Genesis 9:22

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Genesis 9:22 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
Genesis 9:22 — American Standard Version

Context — Genesis 9

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
22And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, etc.] 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: Berosus f502 makes him a magician, and to be the same with Zoroast or Zoroastres, and speaks of him as the public corrupter of mankind; and says that he taught men to live as before the flood, to lie with mothers, sisters, daughters, males and brutes, and creatures of all sorts; and that he actually did so…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“- XXX. The Prophecy of Noah 18. כנען kena‛an, “Kena‘an, bowed down.” 19. נפץ nāpats, “break, scatter, spread.” פוּץ pûts, “break, scatter, flow.” 20. כרם kerem, “orchard, vineyard.” 21. יין yayı̂n, “wine; related: ferment.” After the blessing on the new heads of the human race has been pronounced, and the covenant with them renewed, we are prepared for a new development of human action. This appears, however, in the form of an event which is itself a meet preliminary to the subsequent stage of affairs. The prophecy of Noah, delivered in the shape of a solemn paternal doom, pronounced upon his three sons, sketches in a few striking traits the future history of the separate families of…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“9:22 the father of Canaan: See study note on 9:18. • Ham’s behavior was shameful. He gazed upon his naked father and, rather than covering him and keeping the matter secret, robbed him of his dignity by announcing it to his brothers (see Exod 21:15, 17; Lam 4:21; Hab 2:15). An ancient Near Eastern tale says that a son is expected to come to his father’s aid when he is drunk (Tale of Aqhat; cp. Isa 51:17-18). Ham’s neglect of familial duty explains why Noah praised Shem and Japheth but cursed Ham (Gen 9:24-27).”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification