Genesis 9:21

Hebrew Bible

19 These were the three sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated. 20 Noah, a man of the soil, began to plant a vineyard. 21 When he drank some of the wine, he got drunk and uncovered himself inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers who were outside. 23 Shem and Japheth took the garment and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.

Lamentations 4:21

Hebrew Bible

19 ק (Qof) Those who pursued us were swifter than eagles in the sky. They chased us over the mountains; they ambushed us in the wilderness. 20 ר (Resh) Our very life breath—the Lord’s anointed king—was caught in their traps, of whom we thought, “Under his protection we will survive among the nations.” 21 ש (Shin) Rejoice and be glad for now, O people of Edom, who reside in the land of Uz. But the cup of judgment will pass to you also; you will get drunk and take off your clothes. 22 ת (Tav) O people of Zion, your punishment will come to an end; he will not prolong your exile. But, O people of Edom, he will punish your sin and reveal your offenses!

 Notes and References

"... The strange story of Noah’s drunkenness, nakedness, and curse of his grandson, Canaan (Gen 9:18-29), often strikes readers as patently unjust. Therefore, a great diversity of interpreters have endeavored to clarify the putatively veiled justice of this story. However, I argue that this strange Israelite narrative engineered to denigrate their Canaanite rivals was, in fact, constructed with an explicitly unjust curse that fits coherently into the overall literary framework of the primeval history (Gen 1-11) ..."

Reed, Justin M. The Injustice of Noah's Curse and the Presumption of Canaanite Guilt: A New Reading of Genesis 9:18-29 (pp. 101-103) Princeton Theological Seminary, 2020


"... In Genesis 9, Noah, “the man of the ground”, plants a vineyard in that ground, produces wine, and gets drunk on it (Genesis 9:20–21). Much as other parts of the non-P primeval history associate names of major characters with their role vis-à-vis humanity, so also Genesis 5:29 and 9:20–21 associate Noah’s name (חנ) with the comfort that he provided humanity through inebriating wine. Yet it should be emphasized that the overall story in Genesis 9:20–27 only briefly anticipates the comfort of wine before concretely illustrating its potential pitfalls (9:21–25). In particular, Genesis 9:21b depicts the risk of sexual shame through drunken nakedness that is noted in some other biblical texts (see Habakkuk 2:15; Lamentations 4:21) and is grounded in a broader ancient Near Eastern linking of alcohol and sex ..."

Carr, David McLain The Formation of Genesis 1-11: Biblical and Other Precursors (p. 116) Oxford University Press, 2020


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