Genesis 9:22
New International Version
Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside.

New Living Translation
Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers.

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

Berean Standard Bible
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside.

King James Bible
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

New King James Version
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.

New American Standard Bible
Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.

NASB 1995
Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.

NASB 1977
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside.

Amplified Bible
Ham, the father of Canaan, saw [by accident] the nakedness of his father, and [to his father’s shame] told his two brothers outside.

Christian Standard Bible
Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside.

American Standard Version
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

Contemporary English Version
Ham entered the tent and saw him naked, then went back outside and told his brothers.

English Revised Version
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Ham, father of Canaan, saw his father naked. So he went outside and told his two brothers.

Good News Translation
When Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked, he went out and told his two brothers.

International Standard Version
Ham, who fathered Canaan, saw his father's genitals and told his two brothers outside.

Majority Standard Bible
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside.

NET Bible
Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and told his two brothers who were outside.

New Heart English Bible
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

World English Bible
Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Ham, father of Canaan, sees the nakedness of his father, and declares to his two brothers outside.

Young's Literal Translation
And Ham, father of Canaan, seeth the nakedness of his father, and declareth to his two brethren without.

Smith's Literal Translation
And Ham the father of Canaan will see the nakedness of his father, and he will declare to his two brethren without.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Which when Cham the father of Chaanan had seen, to wit, that his father's nakedness was uncovered, he told it to his two brethren without.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Because of this, when Ham, the father of Canaan, had indeed seen the privates of his father to be naked, he reported it to his two brothers outside.

New American Bible
Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness, and he told his two brothers outside.

New Revised Standard Version
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and he told his two brothers outside.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Kham the father of Canaan saw the nakedness of his father and he showed his two brothers.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Cham the father of Chanaan saw the nakedness of his father, and he went out and told his two brothers without.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Noah's Shame and Canaan's Curse
21But when he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and uncovered himself inside his tent. 22And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside. 23Then 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.…

Cross References
Leviticus 18:8
You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; it would dishonor your father.

Leviticus 20:11
If a man lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness. Both must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

Deuteronomy 27:20
‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his father’s wife, for he has violated his father’s marriage bed.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

2 Samuel 16:22
So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.

Habakkuk 2:15
Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin until they are drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness!

1 Corinthians 5:1
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife.

1 Corinthians 6:18
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.

Ephesians 5:11-12
Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. / For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5
For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality; / each of you must know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, / not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God;

Revelation 3:18
I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.

Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

Proverbs 23:29-35
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has needless wounds? Who has bloodshot eyes? / Those who linger over wine, who go to taste mixed drinks. / Do not gaze at wine while it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. ...

Isaiah 5:11-12
Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger into the evening, to be inflamed by wine. / At their feasts are the lyre and harp, tambourines and flutes and wine. They disregard the actions of the LORD and fail to see the work of His hands.

Isaiah 28:7
These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments.

Galatians 5:19-21
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; / idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, / and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.


Treasury of Scripture

And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers without.

Ham.

Genesis 9:25
And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

Genesis 10:6,15-19
And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan…

1 Chronicles 1:8,13-16
The sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, Put, and Canaan…

told.

2 Samuel 1:19,20
The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! …

Psalm 35:20,21
For they speak not peace: but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land…

Psalm 40:15
Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.

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Canaan Declareth Father's Ham Nakedness News Outside Unclothed
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Canaan Declareth Father's Ham Nakedness News Outside Unclothed
Genesis 9
1. God blesses Noah and his sons, and grants them flesh for food.
4. Blood and murder are forbidden.
8. God's covenant, of which the rainbow was constituted a pledge.
18. Noah's family replenishes the world.
20. Noah plants a vineyard,
21. Is drunken, and mocked by his son;
25. Curses Canaan;
26. Blesses Shem;
27. Prays for Japheth, and dies.














And Ham
The name "Ham" in Hebrew is "חָם" (Cham), which means "hot" or "warm." Ham is one of Noah's three sons, and his actions in this verse set the stage for significant future events. From a historical perspective, Ham is traditionally considered the progenitor of several ancient peoples, including the Egyptians, Cushites, and Canaanites. His role in this narrative is pivotal, as it leads to the curse on Canaan, his son, which has far-reaching implications in the biblical narrative.

the father of Canaan
This phrase emphasizes Ham's relationship to Canaan, who is significant in the biblical narrative as the ancestor of the Canaanites. The Canaanites are often depicted as adversaries of the Israelites. The mention of Canaan here foreshadows the curse that Noah will pronounce, which is a key element in understanding the historical and theological context of the Israelites' later conquest of Canaan. Theologically, this highlights the generational impact of sin and disobedience.

saw his father’s nakedness
The Hebrew word for "saw" is "רָאָה" (ra'ah), which can mean to see, perceive, or look at. In this context, it implies more than a mere accidental glance; it suggests a disrespectful or dishonorable act. "Nakedness" in Hebrew is "עֶרְוָה" (ervah), which can denote vulnerability or shame. In the ancient Near Eastern culture, seeing one's father's nakedness was considered a grave dishonor, reflecting a lack of respect for parental authority and family dignity. This act of seeing and not covering reflects a deeper moral and ethical failure.

and told his two brothers outside
The act of telling his brothers, Shem and Japheth, indicates a further breach of respect. Instead of covering his father's shame, Ham broadcasts it, showing a lack of filial piety and discretion. This action contrasts sharply with the respectful response of Shem and Japheth, who cover their father without looking at him. Theologically, this highlights the importance of honoring one's parents, a theme that resonates throughout Scripture, and underscores the consequences of failing to do so.

(22, 23) Ham . . . saw . . . and told.--The sin lay not in seeing, which might be unintentional, but in telling, especially if his purpose was to ridicule his father. His brothers, with filial piety, "take a garment," the loose outer robe or cloak enveloping the whole body, and with reverent delicacy walk backwards, and lay it upon their father's person.

Verse 22. - And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness. Pudenda, from a root (עָרָה) signifying to make naked, from a kindred root to which (עָרם) comes the term expressive of the nakedness of Adam and Eve after eating the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:7). The sin of Ham - not a trifling and unintentional transgression" (Von Bohlen) - obviously lay not in seeing what perhaps he may have come upon unexpectedly, but

(1) in wickedly rejoicing in what he saw, which, considering who he was that was overcome with wine, - "the minister of salvation to men, and the chief restorer of the world," - the relation in which he stood to Ham, - that of father, - the advanced age to which he had now come, and the comparatively mature years of Ham himself, who was "already more than a hundred years old," should have filled him with sincere sorrow; "sed nunquam vino victum pattern filius risisset, nisi prius ejecisset animo illam reverentiam et opinionem, quae in liberis de parentibus ex mandato Dei existere debet" (Luther); and

(2) in reporting it, doubtless with a malicious purpose, to his brethren. And told his two brethren without. Possibly inviting them to come and look upon their father's shame.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Ham,
חָ֚ם (ḥām)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 2526: Ham -- a son of Noah, also his descendants, also a name for Egyptians

the father
אֲבִ֣י (’ă·ḇî)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1: Father

of Canaan,
כְנַ֔עַן (ḵə·na·‘an)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3667: Canaan -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their land West of the Jordan

saw
וַיַּ֗רְא (way·yar)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7200: To see

his father’s
אָבִ֑יו (’ā·ḇîw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1: Father

nakedness
עֶרְוַ֣ת (‘er·waṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 6172: Nakedness

and told
וַיַּגֵּ֥ד (way·yag·gêḏ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5046: To be conspicuous

his two
לִשְׁנֵֽי־ (liš·nê-)
Preposition-l | Number - mdc
Strong's 8147: Two (a cardinal number)

brothers
אֶחָ֖יו (’e·ḥāw)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )

outside.
בַּחֽוּץ׃ (ba·ḥūṣ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2351: Separate by a, wall, outside, outdoors


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OT Law: Genesis 9:22 Ham the father of Canaan saw (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 9:21
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