Genesis 9

Genesis · Chapter 9

Genesis 9:23

1And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.2And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.3Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.4But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.5And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.6Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.7And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.8And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,9And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;10And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.11And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.12And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:13I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.14And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:15And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.16And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.17And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.18And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.19These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.20And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:21And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.22And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.23And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.24And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.25And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.26And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.27God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.28And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.29And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
23And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.Then Shem and Japheth took a garment and placed it across their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and he tookוַיִּקַּח֩vai-yi-KACHH3947G
to take: take

לָקַח (la.qach) : take 1) to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to take, take in the hand 1a2) to take and carry along 1a3) to take from, take out of, take, carry away, take away 1a4) to take to or for a person, procure, get, take possession of, select, choose, take in marriage, receive, accept 1a5) to take up or upon, put upon 1a6) to fetch 1a7) to take, lead, conduct 1a8) to take, capture, seize 1a9) to take, carry off 1a10) to take (vengeance) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be captured 1b2) to be taken away, be removed …

Shemשֵׁ֨םshemH8035
Shem

שֵׁם (shem) A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.5.32; son of: Noah (H5146); brother of: Ham (H2526) and Japheth (H3315); father of: Asshur (H0804H), Elam (H5867C), Arpachshad (H0775), Lud (H3865) and Aram (H0758) Also named: Sēm (Σήμ "Shem" G4590) § Shem = "name" the eldest son of Noah and progenitor of the Semitic tribes

and Japhethוָיֶ֜פֶתva-YE-fetH3315
Japheth

יֶ֫פֶת (ye.phet) A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.5.32; son of: Noah (H5146); brother of: Shem (H8035) and Ham (H2526); father of: Gomer (H1586), Magog (H4031), Madai (H4074), Javan (H3120), Tubal (H8422), Meshech (H4902) and Tiras (H8494) § Japheth = "opened" the 3rd son of Noah whose descendants after the flood settled on the coastal lands of the Mediterranean spreading north into Europe and parts of Asia

the garmentהַשִּׂמְלָ֗הha-sim-LAHH8071
mantle

שִׂמְלָה (sim.lah) wrapper, mantle, covering garment, garments, clothes, raiment, a cloth

and they put [it]וַיָּשִׂ֙ימוּ֙vai-ya-SI-muH7760HNo entry
onעַל־'al-H5921A
upon

עַל (al) prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) …

[the] shoulder ofשְׁכֶ֣םshe-KHEMH7926
shoulder

שְׁכֶם (she.khem) 1) shoulder, back 1a) shoulder, shoulder-blade 1b) back (in general) Also means: shikh.mah (שִׁכְמָה "shoulder" H7929)

both of themשְׁנֵיהֶ֔םshe-nei-HEMH8147
two

שְׁנַ֫יִם (she.na.yim) 1) two 1a) two (the cardinal number) 1a1) two, both, double, twice 1b) second (the ordinal number) 1c) in combination with other numbers 1d) both (a dual number)

and they walkedוַיֵּֽלְכוּ֙vai-yel-KHUH1980I
to go

הוּךְ (hukh) (P'al) to go, come, walk, be brought Aramaic of ha.lakh (הָלַךְ ": walk" H1980)

backwardsאֲחֹ֣רַנִּ֔ית'a-CHO-ra-NITH0322
backwards

אֲחֹרַנִּית (a.cho.ran.nit) backwards, back part, the rear

and they coveredוַיְכַסּ֕וּvay-kha-SUH3680
to cover

כָּסָה (ka.sah) 1) to cover, conceal, hide 1a) (Qal) conceal, covered (participle) 1b) (Niphal) to be covered 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to cover, clothe 1c2) to cover, conceal 1c3) to cover (for protection) 1c4) to cover over, spread over 1c5) to cover, overwhelm 1d) (Pual) 1d1) to be covered 1d2) to be clothed 1e) (Hithpael) to cover oneself, clothe oneself

[the] nakedness ofעֶרְוַ֣ת'er-VATH6172
nakedness

עֶרְוָה (er.vah) 1) nakedness, nudity, shame, pudenda 1a) pudenda (implying shameful exposure) 1b) nakedness of a thing, indecency, improper behaviour 1c) exposed, undefended (fig.) Aramaic equivalent: ar.vah (עַרְוָה "dishonor" H6173)

father theirאֲבִיהֶ֑ם'a-vi-HEMH0001G
father

אָב (av) 1) father of an individual 2) of God as father of his people 3) head or founder of a household, group, family, or clan 4) ancestor 4a) grandfather, forefathers - of person 4b) of people 5) originator or patron of a class, profession, or art 6) of producer, generator (fig.) 7) of benevolence and protection (fig.) 8) term of respect and honour 9) ruler or chief (spec.) Also means: av (אַב "father" H0002)

and faces theirוּפְנֵיהֶם֙u-fe-nei-HEMH6440H
face: before

פָּנֶה (pa.neh) : before/to/front 1) face 1a) face, faces 1b) presence, person 1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim) 1d) face (of animals) 1e) face, surface (of ground) 1f) as adv of loc/temp 1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before 1g) with prep 1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of

[were] backwardsאֲחֹ֣רַנִּ֔ית'a-CHO-ra-NITH0322
backwards

אֲחֹרַנִּית (a.cho.ran.nit) backwards, back part, the rear

and [the] nakedness ofוְעֶרְוַ֥תve-'er-VATH6172
nakedness

עֶרְוָה (er.vah) 1) nakedness, nudity, shame, pudenda 1a) pudenda (implying shameful exposure) 1b) nakedness of a thing, indecency, improper behaviour 1c) exposed, undefended (fig.) Aramaic equivalent: ar.vah (עַרְוָה "dishonor" H6173)

father theirאֲבִיהֶ֖ם'a-vi-HEMH0001G
father

אָב (av) 1) father of an individual 2) of God as father of his people 3) head or founder of a household, group, family, or clan 4) ancestor 4a) grandfather, forefathers - of person 4b) of people 5) originator or patron of a class, profession, or art 6) of producer, generator (fig.) 7) of benevolence and protection (fig.) 8) term of respect and honour 9) ruler or chief (spec.) Also means: av (אַב "father" H0002)

notלֹ֥אlo'H3808
not

לֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

they sawרָאֽוּ׃ra-'UH7200G
to see: see

רָאָה (ra.ah) : see/show 1) to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to see 1a2) to see, perceive 1a3) to see, have vision 1a4) to look at, see, regard, look after, see after, learn about, observe, watch, look upon, look out, find out 1a5) to see, observe, consider, look at, give attention to, discern, distinguish 1a6) to look at, gaze at 1a7) to provide, choose 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to appear, present oneself 1b2) to be seen 1b3) to be visible 1c) (Pual) to be seen 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to see, show 1d2) to cause to look intently at, behold, cause to gaze at 1e) (Hophal) …

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.