Genesis 9:20-23
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The verse doesn't just say Noah became a farmer; it emphasizes he "began" this work and "planted" a vineyard. This highlights that after the cataclysmic flood and the survival of humanity, Noah was actively and intentionally re-establishing civilization, one plant at a time, marking a crucial step in humanity's return to living on and cultivating the earth.
Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Following God's covenant and command to repopulate the earth after the flood, Noah begins to re-establish himself as a farmer, planting a vineyard. This seemingly simple act leads to a shocking incident where Noah gets drunk and is found naked by his son Ham, setting the stage for Noah's prophetic curses and blessings upon his descendants.
After the monumental task of building the ark and surviving the flood, Noah returned to the land. What does it mean that he 'began' to be a man of the soil and planted a vineyard?
The phrase "began to be" doesn't necessarily mean this was Noah's first time farming. Rather, it signifies a recommitment to his pre-flood occupation after the catastrophic interruption of the flood. He was "a man of the earth" (or "soil"), and this was his essential role. Planting a vineyard was a new venture, likely a long-term investment in the post-flood world. It suggests a deliberate effort to cultivate, to bring order, and to re-establish the rhythms of life and sustenance on the renewed earth.
Noah planted a vineyard, and the story immediately pivots to his intoxication. What does this jarring transition reveal about human nature, even after divine rescue?
This passage marks a sobering reality: even those saved by God's grace are still susceptible to sin. Noah, the 'man of the soil,' cultivated the vine, a gift from God that brings joy and sustenance. However, his lack of familiarity with its potent effects led to his first recorded instance of drunkenness. This isn't to condemn Noah, but to highlight that even the righteous are imperfect and can fall. The text, with its characteristic honesty, doesn't hide this fall, teaching us about the pervasive nature of sin and the constant need for dependence on God's grace, not just for salvation, but for daily living.
Understand the original words
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ish adamah · Hebrew Noun phrase
Literally 'man of the ground/earth'; suggests a person whose life and labor are deeply connected to tilling, cultivation, and the stewardship of creation.
yayin · Hebrew Noun
A fermented beverage, typically from grapes, used throughout Scripture for both celebration and, when misused, as a source of intoxication and moral vulnerability.
shakar · Hebrew Verb
A state of intoxication resulting from the consumption of strong drink, often associated in Scripture with a loss of self-control, vulnerability, and moral failure.
ervah · Hebrew Noun
An idiom in Scripture often referring to sexual indecency, immorality, or the exposure of one's private shame; it implies a violation of relational boundaries.
ohel · Hebrew Noun
A portable covering used for shelter or a tent; in this context, it represents a private space for rest or, tragically, a place where vulnerability is exposed.
simlah · Hebrew Noun
An item of clothing used for covering; in this context, it symbolizes the act of restoring dignity, providing protection, or showing respect to one in a vulnerable state.
This verse marks the beginning of humanity's renewed relationship with the land after the flood. It shows Noah, a patriarch chosen by God, re-engaging with basic agriculture, but also highlights the human capacity for sin and the complexities that would arise within his family as they began to repopulate the earth.
c. 2950 BC
The Great Flood
A catastrophic flood sent by God to cleanse the earth of wickedness. Noah, his family, and pairs of animals survive in an ark.
c. 2950 BC
New Beginning and Covenant
After the flood, God blesses Noah and his family, commanding them to multiply and replenish the earth. He establishes a covenant with all living creatures, symbolized by the rainbow, promising never again to destroy the earth with a flood.
Post-Flood Era— this verse
Noah Cultivates the Land
Noah, a 'man of the soil,' begins to farm again and plants a vineyard, marking a return to settled agricultural life after the flood.
Post-Flood Era
Noah's Drunkenness and Curse
Noah becomes drunk and is found naked in his tent. His son Ham disrespects him, leading Noah to prophesy a curse upon Canaan, Ham's son, and blessings upon his other sons, Shem and Japheth.
Post-Flood Era
Noah's Death
Noah lives for 350 years after the flood, a total of 950 years, seeing the early repopulation of the earth by his descendants.
This passage reflects on the fruits of human labor and possession, similar to Noah's planting of a vineyard, questioning the ultimate purpose and lasting value of earthly endeavors.
Proverbs 20:1This verse directly warns against the dangers of wine and strong drink, highlighting the very sin Noah fell into after planting his vineyard.
Galatians 5:19-21This passage lists 'drunkenness' as a work of the flesh, contrasting with the fruit of the Spirit and underscoring the destructive consequences of such behavior, exemplified by Noah's experience.
1 Timothy 3:2-3This passage describes the qualifications for leaders in the church, including not being a drunkard, which implicitly speaks to the seriousness of Noah's lapse after engaging in agriculture.
gillGenesis 9:20: "And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:"
And Noah began to be an husbandman,.... Or "a man of the earth" (c), not lord of it, as Jarchi, though he was, but a tiller of the earth, as he had been before the flood, and now began to be again; he returned to his old employment, and which perhaps he improved, having invented, as the Jews (d) say, instruments of husbandry; it may be, the use of the plough, which made the tillage of the ground more easy; he was exp…
calvinGenesis 9:1-29: "And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth."
And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
Et timor vester et pavor vester erit super omnem bestiam terrae, et super omne volatile coeli, cum omnibus quae gradiuntur in terra, et omnibus pi…
The verse doesn't just say Noah became a farmer; it emphasizes he "began" this work and "planted" a vineyard. This highlights that after the cataclysmic flood and the survival of humanity, Noah was actively and intentionally re-establishing civilization, one plant at a time, marking a crucial step in humanity's return to living on and cultivating the earth.
Following God's covenant and command to repopulate the earth after the flood, Noah begins to re-establish himself as a farmer, planting a vineyard. This seemingly simple act leads to a shocking incident where Noah gets drunk and is found naked by his son Ham, setting the stage for Noah's prophetic curses and blessings upon his descendants.
Following God's covenant and command to repopulate the earth after the flood, Noah begins to re-establish himself as a farmer, planting a vineyard. This seemingly simple act leads to a shocking incident where Noah gets drunk and is found naked by his son Ham, setting the stage for Noah's prophetic curses and blessings upon his descendants.
"Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem…" — The verse doesn't just say Noah became a farmer; it emphasizes he "began" this work and "planted" a vineyard. This highlights that after the cataclysmic flood and the survival of humanity, Noah was a…
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Last reviewed October 2026
