Gen 9:18-27 | TNotes | STEP | 9:18 Ham is the father of Canaan: See also 9:20-27 ; 10:6-20 . The text emphasizes Canaan’s ancestral connection to Ham to show that the Canaanite identity was inseparably linked to Ham’s shameful behavior (9:20-27 ). The citizens of both Egypt (from which Israel escaped slavery) and Canaan (to which Israel was headed) were Ham’s descendants (10:6 ; see Lev 18:3 , 24-26 ; Pss 105:23 , 27 ; 106:22 ). Later stories in Genesis emphasize the immoral climate of both Egypt (Gen 12:10-20 ) and Canaan (34:1-31 ; 38:1-30 ). See 9:20-27 and 10:6-20 .

9:18 ^a Ham is the father of Canaan: See also 9:20-27 ^b; 10:6-20 ^c. The text emphasizes Canaan’s ancestral connection to Ham to show that the Canaanite identity was inseparably linked to Ham’s shameful behavior (9:20-27 ^d). The citizens of both Egypt (from which Israel escaped slavery) and Canaan (to which Israel was headed) were Ham’s descendants (10:6 ^e; see Lev 18:3 ^f, 24-26 ^g; Pss 105:23 ^h, 27 ⁱ; 106:22 ^j). Later stories in Genesis emphasize the immoral climate of both Egypt (Gen 12:10-20 ^k) and Canaan (34:1-31 ^l; 38:1-30 ^m). See 9:20-27 ⁿ and 10:6-20 ^o.
Summary for Gen 9:20-27: 9:20-27 ^p The story of Noah begins with him walking in righteousness and obeying the Lord (6:9 ^q), but it ends with him lying drunk and naked in his tent and then delivering a curse on Canaan. Even after the great flood, the human race exhibited some of the same sinful characteristics that warranted the judgment in the first place. Special attention is given to the cursed origin of the Canaanites, the corrupt and idolatrous people Israel would later displace from the Promised Land (see also 15:16 ^r and study note; Lev 18:3 ^s; 20:23 ^t).
9:21 ^u wine ... became drunk: Wine is a gift from God (Deut 14:26 ^v; Ps 104:15 ^w; Isa 55:1 ^x; see Luke 22:14-20 ^y; John 2:1-11 ^z). Scripture is clear, however, that excessive consumption of alcohol is a perilous sin (Prov 23:20-21 ^aa, 29-35 ^ab; 1 Cor 6:10 ^ac).
9:22 ^ad the father of Canaan: See study note on 9:18.

• Ham’s behavior was shameful. He gazed upon his naked father and, rather than covering him and keeping the matter secret, robbed him of his dignity by announcing it to his brothers (see Exod 21:15 ^ae, 17 ^af; Lam 4:21 ^ag; Hab 2:15 ^ah). An ancient Near Eastern tale says that a son is expected to come to his father’s aid when he is drunk (Tale of Aqhat; cp. Isa 51:17-18 ^ai). Ham’s neglect of familial duty explains why Noah praised Shem and Japheth but cursed Ham (Gen 9:24-27 ^aj).
9:25 ^ak Then he cursed Canaan: Noah foresaw Ham’s actions as morally representative of Ham’s descendants through Canaan.
9:26 ^al Noah refers to God as the Lord, who formed the covenant with Israel. Shem was the privileged forefather of the Israelites (see 10:21-32 ^am).
9:27 ^an May Japheth share the prosperity of Shem: Japheth’s descendants would live among Shem’s descendants and share Shem’s prosperity (cp. Rom 11:17-18 ^ao).

Thematic note: Retribution
God gave humans the commission of procreating and caring for the world (Gen 1:28 ^ap). But as humanity multiplied, spiritual wickedness, violence, and murder also multiplied (4:8 ^aq, 23 ^ar; 6:5 ^as, 11-13 ^at), resulting in a corrupt world that required cleansing.
The purpose of the Flood was to enact God’s global cleansing and retribution against evildoers. Retribution means “giving what is due” and usually refers to recompense for wrongdoing. Retribution is motivated by the conviction that moral order is woven into the fabric of the world and must be maintained or restored (see Ps 7:14-16 ^au; Prov 11:17-21 ^av; 26:27 ^aw).
God maintains moral order by meting out justice, punishing wickedness, and rewarding right behavior (Gal 6:7-8 ^ax). Since God oversees the world, it is never entirely overwhelmed by moral chaos; God holds people accountable for what they do. The judgment and exile of Adam and Eve (Gen 3:8-24 ^ay), Cain’s sentence (4:10-15 ^az), and the worldwide flood and annihilation (chs 6–7 ^ba) are examples of God’s retribution. These events reveal a sovereign God who exacts just punishment in the context of his good intentions for the world (see also Num 16 ^bb; Deut 30:15-20 ^bc; Josh 7 ^bd; Mic 2:1-3 ^be).
Retribution is an application of God’s righteousness; it purifies the world for his kingdom of peace. Through retribution, the divine King proclaims his universal rule and exercises his justice on all who reject his rule or defy his commands (Deut 7:10 ^bf; Ps 149 ^bg; Prov 15:25 ^bh; Mic 5:15 ^bi; 1 Cor 16:22 ^bj; Gal 1:8-9 ^bk; 2 Thes 1:5-10 ^bl).
For God’s people, retribution serves as his discipline. It is intended to restore covenant fellowship with him (see Isa 44:22 ^bm; Jer 3:12-14 ^bn; Lam 3:19-33 ^bo; Hos 14:1-2 ^bp; Joel 2:12-13 ^bq; see also Heb 12:5-11 ^br). When God’s people experience his chastening, they can respond in hope because God’s truth and righteousness will triumph (Ps 58:10-11 ^bs), and God will redeem and restore his people who trust in him (Lev 26:40-45 ^bt; Hos 2:2-23 ^bu).

Passages for Further Study
Gen 6:1–7:24 ^bv; Lev 26:14-39 ^bw; Ps 7:6-17 ^bx; 57:6 ^by; 95:8-11 ^bz; Prov 6:27-35 ^ca; 26:27 ^cb; Mic 2:1-3 ^cc; Rom 2:5-16 ^cd; Gal 6:7-8 ^ce; Heb 10:26-31 ^cf; 12:5-11 ^cg, 25-29 ^ch