Why noah cursed ham

Uncovering nakedness elsewhere suggests sexual intercourse and or promiscuity see Leviticus Note that in Genesis 19, Lots daughters intentionally get their father drunk so that they can have sex with him. Again, these proposals can only be informed speculations. A couple of extra points worth noting: God has no input in this story God is cited in the curses, but does not actively speak or curse "him"self ; drunkeness itself is not regarded as a sin--Noah may be vulnerable because he is drunk, but he is not treated as wicked on this account.

Japeth is to "live in the tents" of Shem Shem being the ancestor of the Israelites , which suggests that Jepheth's descendents are to be in some way dependent on the hospitality or working in league with Shem's.

After disembarking from the ark, Genesis reports, Noah planted a vineyard, drank some of the wine, and became drunk. Shem and Japheth, the two righteous brothers, then entered the tent to intervene.

Like their ancestor Ham, they are beyond redemption. This is a good question: such behavior hardly seems offensive, at least initially. Interpreters have been troubled by this odd passage for centuries, offering various solutions, some of which blame Noah as well as Ham and, by extension, Canaan.

According to the vast majority of interpretations, some sort of sexual indiscretion must have been in view. Since Ham made it impossible for his father to beget further sons, Noah appropriately denied him future sons, making Canaan and all his descendants into slaves rather than free men, who would be capable of passing on their property to others.

Alternatively, the rabbis reasoned, perhaps Ham sexually abused his father and did not castrate him, though they were not sure why this behavior would result in the curse of Canaan. Late ancient Christians offered a very different set of interpretations. Reluctant to imagine that Noah, a savior like Christ, had been raped or castrated, Christian interpreters offered comparatively mild interpretations of this passage.

Still, they were also convinced that Ham—and by extension his son Canaan—were wicked and deserved the harsh punishment they received. Contemporary readers are more often persuaded by the theory that Ham sexually abused his father. From the perspective of Genesis, they argue, Ham must have engaged in incest.

Leviticus states:. None of you shall approach anyone near of kin to uncover nakedness: I am the Lord. Influenced by Leviticus, perhaps readers of Genesis are to imagine that Ham committed incest with Noah, or even raped him. There is yet another interpretive possibility: perhaps readers are to imagine that Ham engaged in incest not with his father but with his mother. Whichever interpretation is preferred, however, Ham, the legendary son of the primeval patriarch Noah, is depicted in Genesis as engaging in some sort of shaming sexual infraction.

As a result, Genesis suggests, Canaan and his descendants ought to be legitimately enslaved in perpetuity, a claim that would go on to have disastrous consequences when reapplied several centuries later in the context of North American slavery. Aaron, David. Hayes, Stephan. Johnson, Sylvester A. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, Koltun-Fromm, Naomi.

Edited by Judith Frishman and Lucus van Rompey, Leuven: Peeters, Steinmetz, Deborah. Think of the Torah as an account of the transition from the creation of nature, to the creation of culture, to the creation of a Divinely sanctioned political community i. Along the way we have to deal with marriage, sex, property, kinship, inheritance, parent-child obligations, etc.

So this last part of the book of Noah is about boundaries, sexual boundaries, and how they have to be understood and observed, and the disastrous consequences when they are violated. Want to learn more?

Get started with Bible study here. Skip to main content. Make a donation Join our email list Contact us Search. This question references the story in Genesis Does anyone know why Noah is so annoyed when Ham, his son, sees him sleeping naked Noah got drunk and passed out. Asked By:. Reference Only. No Number. No Delimiter — Square — [15]. Parens — Abbreviate Books. Use SBL Abbrev. En dash Hyphen. None — Jhn KJV. Square — [Jhn KJV]. Parens — Jhn KJV. Quotes Around Verses.

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Advanced Options Exact Match. Theological FAQs [? Multi-Verse Retrieval x. En dash not Hyphen. Let's Connect x. Subscribe to our Newsletter. Daily Devotionals x. Daily Bible Reading Plans x. Recently Popular Pages x. Recently Popular Media x. After Noah uncovered himself in his drunken state, Ham saw his father and told his two brothers. And Ham the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his brothers outside.

But Shem and Japeth took a garment, and laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness Genesis , Ham looked upon his father's nakedness but Shem and Japeth did not.

Instead they covered it. Noah awoke from his drunkenness, realized what Ham had done and then proceeded to curse Canaan. Then he said: Cursed be Canaan a servant of servants he shall be to his brethren. May God enlarge Japeth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem and may Canaan by his servant Genesis Several questions arise.

Why did Noah curse Canaan? Was not Ham the one that committed the sin? Shabbat Shabbat. Yom Yerushalayim Yom Yerushalayim. Biblical Criticism. Modern Faith. Morality and Ethics. Medieval Interpretation. Series and Symposia. TABS Blog. Torah in the News. Stay updated with the latest scholarship I would like to receive new essays When published Before Shabbat.

David Frankel Edit article. A new solution to why Canaan not Ham was cursed. Rabbi David Frankel ,. Categories: Noach. National Library of the Netherlands. The lowest of slaves he will be to his brothers. Gen Noah awoke from his drunken stupor and knew what his youngest son had done to him. Gen and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. Lev If a man has sexual intercourse with his sister, whether the daughter of his father or his mother, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace.

They must be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. Gen Shem and Japheth took the garment and placed it on their shoulders. Why Curse Canaan and Not Ham? May Canaan be the slave of Shem! May he live in the tents of Shem and may Canaan be his slave!

Who Were Slaves to Egypt? Gen Then Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. Gen Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, outstanding in dignity, outstanding in power. Published October 18, Last Updated November 11, Previous in the Series.