Genesis 9:22
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The verse subtly highlights that Ham didn't just see his father's nakedness, but he told his brothers. This detail shifts the focus from an accidental glance to a deliberate act of mockery, revealing a heart that delighted in his father's shame rather than showing filial respect.
Following the great flood, God established a covenant with Noah and his sons, promising never to destroy the earth with water again. Noah, after planting a vineyard, became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. His son Ham saw Noah's nakedness and, instead of covering him or ignoring it, went and told his brothers.
We often think of sin as a specific action. But the Bible shows us that sin also lives in our attitude and our enjoyment of wrong.
The text highlights that Ham's offense wasn't merely seeing his father's nakedness. While seeing it might have been accidental, the turning point was his internal response and subsequent action.
Ham's actions went beyond a simple familial breach. They struck at the very foundations of respect and the order God established.
The gravity of Ham's sin is amplified by the context of his family and God's established order:
Understand the original words
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.
This event, occurring shortly after humanity's repopulation of the earth, sets a tone for the descendants of Noah's sons, with Ham's disrespect leading to a curse on his lineage, while Shem and Japheth receive blessings.
c. 3000 BC
Noah's Family Survives the Great Flood
Following a global flood, Noah's family (his three sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives) are the sole human survivors, tasked by God to repopulate the Earth.
c. 3000 BC
Noah Plants a Vineyard
After the flood, Noah becomes a farmer and plants a vineyard, leading to his intoxication and subsequent exposure within his tent.
c. 3000 BC— this verse
Ham Sees Noah's Nakedness
Ham, the father of Canaan, sees Noah naked and instead of covering him, tells his brothers, Shem and Japheth, in a way that implies mockery or contempt.
c. 3000 BC
Shem and Japheth Cover Noah
Shem and Japheth act with filial piety and modesty, walking backward with a garment to cover their father without looking upon his nakedness.
This proverb speaks about honoring your father and mother, a principle that Ham directly violated through his disrespectful actions towards Noah.
Leviticus 18:7This passage directly prohibits uncovering the nakedness of a father, highlighting the seriousness of the sin Ham committed, even if it was not fully consummated.
Proverbs 20:20This proverb warns against cursing one's parents, a principle that Ham's actions foreshadowed and which led to a curse upon his descendant Canaan.
Galatians 5:19Ham's actions could be seen as a manifestation of 'enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, divisions, envy,' and other 'works of the flesh,' contrasting with the fruit of the Spirit.
1 Peter 2:16This verse urges believers to live as free people but not to use their freedom as a cover for evil. Ham's actions, especially if he took pleasure in or mocked his father's state, could be seen as an abuse of his freedom.
gillGenesis 9:22: "And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without."
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father,.... Which, had it been through surprise, and at an unawares, would not have been thought criminal; but be went into his father's tent, where he ought not to have entered; he looked with pleasure and delight on his father's nakedness: Ham is represented by many writers as a very wicked, immodest, and profligate creature…
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 subtly highlights that Ham didn't just see his father's nakedness, but he told his brothers. This detail shifts the focus from an accidental glance to a deliberate act of mockery, revealing a heart that delighted in his father's shame rather than showing filial respect.
Following the great flood, God established a covenant with Noah and his sons, promising never to destroy the earth with water again. Noah, after planting a vineyard, became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. His son Ham saw Noah's nakedness and, instead of covering him or ignoring it, went and told his brothers.
Following the great flood, God established a covenant with Noah and his sons, promising never to destroy the earth with water again. Noah, after planting a vineyard, became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. His son Ham saw Noah's nakedness and, instead of covering him or ignoring it, went and told his brothers.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Genesis 9:22 is available in the Sola app.
c. 3000 BC
Noah Prophesies Curses and Blessings
Upon waking and learning of the events, Noah, filled with prophetic insight, curses Canaan (Ham's son) and blesses Shem and Japheth, outlining the future destinies of their descendants.
"And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside." — The verse subtly highlights that Ham didn't just see his father's nakedness, but he told his brothers. This detail shifts the focus from an accidental glance to a deliberate act of mockery, revea…
