New English Translation
Genesis 9:25
25So he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves he will be to his brothers.”
Genesis 9:25 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
- New International Version (NIV)he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)he said, "Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers."
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then he said: “Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren.”
Context of Genesis 9:25
23Shem and Japheth took the garment and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor he learned what his youngest son had done to him. So he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves he will be to his brothers.” 26He also said, “Worthy of praise is the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem! 27May God enlarge Japheth’s territory and numbers! May he live in the tents of Shem and may Canaan be his slave!”
Read all of Genesis 9Genesis 9:25 word by word
וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אָר֣וּר כְּנָ֑עַן עֶ֥בֶד עֲבָדִ֖ים יִֽהְיֶ֥ה לְאֶחָֽיו׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Genesis 9:25
- Genesis 9:22Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers who were outside.
- Genesis 3:14The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all the wild beasts and all the living creatures of the field! On your belly you will crawl and dust you will eat all the days of your life.
- Genesis 4:11So now, you are banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
- Genesis 49:7Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their fury, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel!
- Deuteronomy 27:16‘Cursed is the one who disrespects his father and mother.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
- Deuteronomy 28:18Your children will be cursed, as well as the produce of your soil, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks.
- Matthew 25:41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels!
- John 8:34Jesus answered them, “I tell you the solemn truth, everyone who practices sin is a slave of sin.
- Joshua 9:23Now you are condemned to perpetual servitude as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”
- Judges 1:28Whenever Israel was strong militarily, they forced the Canaanites to do hard labor, but they never totally conquered them.
- 1 Kings 9:20Now several non-Israelite peoples were left in the land after the conquest of Joshua, including the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
- 2 Chronicles 8:7Now several non-Israelite peoples were left in the land after the conquest of Joshua, including the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
Commentaries on Genesis 9:25
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 25Cursed be Canaan - See on the preceding verses. In the 25th, 26th, and 27th verses, instead of Canaan simply, the Arabic version has Ham the father of Canaan; but this is acknowledged by none of the other versions, and seems to be merely a gloss.Read the comment
- 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. 25Cursed be Canaan!: Noah understood that Ham’s actions showed the character of his descendants through Canaan.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2525. Cursed be Canaan--This doom has been fulfilled in the destruction of the Canaanites--in the degradation of Egypt and the slavery of the Africans, the descendants of Ham.Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 9:25
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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