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A:The Hebrews of the first millenium BCE despised their neighbours, the Canaanites, whom they regarded as descended from the legendary Canaan. In the passage that follows Genesis 9:18, we see Ham, "the father of Canaan", homosexually rape his own father, Noah, while he is asleep in a drunken stupour. Whenever The Bible talks about a man 'knowing' or 'seeing the nakedness' of another man or woman, it is a euphemism for sex, in this case, the most despised act by Ham of raping his own father and then boasting to his brothers about it: (Genesis 9:22) "And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without."

When Noah realises what has happened, he curses not Ham but Ham's future son Canaan, saying that he (his descendants) will forever be slaves for his brethren. The curse can be seen as part of a passage that seeks to justify future hatred of the Canaanites: (Genesis 9:24) "And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant."

This passage had such obvious political implications that we do not need to believe that it really happened. Noah cursed, not Ham, but Ham's son Canaan, and said that Canaan would forever be the servant to his brethren. When this story was written down, the Canaanites, biblical descendants of the legendary Canaan, were the despised competitors of the Israelites. The curse can be seen as part of a passage that seeks to justify hatred of the Canaanites at the time the story was being told.

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Why was canaan cursed?

Canaan was cursed because he was born of incest. His father was Ham and his mother was Noah's wife, who was also Ham's mother.Answer:Canaan was cursed for the reason stated explicitly in Genesis ch.9. Noah refrained from cursing the perpetrator, Ham, because God Himself had blessed Noah and his three sons.


How did ham dishonor his father?

Ham's father was Noah. Noah got drunk off of wine and fell asleep naked. Ham went into his father's tent and found him naked. He broadcast his father's nakedness and did not cover his father. His two brothers Shem and Japheth walked backwards and did not look at their naked father, but covered him. This is how Ham dishonored his father Noah.


Who was the father of the canaanites?

According to Phoenician mythology, the Canaanites were said to be the descendants of Canaan, who was a son of Ham, one of Noah's sons. This genealogy can be found in the Bible, particularly in the Book of Genesis.


What did it mean when ham saw noahs nakedness?

When Ham saw Noah's nakedness in the Bible, it is interpreted as a disrespectful act towards his father. This incident led to a curse being placed on Ham's son, Canaan, as punishment for his disrespect.


What was the curse placed on Noah's son Ham and what does it mean?

The passage says that Ham saw his father's nakedness and reported (most likely in derision) to his older brothers. Neither act was honorable; both times Ham had the opportunity to do something right. ( After Ham told his older brother Japeth and Shem, Japeth and Shem went and covered their father's body with a cloth. But when they did it they walked in the tent backwards so that they would not see Noah's nakedness.)But the whole episode seems rather bizarre and out of proportion to the simple issue of being seen naked. I've looked at most of the commentators and many of them suggest that there is some sort of sexual euphamism in the way it's expressed. http://www.christianmoralquestions.com/ also points out something similar in Habakkuk 2:15: "Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbours, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies" and suggests that here too there is some sort of sexual euphamism (after all why would the neighbours want to take their clothes off when they came round for a drink?). The term "being uncovered" usually implied that there was a woman involved (but she wouldn't have been mentioned in that kind of patriarchal narrative).Of coarse Ham took advantage of his father sexually he was aroused by his father's naked body and his helpless drunken state, and when Noah woke he was aware of what had happened to him, he would have known he had been penetrated.You wouldn't curse your son for seeing you naked that would not make sense at all no matter what he said to his brothers.

Related Questions

Is Canaan Noah's son?

A:According to biblical tradition, Noah was the ancestor of all subsequent humans. This of course is a religious belief, not a scientific or anthropological statement.


Who were the Canaanites descendants of?

The Canaanites were descendants of Canaan. Canaan was the son of Ham. Ham was the son of Noah.


Why was Canaan during the time of Noah cursed?

the name Canaan is synonymous to Tagalog word " Kanaan" (commiting sins without boundary) .The story was about the wrong intention of Cham(son of noah) he looked the naked body of his father noah and commited sin (maybe homosexual orientation) .Noah knew what his son cham did so he cursed canaan (the offspring of Cham) because he knew what kind of people are the sons of Canaan.


Is Canaan Noah's grandchild or son?

Canaan is son of Ham making him the grandson of Noah as described in Genesis 9:22.


Why was canaan cursed?

Canaan was cursed because he was born of incest. His father was Ham and his mother was Noah's wife, who was also Ham's mother.Answer:Canaan was cursed for the reason stated explicitly in Genesis ch.9. Noah refrained from cursing the perpetrator, Ham, because God Himself had blessed Noah and his three sons.


In the Bible who is Ham the son of?

EsauGenesis 9:18 - Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan. [NKJV]


How was Noahs son Ham cursed?

The reason why ham was cursed was because of the fact that Noah was celebrating the fact that he and his family have been set free from the aspect of what it happened with the flood and with that his son Ham noticed his father being naked and made fun of the issue and was cursed because of that; whereas his two brothers were respectful to their father Noah and they went in with a covering backwards and put the covering over their naked father. Answer 2 Ham was not cursed by anyone. Noah cursed Canaan one of Ham's sons (Genesis 9).


Was ham cursed?

Ham, son of Noah, was cursed for doing something he should not have done (seeing his father Noah drunk and naked). Answer B: The Bible does not say that Ham was cursed. It says his son Canaan was cursed.


How did ham dishonor his father?

Ham's father was Noah. Noah got drunk off of wine and fell asleep naked. Ham went into his father's tent and found him naked. He broadcast his father's nakedness and did not cover his father. His two brothers Shem and Japheth walked backwards and did not look at their naked father, but covered him. This is how Ham dishonored his father Noah.


What is the curse of Ham?

Ham, son of Noah, was cursed for doing something he should not have done (seeing his father Noah drunk and naked). Answer B: The Bible does not say that Ham was cursed. It says his son Canaan was cursed.


Why was Noah upset with his sons?

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.


Who was Noah's son that was accursed for looking upon his father naked?

Ham was the son of Noah that saw his father naked. After Noah woke, he laid a curse upon Ham, saying, cursed be Canaan.