I started my search on Genesis 9: 24-25 with two simply questions about Canaan’s curse. What was Canaan like, what kind of person was he and did he deserve the curse? I started looking at all the different sites on the internet dealing with Genesis 9:24 and 25. I pulled out 8 sites, each with a different point of view. The last site I looked at had an answer that made sense to me.
The following is a summary of the answers on Canaan’s curse I found on each of the websites.
Answers In Genesis – https://answersingenesis.org/bible-characters/the-curse-of-canaan/
- Canaan’s curse was inspired by God.
- Noah refused to curse Ham since God had already blessed Ham.
- Noah could see that Canaan also possessed the carnal and materialistic nature of Ham and he realized it would only get worse in the coming generations.
Biblical Hermeneutics – Stack Exchange — https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/44304/why-did-noah-curse-canaan-and-not-ham/44310#44310
- Noah pronounced the curse on Canaan instead of Ham because he wanted the curse to extend to Ham’s seed. Why Canaan and not one of Ham’s other sons? Because Canaan was Ham’s favorite.
Got Questions – https://www.gotquestions.org/curse-Ham-Canaan.html
- The wording in Genesis 9:24 suggests that Ham did more than just see Noak’s nakedness. He did something, but just what is unknown.
Jon Courson’s Application Commentary, Old Testament, volume 1, Pg. 51
- The original language makes it clear that his (Noah’s) nakedness was related to immorality of some sort.
The Torah — Noah, Ham and the Curse of Canaan: Who Did What to Whom in the Tent? — https://www.thetorah.com/article/noah-ham-and-the-curse-of-canaan-who-did-what-to-whom-in-the-tent
Prof. Rabbi David Frankel
- As already anticipated by the Rabbis, and suggested by some modern scholars, an earlier version of our story probably related a much more severe crime – the homosexual rape of his father when he was inebriated.
Rashi on Genesis 9:25 — https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Genesis.9.25.1?lang=bi
- Ham brought it about that Noah could not bear a fourth son. (Ham castrated Noah.)
Shlomo Yitzchaki (1040 – 1105), generally known by the acronym Rashi, was a medieval French rabbi, the author of comprehensive commentaries on the Talmud and Hebrew Bible.
Acclaimed for his ability to present the basic meaning of the text in a concise and lucid fashion, Rashi’s commentaries appeal to both learned scholars and beginning students, and his works remain a centerpiece of contemporary Torah study. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashi
Sefaria.org — https://www.sefaria.org/Bereshit_Rabbah.36.5?lang=bi
Bereshit
- Noah was inside his wife’s (oholah) tent. Inside his tent oholo – oholah is written – it was inside his wife’s tent.
- “This one (Noah) has three sons and he seeks to make them four.”
Tanakh vs. Old Testament — https://www.bibleversestudy.com/tanakh-vs-old-testament.htm
- The Bible’s Old Testament is the “Tanakh” to the Jews.
CerebralFaith.net — https://cerebralfaith.net/genesis-9-noahs-nakedness-the-sin-of-ham-and-the-curse-of-canaan/
- To uncover a man’s nakedness means to have sex with a woman that belongs to him.
- Ham sought to usurp his father’s patriarchal authority through maternal incest (uncovering Noah’s nakedness).
- The fruit of that action, Canaan, is a cursed man. And that cursed man is the forefather of a cursed nation.
So, what kind of person was Canaan?
Canaan was not only the father of the Canaanites, but also of the Amorites, Jebusites, Sidonians and the Phoenicians. All of these peoples would at some period in the future wage war against the descendants of Shem and (to a lesser extent) Japheth, and would also become grossly idolatrous.
Did He deserve the curse?
As the fruit of Ham’s incest with his mother, Canaan, is a cursed man. And that cursed man is the forefather of a cursed nation.
Maybe you can say that as an infant and youth, Canaan didn’t deserve the curse. But God knew the kind of man he would become and ultimately the curse was inspired by God.
Check out the different websites. You’re not always going to find the information in the first few paragraphs. You’ll have to read through it.
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