God’s Word Translation
Genesis 9:27
27May God expand the territory of Japheth. May he live in the tents of Shem. Canaan will be his slave.”
Genesis 9:27 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
- New International Version (NIV)May God extend Japheth’s territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant."
- New King James Version (NKJV)May God enlarge Japheth, And may he dwell in the tents of Shem; And may Canaan be his servant.”
Context of Genesis 9:27
25So he said, “Canaan is cursed! He will be the lowest slave to his brothers. 26Praise the Lord, the God of Shem! Canaan will be his slave. May God expand the territory of Japheth. May he live in the tents of Shem. Canaan will be his slave.” 28Noah lived 350 years after the flood. 29Noah lived a total of 950 years; then he died.
Read all of Genesis 9Genesis 9:27 word by word
יַ֤פְתְּ אֱלֹהִים֙ לְיֶ֔פֶת וְיִשְׁכֹּ֖ן בְּאָֽהֳלֵי־שֵׁ֑ם וִיהִ֥י כְנַ֖עַן עֶ֥בֶד לָֽמוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- shall enlargeפָּתָהpâthâh · to open wideH6601
- Japhethיֶ֫פֶתyepheth · JaphethH3315
- and he shall dwellשָׁכַןshâkan · to dwellH7931
- in the tentsאֹ֫הֶל'ôhel · tentH168
- of Shemשֵׁםshêm · ShemH8035
- and Canaanכְּנַ֫עַןkena‛an · CanaanH3667
- shall be his servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
Cross-references for Genesis 9:27
- Isaiah 11:10At that time the root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the people ⌞to gather around⌟. The nations will come to him. His resting place will be glorious.
- Hosea 2:14“That is why I’m going to win her back. I will lead her into the desert. I will speak tenderly to her.
- Malachi 1:11“From the nations where the sun rises to the nations where the sun sets, my name will be great. Incense and pure offerings will be offered everywhere in my name, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord of Armies.
- Acts 17:14The believers immediately sent Paul to the seacoast, but Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea.
- Romans 11:12The fall of the Jewish people made the world spiritually rich. Their failure made people who are not Jewish spiritually rich. So the inclusion of Jewish people will make the world even richer.
- Romans 15:12Again, Isaiah says, “There will be a root from Jesse. He will rise to rule the nations, and he will give the nations hope.”
- Ephesians 2:13But now through Christ Jesus you, who were once far away, have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
- Ephesians 3:6This mystery is the Good News that people who are not Jewish have the same inheritance as Jewish people do. They belong to the same body and share the same promise that God made in Christ Jesus.
- Hebrews 11:9Faith led Abraham to live as a foreigner in the country that God had promised him. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who received the same promise from God.
Commentaries on Genesis 9:27
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18-29Verses 18-29 - XXX. The Prophecy of Noah 18. כנען kena‛an “Kenaan, 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…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 24-29Verses 24-29 Noah declares a curse on Canaan, the son of Ham; perhaps this grandson of his was more guilty than the rest. A servant of servants, that is, The meanest and most despicable servant, shall he be, even to his brethren. This certainly points at the victories in after-times obtained by Israel over the Canaanites, by which they were put to the sword, or brought to pay tribute. The whole continent of Africa was peopled mostly by the descendants of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 27may he dwell in the tents of Shem: Japheth’s descendants would live among Shem’s descendants and share Shem’s prosperity (compare Romans 11:17–18).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2727. God shall enlarge Japheth--pointing to a vast increase in posterity and possessions. Accordingly his descendants have been the most active and enterprising, spread over the best and largest portion of the world, all Europe and a considerable part of Asia. he shall dwell in the tents of Shem--a prophecy being fulfilled at the present day, as in India British Government is established and the Anglo-Saxons being in the ascendancy from Europe to India…Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 9:27
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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