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FAQ: Genesis to Jesus - Lesson Three

After Ham “saw the nakedness of his father” (Gen 9:22) why does Noah curse Canaan and not Ham?

Many scholars believe that Canaan is cursed by Noah because he is the offspring of the incestuous union between Ham and his mother. We see this referred to in Rabbinic writings, though Scripture itself doesn’t make it clear. Noah is “cursing” Canaan in a remedial way, not just to make thing hard on him. In other words, Noah is trying to help him be good. The name Canaan means “low” or “humbled” and this is what Noah is seeking from Canaan…the opposite of his father Ham who tried to usurp Noah’s authority and Shem’s birthright.

It can be confusing to look at Genesis 9:24 and view it in the manner described above because the verse makes it sound as if Noah places the curse right after he wakes up. However, one interpretation of the fact that he “awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him” is that the curse was made after it became apparent that his wife was impregnated by Ham. In other words, “knew” meant he understood the full ramifications of what had been done. Also, bear in mind that this was probably written by Moses much later and not right then. Moses knew what happened and so wrote it without a long gap in-between verses 24 and 25.
For more information on this question see our online Bible study Genesis to Jesus. For even deeper study on this topic, see the Noah’s Nakedness and the Curse on Canaan article written by Dr. Scott Hahn and Dr. John Bergsma.

Why did Noah take 7 pairs of clean animals? (What is a "clean" animal?)

Noah took seven pairs of clean animals on the ark because these were the animals acceptable for sacrifice. If he had only taken two of them and then later offered sacrifice with them, they would have then been extinct. Also, the whole flood narrative is filled with covenant imagery through use of the number seven. To swear a covenant oath is to literally "seven oneself" ("sheba" in Hebrew). So the author is pointing also to the covenant reality that is being established between God and humanity through Noah. It is a new creation story and the passage is rife with references back to the Creation Account.
For more information see our online Bible study Genesis to Jesus.

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