Genesis — Chapter 9

Loading ESV text...

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.

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 bird of the heavens; With all wherewith the ground teemeth, and all the fishes of the sea, into your hand are they delivered.

3Every moving thing that liveth shall be food for you; As the green herb have I given you all.

4But flesh with the life thereof, [which is] the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

5And surely your blood, [the blood] of your lives, will I require; At the hand of every beast will I require it. And at the hand of man, even 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, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you. Of all that go out of the ark, even 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 the 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 from the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.

19These three were the sons of Noah: and of these was the whole earth overspread.

20And Noah began to be a husbandman, and 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 youngest 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 Jehovah, the God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.

27God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan 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.

1Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

2Every living creature of the earth and every bird of the sky will be terrified of you. Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority.

3You may eat any moving thing that lives. As I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

4“But you must not eat meat with its life (that is, its blood) in it.

5For your lifeblood I will surely exact punishment, from every living creature I will exact punishment. From each person I will exact punishment for the life of the individual since the man was his relative.

6“Whoever sheds human blood, by other humans must his blood be shed; for in God’s image God has made humankind.

7“But as for you, be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it.”

8God said to Noah and his sons,

9“Look. I now confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you

10and with every living creature that is with you, including the birds, the domestic animals, and every living creature of the earth with you, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature of the earth.

11I confirm my covenant with you: Never again will all living things be wiped out by the waters of a flood; never again will a flood destroy the earth.”

12And God said, “This is the guarantee of the covenant I am making with you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all subsequent generations:

13I will place my rainbow in the clouds, and it will become a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth.

14Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,

15then I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures of all kinds. Never again will the waters become a flood and destroy all living things.

16When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will notice it and remember the perpetual covenant between God and all living creatures of all kinds that are on the earth.”

17So God said to Noah, “This is the guarantee of the covenant that I am confirming between me and all living things that are on the earth.”

18The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Now Ham was the father of Canaan.)

19These were the three sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated.

20Noah, a man of the soil, began to plant a vineyard.

21When he drank some of the wine, he got drunk and uncovered himself inside his tent.

22Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers who were outside.

23Shem and Japheth took the garment and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.

24When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor he learned what his youngest son had done to him.

25So he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves he will be to his brothers.”

26He also said, “Worthy of praise is the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem!

27May God enlarge Japheth’s territory and numbers! May he live in the tents of Shem and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth!”

28After the flood Noah lived 350 years.

29The entire lifetime of Noah was 950 years, and then he died.

1God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth.

2The fear of you and the dread of you will be on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the sky. Everything that moves along the ground, and all the fish of the sea, are delivered into your hand.

3Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As I gave you the green herb, I have given everything to you.

4But flesh with its life, that is, its blood, you shall not eat.

5I will surely require your life’s blood. At the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man’s brother, I will require the life of man.

6Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image.

7Be fruitful and multiply. Increase abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it.”

8God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,

9“As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you,

10and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ship, even every animal of the earth.

11I will establish my covenant with you: All flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood. There will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.”

12God 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 set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be a sign of a covenant between me and the earth.

14When I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud,

15I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

16The rainbow will be in the cloud. I will look at it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

17God said to Noah, “This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

18The sons of Noah who went out from the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham is the father of Canaan.

19These three were the sons of Noah, and from these, the whole earth was populated.

20Noah began to be a farmer, and planted a vineyard.

21He drank of the wine and got drunk. He was uncovered within his tent.

22Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.

23Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it on both their shoulders, went in backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were backwards, and they didn’t see their father’s nakedness.

24Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done to him.

25He said, “Canaan is cursed. He will be a servant of servants to his brothers.”

26He said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant.

27May God enlarge Japheth. Let him dwell in the tents of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant.”

28Noah lived three hundred fifty years after the flood.

29All the days of Noah were nine hundred fifty years, and then he died.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

God establishes a covenant with Noah, sets the rainbow as its sign, and gives new commands for post-flood humanity.

Authorship & Background

Author: Moses (see Chapter 1 notes for full authorship details).
Historical Context: Chapter 9 records God's covenant with Noah — the first explicit covenant in Scripture. God re-commissions humanity (echoing 1:28), establishes new regulations for the post-flood world (permission to eat meat, prohibition of blood, capital punishment for murder), and seals His promise with the rainbow. The chapter also records Noah's failure (drunkenness) and the resulting prophecy over his three sons — shaping the rest of biblical history.
The Noahic Covenant (vv.1-17):
  • Re-commission: "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" (v.1).
  • New authority: animals now fear humans (v.2).
  • New diet: permission to eat meat (v.3) — but not blood (v.4).
  • Sanctity of life: murder requires capital punishment because man bears God's image (vv.5-6).
  • The covenant promise: never again a universal flood (v.11).
  • The sign: the rainbow (vv.12-17).
Noah's Failure (vv.20-23): Noah plants a vineyard, gets drunk, lies naked in his tent (vv.20-21). Ham "saw the nakedness of his father" and told his brothers (v.22) — likely involving more than just seeing (the Hebrew may imply disrespect or exploitation). Shem and Japheth cover their father respectfully (v.23).
The Prophecy (vv.24-27): Noah curses Canaan (Ham's son) — "a servant of servants" (v.25). Blesses Shem — "Blessed be the LORD God of Shem" (v.26) — the Messianic line. Blesses Japheth — "God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem" (v.27) — Gentile inclusion.

Map & Geography

  • No specific geography — the focus is on God's covenant with Noah and the post-flood commands for all humanity.
  • The prophecy over Shem, Ham, and Japheth (vv.25-27) sets up the Table of Nations (ch.10) and the geographical spread of peoples.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers the Noahic covenant, the rainbow, Noah's failure, and the prophecy over the three sons.
  • Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "The Rainbow" on v.13 (MTP Vol. 9, No. 527) "I do set MY bow in the cloud — God's bow, not man's. A weapon of war (the bow) now pointed away from earth, toward heaven — as if God has laid down His weapon. The rainbow is God's promise made visible: I will not destroy again. Every rainbow is a sermon — preaching God's faithfulness, God's mercy, God's covenant-keeping character."

Reflection

  • 1. "I do set my bow in the cloud" (v.13). Every rainbow is God preaching His faithfulness. Do you notice? Do you remember His promises when you see it?
  • 2. "For in the image of God made he man" (v.6). Every human being bears God's image — regardless of race, status, or condition. How does this shape how you treat people?
  • 3. Noah — the righteous man who walked with God — got drunk and was shamed (vv.20-21). Even the godly can fall. Are you guarding against complacency? Past faithfulness doesn't guarantee future obedience.
  • 4. Shem and Japheth covered their father's shame (v.23). When someone you respect fails, do you expose them (like Ham) or cover them with grace (like Shem and Japheth)?
  • 5. "God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem" (v.27). Gentiles sharing in Israel's spiritual blessings — fulfilled in Christ. If you're a Gentile believer, you are living in this prophecy.