The Strand Study Bible

GENESIS GENESIS Rom 13: 1- 4 and Eccl 8:11 ). Crimes such as murder (Gen 9:6 and Exo 21:12), rape (Deut 22:25-27), kidnapping (Exo 21:16), adultery (Lev 20:10), continual disobedience to civil authorities (Deut 17:12-13), continual dishonoring of parents (Exo 21:15,17 and Lev 20:9), and lack of personal character (Exo 21:28-29) were all dealt with, via the death penalty. Thus, the death penalty appears to be an enduring principle under-girding the sanctity of life. NOTE - God instituted the death penalty long before the Mosaic Law ever came into existence (Exo 21:12,14,20 and Deut 19:11- 13). In fact, for the first 1,600 years of human existence (from the Fall to the Flood) it became evident that if conscience was the only guide then mankind could not live in harmony. 9:13 Although the New Age religion uses the rain bow as one of their symbols, God used it as a token (sign) of His promise (or, covenant) to all of mankind that He would never flood the entire earth again. NOTE – A rain bow , by definition, is a series of colors formed when a beam of light is dispersed so that the rays of the spectrum leave at different angles. Point being: It is impossible to have a rain bow (the promise of God) without that promise being backed up by light. God’s promise to Noah and the rest of humanity was based on the characteristics of light, which finds its fulfillment in CHRIST ( Gen 1:3b , 16 , Isa 42:6 & 49:6, Acts 13:46-48, Psa 27:1, Lk 2:25-32 and Jn 1:1-4). Simply put –no LIGHT (no CHRIST ), no promise. Thus, everything we are promised finds its fulfillment in CHRIST . 9:22 The Pulpit Commentary , in commenting on the phrase “ and told his two brethren without ,” notes: …it is a sure sign of depravity in a child when he mocks at a parent’s infirmities and publishes a parent’s faults. 1 9:24a There are two schools of thought when it comes to this verse. One school of thought believes that when Noah awoke from the effect of his wine, he understood ( knew ) that his younger son (grandson, Canaan – Gen 9:24b ) had seen his nakedness and gawked with amusement. Thus his sin was in ridiculing the father (grandfather) he should have honored. The Liberty Bible Commentary notes: The nature of the sin has occasioned much speculation and controversy. We are told Noah “lay uncovered” ( Hith impf 3ms of galah ) in his tent after he drank of the wine and became drunk. We are only told that Ham saw the nakedness of his father , nothing else. 2 The other school of thought believes that Noah, when he awoke from his wine, “ knew ” (as in sexually knew – Gen 4:1) what his younger son ( Gen 9:24b ) had done unto him. Lawrence O Richards in Bible Reader’s Companion notes: The sin is much debated, as the phrase “uncover the nakedness of” is used of illicit sexual relationships (cf. Lev. 18, KJV) 3 Ellicott’s Bible Commentary notes: Aben Ezra says that Canaan had done worse than mock, though the Scripture does not in words reveal his crime. 4 NOTE – If this was indeed a sexual encounter, in that Noah “knew” that his younger son had touched him in a sexual way that was wrong before God (Gen 19:4-5,15, Lev 18:22 & 20:13, Deut 23:17, Jud 19:22 and Gen 13:13 ), then it would be the first act of homosexuality recorded for us in the Bible. 9:24b Noah’s “ younger son ” here was no doubt his grandson (Canaan), for it is Canaan who is cursed in verse 25, not Ham. Ellicott’s Bible Commentary notes: As “the son, the little one,” was not Ham, so certainly it was not Japheth, but probably it was Canaan. 4 9:25 The “curse” here is not on the Hamites (black people), but on the Canaanites (white people), which inhabited Canaan. Howard F. Vos in Genesis notes: 83

In what happened next, Canaan, Ham’s youngest son, must have had a part. Perhaps he had been the first one to discover his drunken grandfather, and possibly he had made great sport of the whole business as he ran to tell his father about it. Whether Canaan or Ham first saw Noah in his drunken state, Ham “gazed with satisfaction” on Noah according to Leupold’s translation, and then went off to tell his brothers about it “with delight.” 5

The Canaanites long ago became extinct; the curse, therefore, cannot be applied to anyone today. 9:29 The “death” of Noah took place just two years before Abraham was born. 10:1 The fact that all members of the human race can crossbreed proves that the entire human race had a “common ancestry” (Gen 1:26-28).

1 The Pulpit Commentary . Grand Rapids, MI, Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1950, Vol. 1. Print. 2 Falwell, Jerry. Liberty Bible Commentary , Nashville, TN, Thomas Nelson Pub., 1983. Print. 3 Richards, Lawrence O. Bible Reader’s Companion , Colorado Springs, CO, Cook Communications, 1991, 2004. Print. 4 Ellicott, Charles John. Ellicott’s Bible Commentary , Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan, 1971. Print 5 Vos, Howard F. Genesis , Chicago, ILL, Moody Press, 1982. Print.