New Living Translation
Genesis 9:25
25Then he cursed Canaan, the son of Ham: “May Canaan be cursed! May he be the lowest of servants to his relatives.”
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
23Then Shem and Japheth took a robe, held it over their shoulders, and backed into the tent to cover their father. As they did this, they looked the other way so they would not see him naked. 24When Noah woke up from his stupor, he learned what Ham, his youngest son, had done. Then he cursed Canaan, the son of Ham: “May Canaan be cursed! May he be the lowest of servants to his relatives.” 26Then Noah said, “May the Lord, the God of Shem, be blessed, and may Canaan be his servant! 27May God expand the territory of Japheth! May Japheth share the prosperity of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant.”
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 that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers.
- Genesis 3:14Then the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live.
- Genesis 4:11Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s blood.
- Genesis 49:7A curse on their anger, for it is fierce; a curse on their wrath, for it is cruel. I will scatter them among the descendants of Jacob; I will disperse them throughout Israel.
- Deuteronomy 27:16‘Cursed is anyone who dishonors father or mother.’ And all the people will reply, ‘Amen.’
- Deuteronomy 28:18Your children and your crops will be cursed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be cursed.
- Matthew 25:41“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.
- John 8:34Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.
- Joshua 9:23May you be cursed! From now on you will always be servants who cut wood and carry water for the house of my God.”
- Judges 1:28When the Israelites grew stronger, they forced the Canaanites to work as slaves, but they never did drive them completely out of the land.
- 1 Kings 9:20There were still some people living in the land who were not Israelites, including Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
- 2 Chronicles 8:7There were still some people living in the land who were not Israelites, 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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