New International Version
Genesis 9:25
25he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he 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.
- 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.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then he cursed Canaan, the son of Ham: “May Canaan be cursed! May he be the lowest of servants to his relatives.”
Context of Genesis 9:25
23But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked. 24When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” 26He also said, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. 27May God extend Japheth’s territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”
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 naked and told his two brothers outside.
- Genesis 3:14So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
- Genesis 4:11Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
- Genesis 49:7Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.
- Deuteronomy 27:16“Cursed is anyone who dishonors their father or mother.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
- Deuteronomy 28:18The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and 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 who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
- John 8:34Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
- Joshua 9:23You are now under a curse: You will never be released from service as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”
- Judges 1:28When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely.
- 1 Kings 9:20There were still people left from the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (these peoples were not Israelites).
- 2 Chronicles 8:7There were still people left from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (these people were not Israelites).
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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