Why was it that Noah’s son Ham sinned, but his son Canaan was the one cursed?

Original Post in Chinese: https://henryau.org/2017/06/06/why_was_canaan_cursed/

Question: Why was it that Noah’s son Ham sinned, but his son Canaan was the one cursed? What exactly did Ham do to his father? Why did he do it?

Answer: This is a complex and difficult-to-understand passage in the Old Testament, as the narrative is quite ambiguous¹, and understanding it requires knowledge of Hebrew idioms and ancient Hebrew culture. I will analyze the different interpretations of this passage, first by observing the text in detail:

Genesis 9:18-27 (English Standard Version):

18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.)

19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed.

20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.

21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent.

22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside.

23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.

24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him,

25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”

26 He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.

27 May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.”

This narrative presents two key difficulties:

1. What exactly did Ham do to his father to deserve being cursed (verse 24)? What does “saw his father’s nakedness" mean?
2. Why was it Canaan, the son of Ham, who was cursed rather than Ham himself?
   

There are also other less central but relevant questions for explaining the above difficulties:

3. Why did Ham tell his two brothers what he had done to his father (verse 22)?
4. Why does the narrative emphasize twice that “Ham is the father of Canaan" (verses 18, 22)?
5. What is the special significance of Noah becoming naked after drinking wine (he uncovered himself within his tent) (verse 21)?
   

What did Ham do to his father that warranted a curse?

Firstly, Ham did not accidentally “see his father’s nakedness"; he entered his father’s tent (verse 21). Why did he do this? What was his intention? Ham was a married man (Genesis 7:13), so why would he commit an act that was at the very least disrespectful to his elderly father? Why then did he go and tell his two brothers? What exactly was Ham’s sin against his father Noah? What does “saw his father’s nakedness" actually mean?

There are various interpretations regarding Ham’s transgression, and below I will analyze the pros and cons of each viewpoint:

Perspective One: Voyeurism

This viewpoint used to be the mainstream interpretation: taking “saw his father’s nakedness" at face value, meaning that what Ham did was simply to go in and look at his father’s naked body.

Advantages:

• It’s a literal interpretation, which seems more intuitive.
• This viewpoint is conservative and might be more readily accepted.
  

Disadvantages:

• It fails to explain the severity of merely seeing his father’s nakedness that would warrant a curse (there is no biblical, ancient Israeli, or Near Eastern documentation confirming that seeing a father’s nakedness is taboo).
• It doesn’t account for why Ham, the voyeur, is not the one cursed but Canaan is.
• It does not explain why Ham told his brothers after the event.
• It overlooks the possibility that “saw his father’s nakedness" is a Hebrew idiom or euphemism and considers its usage in other scriptural contexts.
• It cannot explain why the narrative emphasizes twice that “Ham is the father of Canaan."
  

Perspective Two: Castration

This is a traditional Jewish rabbinic interpretation: it suggests that Ham castrated his father as a means of usurping power. Since this act would prevent Noah from having a fourth son, Noah cursed Ham’s fourth son, Canaan (footnote).

Advantages:

• It explains the motivation behind Ham’s action (usurpation of power) and also why he subsequently told his brothers (to declare his newly acquired status).
  

Disadvantages:

• While there are examples of similar events in ancient Near Eastern myths, the Bible makes no mention of castrating a patriarch or a ruler as a means to usurp their power.
• There is absolutely no hint in the biblical text that such an act occurred. If Noah had indeed been harmed, how could his other two sons merely walk in backwards to cover his body (verse 23)? It is also improbable that Noah could have endured such an injury without awakening (verse 24).
• The explanation that Canaan was cursed because he was Ham’s fourth son is quite far-fetched. If Noah had truly been castrated, he would not just be missing a fourth son, but he would have lost the ability to father any more children.
• It does not explain why the narrative emphasizes twice that “Ham is the father of Canaan."
  

Perspective Three: Homosexual Act with His Father

This perspective suggests that Ham sexually assaulted his father while he was intoxicated, as verse 24 mentions, “when Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him," it’s evident that his actions involved more than simply being a passive observer of Noah’s nakedness; he had performed some act upon him. Additionally, when examining other scriptural references, it becomes apparent that “saw his father’s nakedness" (וַיַּ֗רְא עֶרְוַ֣ת אָבִ֑יו) is a Hebrew idiom for sexual intercourse rather than merely “seeing" someone’s naked body.

Leviticus 20:17 (ESV):

17 “If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness, and he shall bear his iniquity.

This passage indicates that “see the nakedness" is synonymous with the more frequently used biblical phrase “uncovered the nakedness," both of which are idiomatic expressions for sexual intercourse. “Uncovered the nakedness" is used in Ezekiel to describe sexual acts or violations ², and Leviticus 18 and 20 contain numerous references to uncovering her nakedness to describe various prohibited sexual acts³.

It is important to note that all instances of “uncover the nakedness" describe sexual acts with the opposite sex, and acts of homosexuality are described with different terminology, such as “lie with a male/man"⁴.

As for why Ham would sexually violate his own father, this viewpoint posits that Ham’s sexual interaction with his father was intended to assume his position as the new family patriarch, which is also why he immediately told his brothers afterward.

Advantages:

• Correctly identifies “see the nakedness" and “uncovered the nakedness" as Hebrew idioms representing sexual intercourse and sexual acts.
• Provides a motive for Ham’s actions and a reason for him telling his brothers.
  

Disadvantages:

• There is no biblical or extrabiblical literature supporting that homosexual acts or sexual assault against a patriarch or king carry the meaning of usurpation of power.
• It still doesn’t explain why Ham, the perpetrator, is not the one cursed, but Canaan is.
• It doesn’t clarify why the narrative emphasizes twice that “Ham is the father of Canaan."
  

Perspective Four: Engaging in Sexual Relations with Noah’s Wife (The Mother)

When we understand that in Hebrew, “see the nakedness" is equivalent to “uncovered the nakedness," and it specifically refers to heterosexual sexual activity (as discussed in Perspective Three), not merely voyeurism. By examining the following scriptures and analysis, we have reason to believe that Ham’s true sin was not sexual assault on his father but rather with the mother who was present in the tent. Although Noah’s wife is not conspicuously mentioned in the text, consider the scripture:

Genesis 9:21 (ESV)

21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent.

The incident occurred while Noah was drunk in his own tent, but being drunk and lying naked are not necessarily related (verse 21). Why would he do this? What is implied here? The Bible and Near Eastern extrabiblical literature often associate wine with sexual activity, for example:

Lot’s daughters got their father drunk to lie with him:

Genesis 19:32 (ESV):

“Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father."

Wine often appears in sexually suggestive passages in the Song of Solomon:

Song of Solomon 8:2 (ESV):

I would lead you and bring you into the house of my mother—she who used to teach me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the juice of my pomegranate.

David made Uriah drunk so he would go home and be intimate with his wife to cover up his own sin:

2 Samuel 11:11, 13 (ESV):

11 Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”

13 And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

Therefore, there is reason to believe that Noah, upon becoming drunk, went to his tent, uncovered himself with the intention of being intimate with his wife⁵ but ended up passing out.

But why would Ham take advantage of his father’s drunkenness to commit incest with his mother? Why would he do such a thing? The Bible contains numerous examples that demonstrate within Hebrew culture, sleeping with the patriarch or king’s wife carried the implication of usurping authority or taking one’s place:

After David became king, he received the concubines of King Saul, his predecessor:

2 Samuel 12:8 (ESV):

8 And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more.

Absalom, David’s son, slept with his father’s concubines in public to declare to the people that he had taken over as king:

2 Samuel 16:21-22 (ESV):

21 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench to your father, and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.”

22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof. And Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.

Abishag was a concubine set aside for King David in his old age. After his son Solomon took the throne, his brother Adonijah sought to take Abishag as a wife, which was seen as a move to usurp the throne (as this would indicate he was David’s true heir). This is why King Solomon ordered his execution:

1 Kings 2:15-18, 22-23 (ESV):

15 And he said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel fully expected me to reign. However, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, for it was his from the Lord.

16 And now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me.” She said to him, “Speak.”

17 And he said, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”

18 Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak for you to the king.”

22 King Solomon answered his mother, “And why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my older brother, and on his side are Abiathar the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah.”

23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life!

Ham, being the youngest son (verse 24), nevertheless aspired to the position of family patriarch. This also explains why, after leaving Noah’s tent, he told his two brothers—essentially declaring that he had taken over his father’s position.

While the narrative clearly states that Ham “saw the nakedness of his father," why would this be related to Noah’s wife? The following scriptures provide the answer:

Leviticus 18:7 (ESV):

7 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness.

Leviticus 18:8 (ESV):

8 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness.

Leviticus 20:11 (ESV):

11 If a man lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

These passages make it clear that if someone has sexual relations with his father’s wife (uncover her nakedness), it is equivalent to “uncovering the nakedness of your father," humiliating one’s own father, as it is taking the father’s wife.

Deuteronomy 22:30:

30 “A man shall not take his father’s wife, so that he does not uncover his father’s skirt." (ESV)

30 “A man shall not take his father’s wife so that he will not uncover his father’s skirt.（NASB）

30 A man shall not marry his father’s wife, thereby violating his father’s rights. （NRSV）

These English versions correctly see “taking the father’s wife" (also a euphemism for sexual relations) as equivalent to “uncovering the father’s skirt," an act of shaming the father. The NRSV even translates it as “violating his father’s rights."

This passage more clearly indicates that one who “lies with his father’s wife" equates to “uncovering his father’s skirt," which is a grave and dishonorable act of shaming his father:

Deuteronomy 27:20 (NASB):

20 ‘Cursed is the one who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s skirt.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

The following scriptures also confirm that in Hebrew culture, approaching someone’s wife is equivalent to “uncovering his nakedness":

Leviticus 18:14 (NASB):

14 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother; you shall not approach his wife, she is your aunt.

Leviticus 18:16 (NASB):

16 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness.

Leviticus 20:20-21 (NASB):

20 ‘If there is a man who lies with his uncle’s wife he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness; they will bear their sin. They will die childless.

21 ‘If there is a man who takes his brother’s wife, it is abhorrent; he has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They will be childless.

Based on the above analysis, Genesis 9:22’s “Ham saw the nakedness of his father" actually refers to the euphemistic expression of his incestuous act with Noah’s wife (who is also his mother). This viewpoint is the only one that explains why Noah cursed Canaan instead of Ham and accounts for the description of Ham as “the father of Canaan" twice in the narrative: because Canaan is very likely the child born of Ham and Noah’s wife (his mother) as a result of this incident. As Canaan is the illegitimate son born from the incestuous union of the wife and her son, he is therefore cursed by Noah.

So why would the two brothers go in to cover their father with a garment? If the father was merely naked within his own tent, there would hardly be a need for them to go in and cover him. However, after Ham told his brothers about his act of humiliating their father, it is understandable that they would do so to restore their father’s dignity. Ultimately, they were blessed by Noah for this righteous act (verses 26 and 27). Another possibility is that they walked backward to avoid seeing not Noah, but Noah’s wife (their mother), because the wife’s nakedness is equivalent to the husband’s nakedness (Leviticus 18:8, Deuteronomy 27:20).

Advantages:

• Correctly identifies “see the nakedness" and “uncovered the nakedness" as Hebrew idioms commonly representing sexual intercourse/acts
• Explains the severity of Ham’s actions
• Suggests a motive for Ham’s actions and his reason for telling his brothers
• The only explanation for why Canaan would be cursed by Noah
• Explains why Noah would be naked after drinking
• Clarifies why the text emphasizes that Canaan is the son of Ham

Disadvantages:

• Requires understanding of Hebrew idioms and cultural customs, so this explanation is not intuitive
• Involves a sexual sin much more serious than merely seeing the father’s nakedness, which may be harder to accept
  

Summary

For many years, I have adhered to viewpoint one, but I have been puzzled as to why Noah would curse someone simply for being seen naked by his son, and even more so by the fact that the curse was placed not on Ham but on his son Canaan. Viewpoint four was a perspective I only recently (2016) became aware of, and although its conclusions are quite shocking, I believe it is currently the most compelling explanation for all the related mysteries.

For further reading:

• [John Sietze Bergsma and Scott Walker Hahn, “Noah’s Nakedness and the Curse on Canaan," Journal of Biblical Literature 124:1 (2005): 25-40]
• (This 2005 paper provides a detailed analysis of the different interpretations of this scripture, and the perspective of viewpoint four that I hold also originates from this source.)

1. The author believes that this event involves significant cultural taboos, as detailed in the following text. ↩
2. Ezekiel 16:36-37 (NASB)
   36 Thus says the Lord God, “Because your lewdness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered through your harlotries with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your sons which you gave to idols, 37 therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, even all those whom you loved and all those whom you hated. So I will gather them against you from every direction and expose your nakedness to them that they may see all your nakedness.
   Ezekiel 22:10 (NASB)
   10 In you they have uncovered their fathers’ nakedness; in you they have humbled her who was unclean in her menstrual impurity.
   Ezekiel 23:10 (NASB)
   10 They uncovered her nakedness; they took her sons and her daughters, but they slew her with the sword. Thus she became a byword among women, and they executed judgments on her.
   Ezekiel 23:18 (NASB)
   18 She uncovered her harlotries and uncovered her nakedness; then I became disgusted with her, as I had become disgusted with her sister.
   Ezekiel 23:29 (NASB)
   29 They will deal with you in hatred, take all your property, and leave you naked and bare. And the nakedness of your harlotries will be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotries. ↩
3. Leviticus 18:6-19(NASB):
   6 ‘None of you shall approach any blood relative of his to uncover nakedness; I am the LORD.
   7 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, that is, the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother; you are not to uncover her nakedness.
   8 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness.
   9 ‘The nakedness of your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether born at home or born outside, their nakedness you shall not uncover.
   10 ‘The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for their nakedness is yours.
   11 ‘The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, born to your father, she is your sister, you shall not uncover her nakedness.
   12 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is your father’s blood relative.
   13 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s blood relative.
   14 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother; you shall not approach his wife, she is your aunt.
   15 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife, you shall not uncover her nakedness.
   16 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness.
   17 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness; they are blood relatives. It is lewdness.
   18 ‘You shall not marry a woman in addition to her sister as a rival while she is alive, to uncover her nakedness.
   19 ‘Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness during her menstrual impurity.
   Leviticus 20:11
   ‘If there is a man who lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death, their bloodguiltiness is upon them.
   Leviticus 20:17
   ‘If there is a man who takes his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the sons of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he bears his guilt.
   Leviticus 20:18
   ‘If there is a man who lies with a menstruous woman and uncovers her nakedness, he has laid bare her flow, and she has exposed the flow of her blood; thus both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
   Leviticus 20:19
   ‘You shall also not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister or of your father’s sister, for such a one has made naked his blood relative; they will bear their guilt.
   Leviticus 20:20
   ‘If there is a man who lies with his uncle’s wife he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness; they will bear their sin. They will die childless.
   Leviticus 20:21
   ‘If there is a man who takes his brother’s wife, it is abhorrent; he has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They will be childless. ↩
4. Leviticus 18:22(NASB):
   22 ‘You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.
   Leviticus 20:13(NASB):
   13 ‘If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them. ↩
5. The command to “be fruitful and multiply" was given not only to Noah’s sons, but to Noah himself as well. Genesis 9:1 (ESV) states: “And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.'" ↩