Why was Noah upset with his sons?

Answer 1

Noah didn't lash out at his sons, but at the youngest son of Ham, "Canaan."

"And he [Noah] said, CURSED BE CANAAN..." (Gen.9:25) [whereby, Ham would have been devastated over his son's wickedness against his father]

The majority of studies and commentaries regarding this account speak to the evils of "excesses" and "drunkenness"... and rightly so.

This, of course, serves to "keep it clean" enough for the consumption of certain "family values" parents would desire for their children to take away from their "Bible stories" and family-oriented lessons.

Yet, the account says: "And Noah awoke from his wine [his drunken stupor, an excess which is definitely frowned upon in God's Word], and knew what his younger son had DONE UNTO HIM." (verse 24)

There is no mention that anything had been "done to Noah" up to this point. The delicate wording says that: "...Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father..." (verse 22), and went and told his two brothers about it. But, there is no mention of anything having been "done" to Noah.

Yet, Noah "cursed Canaan" [not Ham], who was the youngest son of Ham [Gen.10:6], when he discovered something that, obviously, CANAAN HAD DONE TO HIM.

The "younger son" who had "done something" to Noah wasn't Ham, but, Canaan... Ham's youngest son... but who was also "Noah's son."

It was "Canaan" with whom Noah was upset.