Genesis 9:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant."

NIV: May God extend Japheth’s territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth."

NASB: May God enlarge Japheth, And may he live in the tents of Shem; And may Canaan be his servant.'

CSB: Let God extend Japheth; let Japheth dwell in the tents of Shem; let Canaan be Shem’s slave.

NLT: May God expand the territory of Japheth! May Japheth share the prosperity of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant.'

KJV: God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

NKJV: May God enlarge Japheth, And may he dwell in the tents of Shem; And may Canaan be his servant.”

Noah cursed Canaan, Ham's son, to be a servant to Ham's brothers. The curse applied to their descendants as well. The previous verse extended Ham's curse with a comparative blessing of his brother Shem. Now Noah blesses Ham's other brother, Japheth. God will "enlarge" Japheth or extend his territory. In addition, Japheth's descendants will live in (or among) the tents of Shem.

The family line of Shem will eventually lead to God's people Israel, through Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 11:10–27; Genesis 21:1–3). This same family line will also produce the Messiah, Jesus (Luke 3:36).

However, it is not clear what it means that Japheth's people will live in or among the tents of Israel, or when that prophecy was fulfilled. Scholars have suggested many options, but none are conclusive.

In any case, the curse on Canaan's descendants is repeated a third time, giving it unusual emphasis in Scripture. Canaan's people will be successful in many ways, and often will hold an advantage over other people and nations. However, their fate will always come to the same eventual conclusion: failure, due to their opposition of God's chosen people. While the Hebrew language used here does not suggest that Canaan's children will become the literal slaves—the forced servants—of Japheth's people or Shem's people, it does indicate a lack of favor.

Genesis 9:18–29 comes immediately after God has established his promise to never again destroy all life with a flood. This includes a sign: the rainbow. The passage reintroduces Noah's three sons as the fathers of all the people of the earth to come. This passage also states that Ham was the father of Canaan. Next, we're told the embarrassing story of when Noah became drunk and lay naked in his tent. After seeing Noah uncovered, Ham went out and told his brothers about it. When Noah woke up, he cursed the descendants of Ham's son Canaan to be subservient to the descendants of Shem and Japheth.

Chapter 9 describes God's interactions with Noah and his sons following the flood. First, God gives blessings and instructions, including the command to reproduce and fill the earth. Next, God makes a unilateral covenant with humanity and animals never to end all life with a flood again. He offers the rainbow as a sign of this promise. Finally, Noah prophesies about the future of his son's descendants after an awkward episode in which Ham talks to his brothers about seeing Noah passed out drunk and naked.

Chapters 6, 7, and 8 describe God's destruction of the world in a massive flood. Now, in Genesis 9, Scripture describes God's dealings with Noah and his sons following the flood. First, God blesses them and gives specific instructions, including the command to fill the earth. Next, God expands on His promise to never again end all life on earth a flood. Finally, Noah curses Ham and blesses Shem and Japheth after Ham tells his brothers about seeing Noah passed out drunk and naked. Chapters 10 and 11 will sketch out the history of mankind from Noah to Abraham.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.