Bible Study: Genesis

Lesson 7: Genesis 6- 9: The Flood, Part Two

After the Flood, Part 2

7. Noah's curse

a. These statements by Noah occasioned by Ham's sin function as a "last will and testament" (Matthews, 415). As the final words of the patriarchs later in Genesis, Noah's words take on the quality of prophecy, the words are themselves efficacious to bring about what they communicate. As God's words in the previous section apply to human history in general, Noah's words apply to redemptive history in particular (Waltke, 150).

b. The fact that the curse falls on Canaan and not on Ham has occasioned some discussion. The first thing to note is that God has already blessed the three sons and so it is unlikely that he will now curse what he has blessed. Secondly, all of Noah's words apply to the descendants of the three sons. Finally, remembering the original audience, it is not surprising that Canaan is singled out for attention.

c. The curse also assumes the notion of corporate solidarity within a family. That is to say, that the descendants of Ham suffer not so much for simply being born of Ham, but because they are like Ham. The Israelites would look at the offspring of Canaan before them and be able to say like father like son. (Cassuto, 155) "Noah's curse on Canaan thus represents God's sentence on the sins of the Canaanites" (Wenham, 201). Notice Canaan's slavery to the descendants to his brothers is repeated three times. The descendants of Ham would include the Canaanites, Egyptians, Philistines, Assyrians and Babylonians.

d. The Shemites, from whom Israel traced its lineage, were blessed by the presence of God. Shem's descendants stand in special relationship to God. e. The Japhethites are also blessed. They will dwell in the "tents" of Shem presumably partaking of the blessing of God's presence as a result. The descendants of Japheth spread out in the regions of Anatolia and Greece.

f. The fulfillment of these pronouncements are somewhat difficult to pinpoint historically. Walton argues that these pronouncements ought not to be regarded as prophetic but I am persuaded that they are seen to carry some determining force as where the pronouncements of the patriarchs later in Genesis.

i. The servitude of the Canaanites to the descendants of Shem can be seen in the wars of conquest and the Davidic subjugation of the Philistines. Their servitude to Japheth is uncertain.

ii. That God would be the God of Shem is, of course, fulfilled in the choice of Abraham and his descendants to be the vehicle of redemption and the presence of God.

iii. Japheth's dwelling in the tents of Shem is usually taken to indicate some kind of alliance between the two, presumably against Canaan. Suggestions have ranged from situations from early on in Israelite history to post-exilic times. The traditional interpretation sees the coming of the Gentiles to the God of Israel as the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy. While this may not be the primary intended fulfillment, it can nonetheless be seen as a legitimate fulfillment of this predictive pattern.

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