Which son did noah curse

This foundational tale would then explain to the readers the reason why the Canaanites had to be subjugated: it was because Noah had already cursed them through their ancestor Ham, whom the narrative describes twice as the father of Canaan.

It is a map, a blueprint to humanity as these ancient writers understood it. Second, beware of the cultural-symbolic nature of the narrative. All of these things may be implicit in the narrative, though the text is not clear about any of them. Still, the text mentions that Ham had done something to Noah and here is where the reader can find room for speculation alongside some of the ideas proposed above.

In the first place, let us say that modesty, even prudery, and shame at nakedness were very much part of ancient Israelite morality. No doubt this was partly to distinguish ancient Israel sharply from the surrounding peoples and their pagan idolatrous religions, which probably involved a good deal of nakedness and sexual licence, at least in the eyes of the Israelites. But that prudery applied, not to pre-pubescent children, but especially to adults of a certain social standing, for whom any kind of public nudity gravely compromised their dignity and honor.

This can be seen in Exodus , where the priest must not climb up on the stone altar, lest his nakedness be exposed in so doing. It can also be seen by the many rules and concerns about nakedness in Leviticus 18 and 20, Ezekiel 16 and , etc. In the second place, many Old Testament stories are told in large part to explain why we do and feel certain things today. They are called "aetiological" stories.

To take just one of many examples, a child might ask, "Why do we wear clothes? Finally, how does all this apply to Noah and his sons? And so he took his anger out on the son who had actually seen him naked. So to explain why both the Hamite Egyptians and the Canaanites were accursed as they obviously were, being Israel's sometime enemies , and how the Canaanites were allowed to survive but only as the slaves of the Israelites "hewers of wood and drawers of water" [Joshua , 23, 27] , the ancient author had to tell how the patriarch Noah had cursed both Canaan directly and his father Ham indirectly.

Thus we see how, in very many of these stories, it is not very useful to insist too much on the question of whether or not they are literally true. Rather, we must make allowances for the storyteller's art. For without the great poetic art of those who shaped and re-shaped, told and re-told these stories, generation after generation, these stories would not have survived to our day, no matter how literally true they might have been. This story is an etiology an origin story that explains why the Israelites were able to take over the land and suppress the Canaanites.

Instead, he tells his brothers thereby shaming him. Likely the story was told in two versions, one where Canaan is the one who sees his grandfather naked or does something to him and one where Ham sees his father naked.

The story conflates the two and is inconsistent in carrying forth the name of the guilty party. The reason for the story, however, is to state that the Canaanites are a cursed people because their eponymous ancestor, Canaan, was cursed.

He is taking out his anger at himself on someone else. This is a psychological explanation, not a theological one. But it reflects how a lot of us react.

Associating nakedness with shame is not universal. Notions of what is shameful is culturally determined; it is not inborn. Some traditional people living in hot humid climates were mostly and sometimes completely naked and felt no shame until other people imposed their cultural notions upon them.

The story reflects the cultures of the ancient Near East that frowned upon nakedness. There are many places in the Bible where nakedness whether of people or the land are viewed negatively. There are a few places in the Bible where one would expect a statement of shame in connection to nakedness where none is found. When David sees Bathsheba bathing, there is nothing in the story that suggests that is shameful.

When the prophet confronts David, it is because David took someone who belonged to someone else Bathsheba but there is no statement connecting his sin with nakedness or seeing nakedness. The Song of Songs describes naked human bodies without a sense of shame. The Adam and Eve story is humorous.

They are naked but they do not know it. When their eyes are opened, they see that they are naked and they are ashamed. Why should they care? They are husband and wife and no one else is around.

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?

Furthermore, what was the sin of Ham that caused Noah to curse the descendants of Ham? Why was the punishment so severe? Sin Of Ham Many explanations have been offered as to the exact nature of the sin of Ham, and the harsh punishment that was placed upon Canaan.

The event may give only a brief outline of a more sinister episode. Castration Some argue that Ham castrated Noah-which showed why Noah had no other sons. This crime would, of course, warrant the punishment. Incest Others believe it was a case of incest. Ham slept with his own mother thus uncovering his father's nakedness. Canaan, it is argued was the offspring of that union.

Activity Still others contend that there was some activity between Ham and Noah. However the Hebrew makes it clear that Noah uncovered himself and that Ham saw that nakedness that was uncovered. Ham did not cover him up but rather made fun of him. Many commentators have had problems with the punishment being so severe if simple ridicule is in involved. Shameful Act In the ancient world merely seeing one's father naked was a highly offensive act. The father's position as moral and spiritual head would be held in disrepute and the family unit would suffer as a result of this.

The culture in which this event occurred considered it a capital crime for a child to strike their father. It seems that Ham innocently came upon his father after he had uncovered himself in a drunken stupor. The sin of Ham, therefore, is that he told his brothers of what he had seen. In doing so, it brought shame to the entire family.

It is also possible that Ham tried to seize the leadership of the family at this juncture. Descendants Punished Many commentators believe that the curse of Ham was not pronounced immediately after the event but at the end of Noah's life. However, the natural reading of the text has the curse occurring directly after Noah realized what had happened. The act of Ham could not go unpunished. Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy. Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah. Yom Kippur Yom Kippur. Sukkot Sukkot.

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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.