life thereof, `which is' the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
5 And surely your blood, `the blood' of your lives, will I require; At the hand of every beast will I require it. And at the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, will I require the life of man.
6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: For in the image of God made he man.
7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; Bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you. Of all that go out of the ark, even every beast of the earth.
11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of the flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud,
15 and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
18 And the sons of Noah, that went forth from the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.
19 These three were the sons of Noah: and of these was the whole earth overspread.
20 And Noah began to be a husbandman, and planted a vineyard:
21 and he drank of the wine, and was drunken. And he was uncovered within his tent.
22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
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.
24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest 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 Jehovah, the God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.
27 God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.
28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.
29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: And he died.
1 And God blesseth Noah, and his sons, and saith to them, `Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth;
2 and your fear and your dread is on every beast of the earth, and on every fowl of the heavens, on all that creepeth on the ground, and on all fishes of the sea -- into your hand they have been given.
3 Every creeping thing that is alive, to you it is for food; as the green herb I have given to you the whole;
4 only flesh in its life -- its blood -- ye do not eat.
5 `And only your blood for your lives do I require; from the hand of every living thing I require it, and from the hand of man, from the hand of every man's brother I require the life of man;
6 whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man is his blood shed: for in the image of God hath He made man.
7 And ye, be fruitful and multiply, teem in the earth, and multiply in it.'
8 And God speaketh unto Noah, and unto his sons with him, saying,
9 `And I, lo, I am establishing My covenant with you, and with your seed after you,
10 and with every living creature which `is' with you, among fowl, among cattle, and among every beast of the earth with you, from all who are going out of the ark -- to every beast of the earth.
11 And I have established My covenant with you, and all flesh is not any more cut off by waters of a deluge, and there is not any more a deluge to destroy the earth.'
12 And God saith, `This is a token of the covenant which I am giving between Me and you, and every living creature that `is' with you, to generations age-during;
13 My bow I have given in the cloud, and it hath been for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth;
14 and it hath come to pass (in My sending a cloud over the earth) that the bow hath been seen in the cloud,
15 and I have remembered My covenant which is between Me and you, and every living creature among all flesh, and the waters become no more a deluge to destroy all flesh;
16 and the bow hath been in the cloud, and I have seen it -- to remember the covenant age-during between God and every living creature among all flesh which `is' on the earth.'
17 And God saith unto Noah, `This `is' a token of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that `is' upon the earth.'
18 And the sons of Noah who are going out of the ark are Shem, and Ham, and Japheth; and Ham is father of Canaan.
19 These three `are' sons of Noah, and from these hath all the earth been overspread.
20 And Noah remaineth a man of the ground, and planteth a vineyard,
21 and drinketh of the wine, and is drunken, and uncovereth himself in the midst of the tent.
22 And Ham, father of Canaan, seeth the nakedness of his father, and declareth to his two brethren without.
23 And Shem taketh -- Japheth also -- the garment, and they place on the shoulder of them both, and go backward, and cover the nakedness of their father; and their faces `are' backward, and their father's nakedness they have not seen.
24 And Noah awaketh from his wine, and knoweth that which his young son hath done to him,
25 and saith: `Cursed `is' Canaan, Servant of servants he is to his brethren.'
26 And he saith: `Blessed of Jehovah my God `is' Shem, And Canaan is servant to him.
27 God doth give beauty to Japheth, And he dwelleth in tents of Shem, And Canaan is servant to him.'
28 And Noah liveth after the deluge three hundred and fifty years;
29 and all the days of Noah are nine hundred and fifty years, and he dieth.
1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.
2 And let the fear of you and the dread of you be upon every animal of the earth, and upon all fowl of the heavens: upon all that moveth [on] the ground; and upon all the fishes of the sea: into your hand are they delivered.
3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be food for you: as the green herb I give you everything.
4 Only, the flesh with its life, its blood, ye shall not eat.
5 And indeed your blood, [the blood] of your lives, will I require: at the hand of every animal will I require it, and at the hand of Man, at the hand of each [the blood] of his brother, will I require the life of Man.
6 Whoso sheddeth Man's blood, by Man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God he hath made Man.
7 And ye, be fruitful and multiply: swarm on the earth, and multiply on it.
8 And God spoke to Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
10 and with every living soul which is with you, fowl as well as cattle, and all the animals of the earth with you, of all that has gone out of the ark -- every animal of the earth.
11 And I establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood, and henceforth there shall be no flood to destroy the earth.
12 And God said, This is the sign of the covenant that I set between me and you and every living soul that is with you, for everlasting generations:
13 I set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be for a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
14 And it shall come to pass when I bring clouds over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud,
15 and I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living soul of all flesh; and the waters shall not henceforth become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living soul of all flesh that is upon the earth.
17 And God said to Noah, This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
18 And the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth. And Ham is the father of Canaan.
19 These three are the sons of Noah; and from these was [the population of] the whole earth spread abroad.
20 And Noah began [to be] a husbandman, and planted a vineyard.
21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken, and he uncovered himself in his tent.
22 And Ham the father of Canaan saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren outside.
23 And Shem and Japheth took the upper garment and both laid [it] upon their shoulders, and went backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. And their faces were turned away, that they saw not their father's nakedness.
24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and learned what his youngest son had done to him.
25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; Let him be a bondman of bondmen to his brethren.
26 And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Shem, And let Canaan be his bondman.
27 Let God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, And let Canaan be his bondman.
28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.
29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died.
1 God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
2 The fear of you and the dread of you will be on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the sky. Everything that the ground teems with, and all the fish of the sea are delivered into your hand.
3 Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As the green herb, I have given everything to you.
4 But flesh with the life of it, the blood of it, you shall not eat.
5 I will surely require your blood of your lives. At the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, I will require the life of man.
6 Whoever sheds man's blood, by man will his blood be shed, for in the image of God made he man.
7 Be fruitful, and multiply. Bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it."
8 God spoke to Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9 "As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you,
10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every animal of the earth with you. Of all that go out of the ark, even every animal of the earth.
11 I will establish my covenant with you; neither will all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of the flood; neither will there any more be a flood to destroy the earth."
12 God said, "This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13 I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be for a sign of a covenant between me and the earth.
14 It will happen, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud,
15 and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16 The rainbow will be in the cloud. I will look at it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."
17 God said to Noah, "This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."
18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham is the father of Canaan.
19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these, the whole earth was populated.
20 Noah began to be a farmer, and planted a vineyard.
21 He drank of the wine, and got drunk. He was uncovered within his tent.
22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.
23 Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it on both their shoulders, went in backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were backwards, and they didn't see their father's nakedness.
24 Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done to him.
25 He said, "Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants will he be to his brothers."
26 He said, "Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem; Let Canaan be his servant.
27 God enlarge Japheth, Let him dwell in the tents of Shem; Let Canaan be his servant."
28 Noah lived three hundred fifty years after the flood.
29 All the days of Noah were nine hundred fifty years, then he died.
1 And God gave his blessing to Noah and his sons, and said, Be fertile, and have increase, and make the earth full.
2 And the fear of you will be strong in every beast of the earth and every bird of the air; everything which goes on the land, and all the fishes of the sea, are given into your hands.
3 Every living and moving thing will be food for you; I give them all to you as before I gave you all green things.
4 But flesh with the life-blood in it you may not take for food.
5 And for your blood, which is your life, will I take payment; from every beast I will take it, and from every man will I take payment for the blood of his brother-man.
6 Whoever takes a man's life, by man will his life be taken; because God made man in his image.
7 And now, be fertile and have increase; have offspring on the earth and become great in number.
8 And God said to Noah and to his sons,
9 Truly, I will make my agreement with you and with your seed after you,
10 And with every living thing with you, all birds and cattle and every beast of the earth which comes out of the ark with you.
11 And I will make my agreement with you; never again will all flesh be cut off by the waters; never again will the waters come over all the earth for its destruction.
12 And God said, This is the sign of the agreement which I make between me and you and every living thing with you, for all future generations:
13 I will put my bow in the cloud and it will be for a sign of the agreement between me and the earth.
14 And whenever I make a cloud come over the earth, the bow will be seen in the cloud,
15 And I will keep in mind the agreement between me and you and every living thing; and never again will there be a great flow of waters causing destruction to all flesh.
16 And the bow will be in the cloud, and looking on it, I will keep in mind the eternal agreement between God and every living thing on the earth.
17 And God said to Noah, This is the sign of the agreement which I have made between me and all flesh on the earth.
18 And the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and Ham is the father of Canaan.
19 These three were the sons of Noah and from them all the earth was peopled.
20 In those days Noah became a farmer, and he made a vine-garden.
21 And he took of the wine of it and was overcome by drink; and he was uncovered in his tent.
22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father unclothed, and gave news of it to his two brothers outside.
23 And Shem and Japheth took a robe, and putting it on their backs went in with their faces turned away, and put it over their father so that they might not see him unclothed.
24 And, awaking from his wine, Noah saw what his youngest son had done to him, and he said,
25 Cursed be Canaan; let him be a servant of servants to his brothers.
26 And he said, Praise to the Lord, the God of Shem; let Canaan be his servant.
27 May God make Japheth great, and let his living-place be in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.
28 And Noah went on living three hundred and fifty years after the great flow of waters;
29 all the years of his life were nine hundred and fifty: and he came to his end.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Genesis 9
Commentary on Genesis 9 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
These divine purposes of peace, which were communicated to Noah while sacrificing, were solemnly confirmed by the renewal of the blessing pronounced at the creation and the establishment of a covenant through a visible sign, which would be a pledge for all time that there should never be a flood again. In the words by which the first blessing was transferred to Noah and his sons (Genesis 9:2), the supremacy granted to man over the animal world was expressed still more forcibly than in Genesis 1:26 and Genesis 1:28; because, inasmuch as sin with its consequences had loosened the bond of voluntary subjection on the part of the animals to the will of man-man, on the one hand, having lost the power of the spirit over nature, and nature, on the other hand, having become estranged from man, or rather having rebelled against him, through the curse pronounced upon the earth-henceforth it was only by force that he could rule over it, by that “fear and dread” which God instilled into the animal creation. Whilst the animals were thus placed in the hand (power) of man, permission was also given to him to slaughter them for food, the eating of the blood being the only thing forbidden.
“ Every moving thing that liveth shall be food for you; even as the green of the herb have I given you all ( את־כּל = חכּל ).” These words do not affirm that man then first began to eat animal food, but only that God then for the first time authorized, or allowed him to do, what probably he had previously done in opposition to His will. “ Only flesh in its soul, its blood ( דמו in apposition to בּנפשׁו ), shall ye not eat; ” i.e., flesh in which there is still blood, because the soul of the animal is in the blood. The prohibition applies to the eating of flesh with blood in it, whether of living animals, as is the barbarous custom in Abyssinia, or of slaughtered animals from which the blood has not been properly drained at death. This prohibition presented, on the one hand, a safeguard against harshness and cruelty; and contained, on the other, “an undoubted reference to the sacrifice of animals, which was afterwards made the subject of command, and in which it was the blood especially that was offered, as the seat and soul of life (see note on Leviticus 17:11, Leviticus 17:14); so that from this point of view sacrifice denotes the surrender of one's own inmost life, of the very essence of life, to God” ( Ziegler ). Allusion is made to the first again in the still further limitation given in Genesis 9:5 : “ and only ( ואך ) your blood, with regard to your souls ( ל indicative of reference to an individual object, Ewald , §310 a ), will I seek (demand or avenge, cf. Psalms 9:13) from the hand of every beast, and from the hand of man, from the hand of every one, his brother; ” i.e., from every man, whoever he may be, because he is his (the slain man's) brother, inasmuch as all men are brethren. The life of man was thus made secure against animals as well as men. God would avenge or inflict punishment for every murder, - not directly, however, as He promised to do in the case of Cain, but indirectly by giving the command, “ Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed, ” and thus placing in the hand of man His own judicial power. “This was the first command,” says Luther , “having reference to the temporal sword. By these words temporal government was established, and the sword placed in its hand by God.” It is true the punishment of the murderer is enjoined upon “man” universally; but as all the judicial relations and ordinances of the increasing race were rooted in those of the family, and grew by a natural process out of that, the family relations furnished of themselves the norm for the closer definition of the expression “man.” Hence the command does not sanction revenge, but lays the foundation for the judicial rights of the divinely appointed “powers that be” (Romans 13:1). This is evident from the reason appended: “ for in the image of God made He man .” If murder was to be punished with death because it destroyed the image of God in man, it is evident that the infliction of the punishment was not to be left to the caprice of individuals, but belonged to those alone who represent the authority and majesty of God, i.e., the divinely appointed rulers, who for that very reason are called Elohim in Psalms 82:6. This command then laid the foundation for all civil government,
(Note: Hic igitur fons est, ex quo manat totum just civile et just gentium. Nam si Deus concedit homini potestatem super vitam et mortem, profecto etiam concedit potestatem super id, quod minus est, ut sunt fortunae, familia, uxor, liberi, servi, agri; Haec omnia vult certorum hominum potestati esse obnoxia Deus, ut reos puniant. Luther.)
and formed a necessary complement to that unalterable continuance of the order of nature which had been promised to the human race for its further development. If God on account of the innate sinfulness of man would no more bring an exterminating judgment upon the earthly creation, it was necessary that by commands and authorities He should erect a barrier against the supremacy of evil, and thus lay the foundation for a well-ordered civil development of humanity, in accordance with the words of the blessing, which are repeated in Genesis 9:7, as showing the intention and goal of this new historical beginning.
To give Noah and his sons a firm assurance of the prosperous continuance of the human race, God condescended to establish a covenant with them and their descendants, and to confirm this covenant by a visible sign for all generations. בּרית הקים is not equivalent to בּרית כּרת ; it does not denote the formal conclusion of an actual covenant, but the “setting up of a covenant,” or the giving of a promise possessing the nature of a covenant. In summing up the animals in Genesis 9:10, the prepositions are accumulated: first בּ embracing the whole, then the partitive מן restricting the enumeration to those which went out of the ark, and lastly ל yl , “with regard to,” extending it again to every individual. There was a correspondence between the covenant (Genesis 9:11) and the sign which was to keep it before the sight of men (Genesis 9:12): “ I give (set) My bow in the cloud ” (Genesis 9:13). When God gathers ( ענן Genesis 9:14, lit., clouds) clouds over the earth, “ the bow shall be seen in the cloud, ” and that not for man only, but for God also, who will look at the bow, “ to remember His everlasting covenant .” An “everlasting covenant” is a covenant “ for perpetual generations, ” i.e., one which shall extend to all ages, even to the end of the world. The fact that God Himself would look at the bow and remember His covenant, was “a glorious and living expression of the great truth, that God's covenant signs, in which He has put His promises, are real vehicles of His grace, that they have power and essential worth not only with men, but also before God ” ( O. v. Gerlach ). The establishment of the rainbow as a covenant sign of the promise that there should be no flood again, presupposes that it appeared then for the first time in the vault and clouds of heaven. From this it may be inferred, not that it did not rain before the flood, which could hardly be reconciled with Genesis 2:5, but that the atmosphere was differently constituted; a supposition in perfect harmony with the facts of natural history, which point to differences in the climate of the earth's surface before and after the flood. The fact that the rainbow, that “coloured splendour thrown by the bursting forth of the sun upon the departing clouds,” is the result of the reciprocal action of light, and air, and water, is no disproof of the origin and design recorded here. For the laws of nature are ordained by God, and have their ultimate ground and purpose in the divine plan of the universe which links together both nature and grace. “Springing as it does from the effect of the sun upon the dark mass of clouds, it typifies the readiness of the heavenly to pervade the earthly; spread out as it is between heaven and earth, it proclaims peace between God and man; and whilst spanning the whole horizon, it teaches the all-embracing universality of the covenant of grace” ( Delitzsch ).
The second occurrence in the life of Noah after the flood exhibited the germs of the future development of the human race in a threefold direction, as manifested in the characters of his three sons. As all the families and races of man descend from them, their names are repeated in Genesis 9:18; and in prospective allusion to what follows, it is added that “ Ham was the father of Canaan .” From these three “ the earth (the earth's population) spread itself out .” “ The earth ” is used for the population of the earth, as in Genesis 10:25 and Genesis 11:1, and just as lands or cities are frequently substituted for their inhabitants. נפצה : probably Niphal for נפצה , from פּוּץ to scatter (Genesis 11:4), to spread out. “ And Noah the husbandman began, and planted a vineyard .” As האדמה אישׁ cannot be the predicate of the sentence, on account of the article, but must be in apposition to Noah, ויטּע and ויּחל must be combined in the sense of “began to plant” ( Ges. §142, 3). The writer does not mean to affirm that Noah resumed his agricultural operations after the flood, but that as a husbandman he began to cultivate the vine; because it was this which furnished the occasion for the manifestation of that diversity in the character of his sons, which was so eventful in its consequences in relation to the future history of their descendants. In ignorance of the fiery nature of wine, Noah drank and was drunken, and uncovered himself in his tent (Genesis 9:21). Although excuse may be made for this drunkenness, the words of Luther are still true: “ Qui excusant patriarcham, volentes hanc consolationem, quam Spiritus S. ecclesiis necessariam judicavit, abjuciunt, quod scilicen etiam summi sancti aliquando labuntur. ” This trifling fall served to display the hearts of his sons. Ham saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. Not content with finding pleasure himself in his father's shame, “nunquam enim vino victum patrem filius resisset, nisi prius ejecisset animo illam reverentiam et opinionem, quae in liberis de parentibus ex mandato Dei existere debet ” ( Luther ), he just proclaimed his disgraceful pleasure to his brethren, and thus exhibited his shameless sensuality. The brothers, on the contrary, with reverential modesty covered their father with a garment ( השּׂמלה the garment, which was at hand), walking backwards that they might not see his nakedness (Genesis 9:23), and thus manifesting their childlike reverence as truly as their refined purity and modesty. For this they receive their father's blessing, whereas Ham reaped for his son Canaan the patriarch's curse. In Genesis 9:24 Ham is called הקּטן בּנו “his (Noah's) little son,” and it is questionable whether the adjective is to be taken as comparative in the sense of “the younger,” or as superlative, meaning “the youngest.” Neither grammar nor the usage of the language will enable us to decide. For in 1 Samuel 17:14, where David is contrasted with his brothers, the word means not the youngest of the four, but the younger by the side of the three elder, just as in Genesis 1:16 the sun is called “the great” light, and the moon “the little ” light, not to show that the sun is the greatest and the moon the least of all lights, but that the moon is the smaller of the two. If, on the other hand, on the ground of 1 Samuel 16:11, where “the little one” undoubtedly means the youngest of all, any one would press the superlative force here, he must be prepared, in order to be consistent, to do the same with haggadol , “the great one,” in Genesis 10:21, which would lead to this discrepancy, that in the verse before us Ham is called Noah's youngest son, and in Genesis 10:21 Shem is called Japhet's oldest brother, and thus implicite Ham is described as older than Japhet. If we do not wish lightly to introduce a discrepancy into the text of these two chapters, no other course is open than to follow the lxx, Vulg . and others, and take “the little” here and “the great” in Genesis 10:21 as used in a comparative sense, Ham being represented here as Noah's younger son, and Shem in Genesis 10:21 as Japhet's elder brother. Consequently the order in which the three names stand is also an indication of their relative ages. And this is not only the simplest and readiest assumption, but is even confirmed by Gen 10, though the order is inverted there, Japhet being mentioned first, then Ham, and Shem last; and it is also in harmony with the chronological datum in Genesis 11:10, as compared with Genesis 5:32 (vid., Genesis 11:10).
To understand the words of Noah with reference to his sons (Genesis 9:25-27), we must bear in mind, on the one hand, that as the moral nature of the patriarch was transmitted by generation to his descendants, so the diversities of character in the sons of Noah foreshadowed diversities in the moral inclinations of the tribes of which they were the head; and on the other hand, that Noah, through the Spirit and power of that God with whom he walked, discerned in the moral nature of his sons, and the different tendencies which they already displayed, the germinal commencement of the future course of their posterity, and uttered words of blessing and of curse, which were prophetic of the history of the tribes that descended from them. In the sin of Ham “there lies the great stain of the whole Hamitic race, whose chief characteristic is sexual sin” ( Ziegler ); and the curse which Noah pronounced upon this sin still rests upon the race. It was not Ham who was cursed, however, but his son Canaan. Ham had sinned against his father, and he was punished in his son. But the reason why Canaan was the only son named, is not to be found in the fact that Canaan was the youngest son of Ham, and Ham the youngest son of Noah, as Hoffmann supposes. The latter is not an established fact; and the purely external circumstance, that Canaan had the misfortune to be the youngest son, could not be a just reason for cursing him alone. The real reason must either lie in the fact that Canaan was already walking in the steps of his father's impiety and sin, or else be sought in the name Canaan , in which Noah discerned, through the gift of prophecy, a significant omen ; a supposition decidedly favoured by the analogy of the blessing pronounced upon Japhet, which is also founded upon the name. Canaan does not signify lowland, nor was it transferred, as many maintain, from the land to its inhabitants; it was first of all the name of the father of the tribe, from whom it was transferred to his descendants, and eventually to the land of which they took possession. The meaning of Canaan is “the submissive one,” from כּנע to stoop or submit, Hiphil , to bend or subjugate (Deuteronomy 9:3; Judges 4:23, etc.). “Ham gave his son the name from the obedience which he required, though he did not render it himself. The son was to be the servant (for the name points to servile obedience) of a father who was as tyrannical towards those beneath him, as he was refractory towards those above. The father, when he gave him the name, thought only of submission to his own commands. But the secret providence of God, which rules in all such things, had a different submission in view” (Hengstenberg, Christol . i. 28, transl.). “Servant of servants (i.e., the lowest of slaves, vid., Ewald , §313) let him become to his brethren.” Although this curse was expressly pronounced upon Canaan alone, the fact that Ham had no share in Noah's blessing, either for himself or his other sons, was a sufficient proof that his whole family was included by implication in the curse, even if it was to fall chiefly upon Canaan. And history confirms the supposition. The Canaanites were partly exterminated, and partly subjected to the lowest form of slavery, by the Israelites, who belonged to the family of Shem; and those who still remained were reduced by Solomon to the same condition (1 Kings 9:20-21). The Phoenicians, along with the Carthaginians and the Egyptians, who all belonged to the family of Canaan, were subjected by the Japhetic Persians, Macedonians, and Romans; and the remainder of the Hamitic tribes either shared the same fate, or still sigh, like the negroes, for example, and other African tribes, beneath the yoke of the most crushing slavery.
In contrast with the curse, the blessings upon Shem and Japhet are introduced with a fresh “and he said,” whilst Canaan's servitude comes in like a refrain and is mentioned in connection with both his brethren: Blessed be Jehovah , the God of Shem, and let Canaan be servant to them.” Instead of wishing good to Shem, Noah praises the God of Shem, just as Moses in Deuteronomy 33:20, instead of blessing Gad, blesses Him “that enlargeth Gad,” and points out the nature of the good which he is to receive, by using the name Jehovah . This is done “ propter excellentem benedictionem. Non enim loquitur de corporali benedictione, sed de benedictione futura per semen promissum. Eam tantam videt esse ut explicari verbis non possit, ideo se vertit ad gratiarum actionem ” ( Luther ). Because Jehovah is the God of Shem, Shem will be the recipient and heir of all the blessings of salvation, which God as Jehovah bestows upon mankind. למו = להם neither stands for the singular לו ( Ges. §103, 2), nor refers to Shem and Japhet. It serves to show that the announcement does not refer to the person relation of Canaan to Shem, but applies to their descendants.
“ Wide let God make it to Japhet, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem. ” Starting from the meaning of the name, Noah sums up his blessing in the word יפתּ ( japht ), from פּתה to be wide (Proverbs 20:19), in the Hiphil with ל , to procure a wide space for any one, used either of extension over a wide territory, or of removal to a free, unfettered position; analogous to ל הרחיב , Genesis 26:22; Psalms 4:1, etc. Both must be retained here, so that the promise to the family of Japhet embraced not only a wide extension, but also prosperity on every hand. This blessing was desired by Noah, not from Jehovah , the God of Shem, who bestows saving spiritual good upon man, but from Elohim , God as Creator and Governor of the world; for it had respect primarily to the blessings of the earth, not to spiritual blessings; although Japhet would participate in these as well, for he should come and dwell in the tents of Shem. The disputed question, whether God or Japhet is to be regarded as the subject of the verb “shall dwell,” is already decided by the use of the word Elohim . If it were God whom Noah described as dwelling in the tents of Shem, so that the expression denoted the gracious presence of God in Israel, we should expect to find the name Jehovah , since it was as Jehovah that God took up His abode among Shem in Israel. It is much more natural to regard the expression as applying to Japhet, ( a ) because the refrain , “Canaan shall be his servant,” requires that we should understand Genesis 9:27 as applying to Japhet, like Genesis 9:26 to Shem; ( b ) because the plural, tents, is not applicable to the abode of Jehovah in Israel, inasmuch as in the parallel passages “we read of God dwelling in His tent, on His holy hill, in Zion, in the midst of the children of Israel, and also of the faithful dwelling in the tabernacle or temple of God, but never of God dwelling in the tents of Israel” (Hengstenberg); and ( c ) because we should expect that act of affection, which the two sons so delicately performed in concert, to have its corresponding blessing in the relation established between the two ( Delitzsch ). Japhet's dwelling in the tents of Shem is supposed by Bochart and others to refer to the fact, that Japhet's descendants would one day take the land of the Shemites, and subjugate the inhabitants; but even the fathers almost unanimously understand the words in a spiritual sense, as denoting the participation of the Japhetites in the saving blessings of the Shemites. There is truth in both views. Dwelling presupposes possession; but the idea of taking by force is precluded by the fact, that it would be altogether at variance with the blessing pronounced upon Shem. If history shows that the tents of Shem were conquered and taken by the Japhetites, the dwelling predicted here still relates not to the forcible conquest, but to the fact that the conquerors entered into the possessions of the conquered; that along with them they were admitted to the blessings of salvation; and that, yielding to the spiritual power of the vanquished, they lived henceforth in their tents as brethren (Psalms 133:1). And if the dwelling of Japhet in the tents of Shem presupposes the conquest of the land of Shem by Japhet, it is a blessing not only to Japhet, but to Shem also, since, whilst Japhet enters into the spiritual inheritance of Shem, he brings to Shem all the good of this world (Isa 60). “The fulfilment,” as Delitzsch says, “is plain enough, for we are all Japhetites dwelling in the tents of Shem; and the language of the New Testament is the language of Javan entered into the tents of Shem.” To this we may add, that by the Gospel preached in this language, Israel, though subdued by the imperial power of Rome, became the spiritual conqueror of the orbis terrarum Romanus , and received it into his tents. Moreover it is true of the blessing and curse of Noah, as of all prophetic utterances, that they are fulfilled with regard to the nations and families in question as a whole, but do not predict, like an irresistible fate, the unalterable destiny of every individual; on the contrary, they leave room for freedom of personal decision, and no more cut off the individuals in the accursed race from the possibility of conversion, or close the way of salvation against the penitent, than they secure the individuals of the family blessed against the possibility of falling from a state of grace, and actually losing the blessing. Hence, whilst a Rahab and an Araunah were received into the fellowship of Jehovah , and the Canaanitish woman was relieved by the Lord because of her faith, the hardened Pharisees and scribes had woes pronounced upon them, and Israel was rejected because of its unbelief.
In Genesis 9:28, Genesis 9:29, the history of Noah is brought to a close, with the account of his age, and of his death.