Genesis 9:26 kjv
And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
Genesis 9:26 nkjv
And he said: "Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem, And may Canaan be his servant.
Genesis 9:26 niv
He also said, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
Genesis 9:26 esv
He also said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.
Genesis 9:26 nlt
Then Noah said, "May the LORD, the God of Shem, be blessed,
and may Canaan be his servant!
Genesis 9 26 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 9:27 | God enlarge Japheth, and he dwell in the tents of Shem, and Canaan shall be his servant. | Continuation of Noah's prophecy, bringing Japheth into Shem's spiritual sphere. |
| Gen 10:6 | The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. | Lists Canaan as one of Ham's sons, establishing the cursed lineage. |
| Gen 12:1-3 | I will make of you a great nation... and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. | God's covenant with Abraham, a descendant of Shem, fulfilling the blessing associated with "the God of Shem." |
| Gen 13:7 | The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. | Describes Canaanites as inhabitants of the promised land, foreshadowing future conflict with Shem's descendants. |
| Gen 15:16 | For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. | Indicates God's foreknowledge and patience regarding the eventual judgment and displacement of Canaanite peoples. |
| Exod 3:6 | I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. | Reiteration of God's covenant identity linked specifically to the lineage of Shem through Abraham. |
| Lev 25:44-46 | Both your male and female slaves which you have from the nations around you... of them you may buy male and female slaves. | God's law regarding foreign slaves for Israel, aligning with the prophetic servitude of Canaanites. |
| Num 13:27-29 | Indeed the land flows with milk and honey... Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong... Amalekites dwell in the land of the South, and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites dwell in the mountains, and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the bank of the Jordan. | Confirms the strong presence of Canaanite groups in the promised land before the conquest. |
| Num 33:50-56 | When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land... and utterly destroy all their carved images... | Divine command for Israel (Shem's descendants) to dispossess the Canaanites. |
| Deut 20:16-18 | You shall let nothing that breathes remain alive, but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite... as the LORD your God has commanded you. | Strong command for Israel to eradicate Canaanite influence, seen as a spiritual cleansing. |
| Josh 9:23 | So now you are cursed, and shall be from now on woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God. | Fulfillment of the curse of servitude, specifically upon the Gibeonites (a Canaanite group) by Joshua. |
| Judg 1:28 | When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, and did not drive them out completely. | Another example of Canaanite servitude to Israel as they gained strength. |
| 1 Kgs 9:20-21 | All the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites... those whom the children of Israel could not completely destroy—from them Solomon raised forced labor gangs, as it is to this day. | Historical fulfillment under King Solomon, showing lasting servitude. |
| Ps 103:1-2 | Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits. | Direct echoes of the imperative to "Blessed be the LORD." |
| Ps 78:67-68 | Moreover, He rejected the tent of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim, But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved. | Points to God's specific election within Shem's lineage (Judah), foreshadowing Christ's line. |
| Isa 2:2-3 | Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established on the top of the mountains... and all nations shall flow to it. | The spiritual blessings through Shem's line extend to all nations, fulfilling the universal blessing. |
| Zech 14:21 | Indeed every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the LORD of hosts. So there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts in that day. | Prophetic promise of the ultimate spiritual triumph over "Canaanite" influence and idolatry in God's holy dwelling. |
| Rom 9:4-5 | They are Israelites, to whom belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came. | Highlights the privileges and lineage of Israel (descendants of Shem) through whom God's plan unfolds. |
| Gal 3:8-9 | And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed." | Connects the Abrahamic blessing (from Shem's line) directly to the salvation of Gentiles through faith, fulfilling the broadest scope of blessing. |
| Luke 3:36 | ...the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech... | Genealogy of Jesus tracing back to Shem, reinforcing the Messianic line through the blessed lineage. |
| John 4:22 | You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. | A New Testament affirmation of salvation coming through the lineage chosen by the God of Shem. |
Genesis 9 verses
Genesis 9 26 Meaning
Genesis 9:26 records Noah's prophetic utterance after his son Ham disgraced him. Instead of cursing Ham directly, Noah curses Ham's son, Canaan, prophesying his servitude to his brothers. Simultaneously, Noah blesses the LORD, the God who uniquely identifies with Shem, implicitly acknowledging Shem's chosen status as the spiritual progenitor of humanity's divine connection. This verse marks the beginning of distinct destinies for the post-flood lineages, foreshadowing future geopolitical and spiritual realities, particularly concerning Israel's (descendants of Shem) relationship with the Canaanites (descendants of Ham through Canaan).
Genesis 9 26 Context
Genesis chapter 9 recounts events immediately following the flood. Noah, now the patriarch of renewed humanity, plants a vineyard, gets drunk, and lies exposed in his tent. His son Ham "sees his father's nakedness" – an act interpreted as deeply disrespectful, likely mocking or violating a boundary. In contrast, Shem and Japheth cover their father respectfully without looking. Upon awakening and discerning what Ham had done, Noah, under divine inspiration, issues a prophetic blessing upon Shem and Japheth and a curse upon Canaan, Ham's son. This verse, Gen 9:26, is the first part of this tripartite prophetic utterance, focusing on the blessing connected to Shem and the curse of servitude on Canaan. It is foundational for understanding the subsequent biblical narrative concerning the special relationship between God and Israel (Shem's descendants) and the eventual conflict with the Canaanites.
Genesis 9 26 Word analysis
- He also said: This indicates Noah as the speaker. His words are not merely personal wishes but a prophetic pronouncement, carrying divine authority concerning the future destinies of nations.
- Blessed be the LORD:
- Blessed: Hebrew Baruch (בָּרוּךְ). Implies praise, glory, or an acknowledgment of God's sovereign goodness. It is an act of adoration directed towards God. This phrase contrasts sharply with the disrespect Ham showed.
- LORD: Hebrew YHWH (יְהוָה), the divine covenant name of God, revealing His personal, unchanging, and redemptive nature. Noah uses God's special, covenant name, showing a distinct relationship, differentiating the true God from any future pagan deities.
- the God of Shem:
- God: Hebrew Elohim (אֱלֹהִים), the generic term for deity, often used with Yahweh.
- of Shem: (שֵׁם, "name," "renown"). This phrase signifies a unique spiritual relationship. God aligns Himself specifically with Shem and his descendants. It means Yahweh will be known, worshipped, and work His purposes primarily through the lineage of Shem, carrying the spiritual torch of humanity. This indicates a divine election, not necessarily favoring Shem personally over Japheth, but identifying his lineage as the primary channel for covenant revelation and ultimately, salvation.
- and Canaan shall be his servant:
- Canaan: (כְּנַעַן). Ham's son, whose descendants populated the land promised to Israel. The curse falls on Canaan, not directly on Ham, possibly highlighting the intergenerational consequences of sin, and providing the framework for the future interaction between Israel and the Canaanites.
- shall be: A prophetic future tense, a definitive declaration of what will come to pass.
- his servant: Hebrew ebed (עֶבֶד), meaning "slave" or "servant." This prophecy foretells the eventual subjugation and servitude of the Canaanite people to the descendants of Shem (Israel), historically fulfilled in the conquest of Canaan and subsequent forced labor. It marks a clear distinction between the blessed spiritual line and the cursed line of servitude.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem: This declaration serves as a statement of profound theological truth. It proclaims the divine choice of a particular lineage, that of Shem, as the primary vessel for divine revelation and worship of Yahweh. It foreshadows the unique covenant relationship God will establish with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – all descendants of Shem – and subsequently with the nation of Israel. This choice is rooted in God's sovereignty, demonstrating that spiritual inheritance and favor flow through God's specific election. This part of the prophecy is essentially a blessing directed towards God for His relationship with Shem.
- and Canaan shall be his servant: This segment articulates the consequence of Ham's disrespectful act and the future destiny of the Canaanite nations. It prophetically condemns Canaan's descendants to a state of subservience. This statement provided a divine mandate and justification for Israel's later conquest of the land of Canaan and the subjugation or expulsion of its idolatrous inhabitants. It's not a universal curse on all of Ham's descendants, but specifically targets Canaan's line, tying it to a role of servitude, a concept deeply ingrained in the biblical narrative of Israel's conquest and interaction with the people groups inhabiting the promised land.
Genesis 9 26 Bonus section
- The prophetic nature of Noah's words here extends beyond mere human prediction; they are a divine declaration of the future, setting the stage for major themes of divine election, land promises, and conflict throughout the Old Testament.
- The use of YHWH (LORD) for the God of Shem is highly significant. While Elohim is a general term for God, YHWH specifically points to the covenant-making, redemptive God, distinguishing Him from pagan deities that the Canaanites would worship. This emphasizes that the true knowledge of God would reside with Shem's descendants.
- The curse on Canaan specifically (rather than Ham directly) might reflect that while Ham committed the sin, the consequence manifests in his offspring who would become known for their pervasive wickedness, particularly their idolatry and immorality, which later necessitated their expulsion from the land by Israel (Lev 18, Deut 18).
- The later biblical emphasis on the destruction or servitude of the Canaanites demonstrates a spiritual conflict as much as a territorial one. The Canaanites represented idolatry and wickedness, while the descendants of Shem (Israel) were meant to be the custodians of Yahweh's truth.
- This passage has sometimes been erroneously used to justify slavery or racism. However, such interpretations grossly misrepresent the biblical context. The curse is specific to Canaan and his descendants, tied to their historical wickedness, and is not a justification for general subjugation of any specific ethnicity outside of this historical context of divine judgment. The blessing ultimately passes through Shem's line to all nations through Abraham, counteracting any notion of exclusive ethnic favoritism (Gal 3:8-9).
Genesis 9 26 Commentary
Genesis 9:26 is a pivotal prophetic utterance shaping the destiny of the post-flood world. Noah, inspired by God, acknowledges the profound significance of Shem's righteous action, contrasting it with Ham's sin. By declaring, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem," Noah not only blesses God but also highlights a special, redemptive relationship between the true God, Yahweh, and the lineage of Shem. This sets the stage for God's covenant with Abraham, through whom the chosen people (Israel) would descend, and ultimately, the Messiah. It establishes Shem's line as the spiritual beacon. The subsequent curse on Canaan, Ham's son, foreshadows the eventual subjugation of the Canaanite peoples by the Israelites, historically culminating in the conquest of the Promised Land. This verse does not justify racial superiority but establishes divine providence in the shaping of nations and highlights the consequences of respecting or disrespecting divine order. It reveals that God's plan for humanity's salvation would primarily unfold through the descendants of Shem.