Reader Questions/Comments

My dad and I were wondering why Noah cursed his son in Genesis 9:20-27 since he just looked at his nakedness? I mean Noah, not his son, was the one who sinned by getting drunk and naked right?

The Netzarim Response

Great question!

Genesis 9: 20 Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and became R215 drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father's nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him. 25 So he said, "Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brothers." 26 He also said, "Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant. 27 "May God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant."

If you'll take a look at that entire passage of Genesis 9:20-27, you'll see that, instead of just covering the nakedness of his father, Ham made a big deal out of it by running outside to tell his brothers. We're not told exactly how things transpired, but he probably went outside laughing and joking and generally making fun of his father, thus breaking the Fifth Commandment. Ham's actions caused his brothers to have to go in to cover their father because they couldn't just let him lay there to be seen by others.

In Biblical times people weren't as "loose" as in our decadent society where nakedness is "cool" and "in" and something to be flaunted. Back then (as it actually SHOULD be now) it was disgusting and shameful for anyone but a spouse to see you naked.

God tells us to honor our mother and father. This means, if they mess up, we are NOT to make fun of them or degrade them behind their backs in any way; we are to discuss with them IN PRIVATE if they've done something shameful so they can get themselves right with God again.

Please note that Noah did not curse his son, Ham; he actually cursed Ham's son! Why would he do that? One answer is: Since Noah's son Ham hurt him, he wanted to cause Ham similar pain....After all, curses are generational:

Exodus 34: 7 "Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting (punishing) the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.">