Noah's curse on Ham...

[Mulutka]

In Genesis 9: 20-27 Noah gets drunk, lies naked in his tent and his son Ham walks in on him. Ham goes and tells his other brothers, Shem and Japheth. S and J walk into the tent with a robe for their dad and never look at him (while he's naked). The next day Noah curses Ham.

Here's my question--> does anyone know what the big deal was with Ham seeing his dad naked? What sort of taboo or custom did Ham break that justified Noah cursing him?

I have been told that Noah's nakedness refers to his wife.. Leviticus 18:8 The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness but my bible translates this verse simply as Do not disgrace your father by having intercourse with any of his wives --> there's no talk of "nakedness" here... so did Ham simply see his dad naked and gossip about it to his brothers (therefore breaking the honor your father and mother commandment) or was there more to this?

--oh, I should mention that I'm using the Good News Bible for my translation

 

[PaladinValer]

There are a number of possibilities:

1. Rape/Incest
2. Castration
3. Simple starring and not doing anything to cover his father up like what his brothers did

 

[The Thadman]

In Genesis 9: 20-27 Noah gets drunk, lies naked in his tent and his son Ham walks in on him. Ham goes and tells his other brothers, Shem and Japheth. S and J walk into the tent with a robe for their dad and never look at him (while he's naked). The next day Noah curses Ham.

Here's my question--> does anyone know what the big deal was with Ham seeing his dad naked? What sort of taboo or custom did Ham break that justified Noah cursing him?

I have been told that Noah's nakedness refers to his wife.. Leviticus 18:8 The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness but my bible translates this verse simply as Do not disgrace your father by having intercourse with any of his wives --> there's no talk of "nakedness" here... so did Ham simply see his dad naked and gossip about it to his brothers (therefore breaking the honor your father and mother commandment) or was there more to this?

--oh, I should mention that I'm using the Good News Bible for my translation

No real social taboo exists within Biblical Judaism (which is what Noah and his family would be practicing). In later years, Jews would work in the fields naked, share gymnasiums with the Greeks naked (which was the birth of epispasm, funny enough), and swim naked.

I believe that he was simply angry and embarrassed, but only God knows why

Peace!
-Steve-o

 

[daveleau]

Remember that the Bible often has stories that do not condone nor abhore the actions of the participants. The Bible merely records them and lets use learn from the story. For instance, Sarah lied for Abraham twice. This does NOT mean that that is something women should do for their husbands. Yet, the Bible does not come straight out and tell us this in this section of the Bible (It tells us this in other areas). I believe that this is a similar incident. Noah had sinned and gotten drunk and passed out/ fell asleep. (It is not a sin to partake of alcohol, but it is a sin to get drunk) The result was that his son saw him naked and was cursed. This was not the fault of Ham, but the fault of Noah and a direct consequence of Noah's actions.

 

[Yebo]

Greetings from a sunny South Africa

In Genesis 9: 20-27 Noah gets drunk, lies naked in his tent and his son Ham walks in on him. Ham goes and tells his other brothers, Shem and Japheth. S and J walk into the tent with a robe for their dad and never look at him (while he's naked). The next day Noah curses Ham.

Here's my question--> does anyone know what the big deal was with Ham seeing his dad naked? What sort of taboo or custom did Ham break that justified Noah cursing him?

Noah never cursed his son Ham. He cursed Canaan who is one of Ham's sons.

Why he did it (cursing) I really do not know although the responses of PaladinValer and The Thadman seems acceptable.

Be BLESSED be the BEST and stay within the confinements of PEACE

 

[deu58]

hello Mulutka

Ge 9:20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:

Ge 9:21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

Ge 9:22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

Ge 9:23 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.

Ge 9:24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.

There is more to it than Ham seeing his father naked. He dis honored his father and wished to make others come and view his fathers Nakedness. {His brothers} Notice that the two brothers out of respect for Noah would not even look at him while covering him but walked backwards.

We see in Genesis that when Adam and Eve discovered they were naked they were ashamed of it.

Ge 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

Ge 3:10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

It seems that somehow after man gained the knowledge of good and evil he somehow recognized being naked as shameful and this passed on to his descendants, I think even a father today would have a hard time forgiving his son if he tried to get other people to come and stare at him while he was passed out dead drunk and naked.

yours in Christ
deu58

 

[pimorton]

I believe there is much more to the words "saw" and/or "told" in this passage than we take these words for. The Hebrew word "ra'ah" (saw) could also mean "stare," and the world "told" could mean "announce boldly." Perhaps he stared a while at his drunken father in his shame, and then went out to announce, perhaps laughingly, to his brothers what he had seen. If Noah found out about this kind of behavior, I think he would certainly be angry with Ham. I've also heard it said Ham performed some sort of perverse or homosexual actions on his father, but I don't see this in Scripture.

 

[TomUK]

I always interpretted that as Ham essentially gosipped to his brothers about what he had seen- he didn't respect his father. This is hightened by the fact that he didn't do anything to cover his father. Essentially it boils down to a lack of respect to his father,