Genesis 9 Commentary
Please choose a passage:
Genesis 9:1-4
God blessed Noah instructing him and his sons to be fruitful and multiply. God put a fear of mankind into all the animals. God allows mankind to eat meat along with plants.
Genesis 9:5-7
God makes a new rule that murder of another human being shall require their life. God also instructs for Noah to populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.
Genesis 9:8-13
God establishes an everlasting covenant with Noah. God promises to never again destroy the earth by a flood. He makes a sign of the covenant for all to see.
Genesis 9:14-17
When the rainbow is seen in the clouds, God will remember His covenant and the promise not to destroy all flesh by a flood again. The bow is the sign of the covenant.
Genesis 9:18-23
Noah’s sons are Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham is the father of Canaan. Noah plants a vineyard and becomes drunk. Ham saw the nakedness of his father in a tent. Ham told his two brothers about it. They carefully, so as not to see, covered their naked father in his tent.
Genesis 9:24-29
When Noah wakes up, he knows what Ham has done. Noah curses Canaan, Ham’s son and blesses Shem and Japheth. Noah dies at age 950 years.
Additional Resources
Genesis is a book about many beginnings. The beginnings of the world, the human race, sin and redemption, and the nation of Israel to name a few. In fact, the word Genesis from the Greek means “origin,” and in Hebrew it means “beginning.” The book of Genesis contains the events of the flood, tower of Babel, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the lives of the Patriarchs.
In the beginning, God created everything by simply speaking, “God said…and it was so” (Genesis 1:6-7, 9, 11, 14-15). This is not a scientific technical account of creation, but it shows a loving God creating a universe and mankind to rule it and fellowship with God. Man was formed especially from the ground and given the breath of life from God. The woman was made from the man’s rib (Genesis 2:7).
After man fell into sin, things began to spin out of control quickly. Cain murdered his brother Abel and the human race became so violent that God decided to destroy them all with a flood. God saved one righteous man (Noah) and his family in an ark filled with animals to deliver the human race from extinction. God chose Abraham and blessed a special group of people named “Israel.” God began to unfold a plan of salvation from a coming famine by sending Joseph to rule in Egypt. The failure of man in every circumstance is met by the salvation of God. We fail, but the good news is God saves us.
Genesis chapter 9 is about new beginnings and new order after the flood. God establishes an everlasting covenant with Noah. The sign of this covenant can still be seen today. God makes some new commandments that are different from the pre-flood era. There is an event that causes Noah to feel shame and Ham to sin that results in a blessing and a curse. No promise of God can fail. We see a repetition of human failure and godly punishment, but through it all there is hope and salvation.
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