Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Genesis 9:22
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
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 himself, and therefore was cast out by his father Janus, or Noah, and got the name of “Chem”, the infamous and immodest: and told his two brethren without; he went out of the tent after he had pleased himself with the sight; (see <350215>Habakkuk 2:15) and in a wanton, ludicrous, and scoffing manner, related what he had seen: some of the Jewish Rabbins f503, as Jarchi relates, say that Canaan first saw it, and told his father of it; and some say f504, that he or Ham committed an unnatural crime with him; and others f505, that he castrated him; and hence, it is supposed, came the stories of Jupiter castrating his father Saturn, and Chronus his father Uranus: and Berosus f506 says, that Ham taking hold of his father’s genitals, and muttering some words, by a magic charm rendered him impotent: and some f507 will have it that he committed incest with his father’s wife; but these things are said without foundation: what Noah’s younger son did unto him, besides looking on him, we are not told, yet it was such as brought a curse on Canaan; and one would think it would be more than bare sight, nay, it is expressly said there was something done, but what is not said, (<010924>Genesis 9:24).
How to use this source
This excerpt is attributed to its named commentary. It is included as a historical study resource and should be evaluated in light of Scripture and other relevant evidence.
