Gen 9:26-27 | TNotes | STEP | 9:26 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 ).

9:26 ^a 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 ^b).
9:27 ^c 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 ^d).

Thematic note: Retribution
God gave humans the commission of procreating and caring for the world (Gen 1:28 ^e). But as humanity multiplied, spiritual wickedness, violence, and murder also multiplied (4:8 ^f, 23 ^g; 6:5 ^h, 11-13 ⁱ), 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 ^j; Prov 11:17-21 ^k; 26:27 ^l).
God maintains moral order by meting out justice, punishing wickedness, and rewarding right behavior (Gal 6:7-8 ^m). 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 ⁿ), Cain’s sentence (4:10-15 ^o), and the worldwide flood and annihilation (chs 6–7 ^p) 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 ^q; Deut 30:15-20 ^r; Josh 7 ^s; Mic 2:1-3 ^t).
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 ^u; Ps 149 ^v; Prov 15:25 ^w; Mic 5:15 ^x; 1 Cor 16:22 ^y; Gal 1:8-9 ^z; 2 Thes 1:5-10 ^aa).
For God’s people, retribution serves as his discipline. It is intended to restore covenant fellowship with him (see Isa 44:22 ^ab; Jer 3:12-14 ^ac; Lam 3:19-33 ^ad; Hos 14:1-2 ^ae; Joel 2:12-13 ^af; see also Heb 12:5-11 ^ag). When God’s people experience his chastening, they can respond in hope because God’s truth and righteousness will triumph (Ps 58:10-11 ^ah), and God will redeem and restore his people who trust in him (Lev 26:40-45 ^ai; Hos 2:2-23 ^aj).

Passages for Further Study
Gen 6:1–7:24 ^ak; Lev 26:14-39 ^al; Ps 7:6-17 ^am; 57:6 ^an; 95:8-11 ^ao; Prov 6:27-35 ^ap; 26:27 ^aq; Mic 2:1-3 ^ar; Rom 2:5-16 ^as; Gal 6:7-8 ^at; Heb 10:26-31 ^au; 12:5-11 ^av, 25-29 ^aw