The only words of Noah recorded in the Bible are in Gen 9:25-27, when Noah invokes a curse upon Canaan (v 25) and blessings upon Shem and Japheth. Here I want to focus on v 27:
"May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant."
The meaning of Noah's invocation depends upon the the intended antecedents of the pronouns in this verse. One possibility is that "him" refers to Japheth. In that case, "dwelling in the tents of Shem" could mean sharing in the blessing that God promises to Abraham, a descendant of Shem through whom all nations are to be blessed (Gen 12:3).
On the other hand, "him" could refer to God. In that case, God dwelling in the tents of Shem could refer to God dwelling with Israel, a nation that will descend from Shem, in the tabernacle and temple, and ultimately to God coming to "pitch his tent with us" in the person of Jesus the Messiah (John 1:14).
Either interpretation is possible. There are also two possibilities for "his" later in the verse. If "his" means "Japheth's", then Noah is calling for Canaan to be a servant of Japheth. On the other hand, if "his" means "God's", then Noah could be calling for Canaan to ultimately become a servant of God. Some Canaanites--e.g., Rahab--did become servants of God---and God's plan is for all to submit to him ultimately (Isa 45:22-23, Phil 2:9-11).
Gen 9:27 is one of several examples of pronoun ambiguity in the Bible. When there is more than one possibility for the antecedent of a pronoun, it can be fruitful to explore all the possibilities and see what we can learn from them. In some cases the ambiguity may be deliberate and may be a way of communicating the multiple possibilities in a succinct manner.
Showing posts with label Noah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Noah. Show all posts
Monday, May 4, 2020
Sunday, May 3, 2020
Seder 8: Genesis 9-10---Ham and the Curse on Canaan
In Genesis 9 God stated his commitment to bless the whole earth, for all time, as symbolized by the sign of the rainbow. He gave Noah and his family the task of repopulating the earth. They carried out this task, as recorded in the table of nations in Gen 10.
The process of "replenishing the earth" was not an entirely smooth one, though. Human sinfulness continued to be an impediment to human progress, and we see one example in Gen 9.
Genesis 9:18 reminds us of the names of Noah's sons: "The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.)"
Israelite readers would have taken note of the parenthetical mention of Canaan here. The Israelites would later be charged with driving out the Canaanites from the Promised Land, and they were cautioned not to follow the practices of the Canaanites. What was the background of these people?
We go on to read that Noah at one point drank too much wine and was passed out, naked, in his tent. Ham disrespectfully advertised this fact to Shem and Japheth, who were careful to cover up their father. Noah later invoked a curse upon Canaan: "Cursed be Canaan: a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.''(v 25).
Two questions arise from this passage: (1) What sin did Ham commit? (2) Why was Canaan singled out for a curse?
One possible answer is simply that Ham had disrespect for his father. Noah had prophetic insight that Canaan was the son of Ham who would especially exhibit the sins of his father, and so he invoked a curse upon Canaan.
A second answer, popular among Jews and Christians in the early centuries AD, is that Ham castrated his father. The rabbis, ever on the lookout for possibilities of measure for measure justice in the Bible, described it this way: Ham prevented Noah from having a fourth son, so Noah invoked a curse upon Ham's fourth son (see Gen 10:4 for the sons of Ham).
A weakness of this view is that there is nothing about castration in Genesis 9. What the text does say is that Ham "saw the nakedness of his father'' (v 22). Elsewhere, in Lev 18 and 20, to "see the nakedness" of someone or to "uncover the nakedness" of someone refers to a sexual act---see Lev 20:17, which indicates these phrases are synonymous. Significantly, the discussion of forbidden sexual unions in Lev 18 and 20 is prefaced with an admonition to avoid the sins of Egypt and Canaan (Lev 18:3).
Based on the connection with Lev18, 20, a number of interpreters propose that Ham's sin was a sexual act, either with Noah or with Noah's wife. The latter possibility would give the best explanation of why Canaan was singled out. If Ham committed incest with his mother, and Canaan was the product of that union, this could explain why Canaan was singled out for a curse.
This possibility fits with Lev 20:20-21, which refer to having sex with a man's wife as uncovering that man's nakedness (which, in turn, is synonymous with seeing the man's nakedness). In this scenario, Ham is a precursor of Reuben (Gen 35:22). Also, the Canaanites, like the Moabites and Ammonites, would have originated from an act of incest.
In Ancient Near Eastern cultures, one way to assert dominance within a clan was to sleep with the clan leader's wife or wives. Think, for example, of Absalom's behavior with the concubines of David (2 Sam 16). Ham and Reuben may have had similar motives. In this case, Noah invokes a curse upon Canaan because he does not want Ham's line through Canaan to be dominant.
For further discussion, listen to episode 158 of the Naked Bible Podcast and see the paper "Noah's Nakedness and the Curse on Canaan (Genesis 9:20-27) by John Sietze Bergsma and Scott Walker Hahn, Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 124, No. 1 (Spring, 2005), pp. 25-40.
The process of "replenishing the earth" was not an entirely smooth one, though. Human sinfulness continued to be an impediment to human progress, and we see one example in Gen 9.
Genesis 9:18 reminds us of the names of Noah's sons: "The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.)"
Israelite readers would have taken note of the parenthetical mention of Canaan here. The Israelites would later be charged with driving out the Canaanites from the Promised Land, and they were cautioned not to follow the practices of the Canaanites. What was the background of these people?
We go on to read that Noah at one point drank too much wine and was passed out, naked, in his tent. Ham disrespectfully advertised this fact to Shem and Japheth, who were careful to cover up their father. Noah later invoked a curse upon Canaan: "Cursed be Canaan: a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.''(v 25).
Two questions arise from this passage: (1) What sin did Ham commit? (2) Why was Canaan singled out for a curse?
One possible answer is simply that Ham had disrespect for his father. Noah had prophetic insight that Canaan was the son of Ham who would especially exhibit the sins of his father, and so he invoked a curse upon Canaan.
A second answer, popular among Jews and Christians in the early centuries AD, is that Ham castrated his father. The rabbis, ever on the lookout for possibilities of measure for measure justice in the Bible, described it this way: Ham prevented Noah from having a fourth son, so Noah invoked a curse upon Ham's fourth son (see Gen 10:4 for the sons of Ham).
A weakness of this view is that there is nothing about castration in Genesis 9. What the text does say is that Ham "saw the nakedness of his father'' (v 22). Elsewhere, in Lev 18 and 20, to "see the nakedness" of someone or to "uncover the nakedness" of someone refers to a sexual act---see Lev 20:17, which indicates these phrases are synonymous. Significantly, the discussion of forbidden sexual unions in Lev 18 and 20 is prefaced with an admonition to avoid the sins of Egypt and Canaan (Lev 18:3).
Based on the connection with Lev18, 20, a number of interpreters propose that Ham's sin was a sexual act, either with Noah or with Noah's wife. The latter possibility would give the best explanation of why Canaan was singled out. If Ham committed incest with his mother, and Canaan was the product of that union, this could explain why Canaan was singled out for a curse.
This possibility fits with Lev 20:20-21, which refer to having sex with a man's wife as uncovering that man's nakedness (which, in turn, is synonymous with seeing the man's nakedness). In this scenario, Ham is a precursor of Reuben (Gen 35:22). Also, the Canaanites, like the Moabites and Ammonites, would have originated from an act of incest.
In Ancient Near Eastern cultures, one way to assert dominance within a clan was to sleep with the clan leader's wife or wives. Think, for example, of Absalom's behavior with the concubines of David (2 Sam 16). Ham and Reuben may have had similar motives. In this case, Noah invokes a curse upon Canaan because he does not want Ham's line through Canaan to be dominant.
For further discussion, listen to episode 158 of the Naked Bible Podcast and see the paper "Noah's Nakedness and the Curse on Canaan (Genesis 9:20-27) by John Sietze Bergsma and Scott Walker Hahn, Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 124, No. 1 (Spring, 2005), pp. 25-40.
Saturday, April 25, 2020
Seder 7: Psalm 17--the prayer of a righteous man
The psalms associated with the Genesis account of Noah have tended to focus on the way of the righteous, highlighting the fact that Noah was a righteous man who walked with God (Gen 6:6-9).
Psalm 17 follows this trend. Here David brings an urgent need before God, asserting that his cause is just. The sages in the midrash on the Psalms thought of Proverbs 15:8: "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him." David's prayer is a prayer of the upright.
We also think of James 5:16: "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."
David in his prayer asks for vindication and investigation (v 2). He asserts his loyalty to God and sincerity in following Him, and he is open to correction and guidance (as in Ps 139:23-24). He is not bragging or being self-righteous, just speaking honestly.
David prays with great confidence, showing the close relationship that he has with God. He is confident in God's merciful character (as in 2 Sam 24:14).
David feels surrounded and besieged by enemies (reminding us of Ps 22, and showing David as a type of the suffering Messiah). In his suffering, he places himself in God's hands. He is not concerned about attaining worldly riches, but is content with God's presence, both the next morning and in a future resurrection (v 15).
Psalm 17 follows this trend. Here David brings an urgent need before God, asserting that his cause is just. The sages in the midrash on the Psalms thought of Proverbs 15:8: "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him." David's prayer is a prayer of the upright.
We also think of James 5:16: "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."
David in his prayer asks for vindication and investigation (v 2). He asserts his loyalty to God and sincerity in following Him, and he is open to correction and guidance (as in Ps 139:23-24). He is not bragging or being self-righteous, just speaking honestly.
David prays with great confidence, showing the close relationship that he has with God. He is confident in God's merciful character (as in 2 Sam 24:14).
David feels surrounded and besieged by enemies (reminding us of Ps 22, and showing David as a type of the suffering Messiah). In his suffering, he places himself in God's hands. He is not concerned about attaining worldly riches, but is content with God's presence, both the next morning and in a future resurrection (v 15).
Saturday, April 4, 2020
Seder 5: Gen 6-7---One Pair or Seven Pairs?
One frequently-asked question about Gen 6-7 is why God instructs Noah to include a pair of each type of animal on the ark in Gen 6:19-20, then has Noah include 7 pairs of each clean animal and one pair of each unclean one in Gen 7.
Critical scholars often charge that these accounts are contradictory and result from two different accounts of the Flood being poorly patched together to form these chapters of Genesis.
Conservative scholars, on the other hand, see no contradiction here. In one literary pattern that sometimes appears in the Bible, an instruction is described first in general terms, then repeated in more detail. Gen 6-7 is a good example. (Num 14:20-35 is another.) Noah's instructions are given in broad strokes in Gen 6, then laid out in more detail in Gen 7.
A good source here: Walter Kaiser, Hard Sayings of the Bible, IVP, 1996.
Critical scholars often charge that these accounts are contradictory and result from two different accounts of the Flood being poorly patched together to form these chapters of Genesis.
Conservative scholars, on the other hand, see no contradiction here. In one literary pattern that sometimes appears in the Bible, an instruction is described first in general terms, then repeated in more detail. Gen 6-7 is a good example. (Num 14:20-35 is another.) Noah's instructions are given in broad strokes in Gen 6, then laid out in more detail in Gen 7.
A good source here: Walter Kaiser, Hard Sayings of the Bible, IVP, 1996.
Seder 5: Considering Noah---Gen 6-7
Noah was an example of the righteous man described in Psalm 1. As we read in Gen 6:9,
"Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God."
We see some examples of what this meant in Gen 6-7, where Noah was obedient to the detailed instructions God gave on the construction of the ark. Noah's obedience is emphasized in Gen 6:22; 7:5,9,16.
Reflecting on Noah's situation, Heb 11:7 states,
"By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith."
"Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God."
We see some examples of what this meant in Gen 6-7, where Noah was obedient to the detailed instructions God gave on the construction of the ark. Noah's obedience is emphasized in Gen 6:22; 7:5,9,16.
Reflecting on Noah's situation, Heb 11:7 states,
"By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith."
Thursday, April 2, 2020
Seder 5 Sermon: Man's Reboot
In this strange time when our activities and physical contacts are greatly restricted, it is interesting to reflect upon the experience of Noah.
Kyle Kettering points out in his Seder 5 sermon that Noah's name means "rest" (Gen 5:29). For the people and animals on the ark, it was a time that had some things in common with April 2020. It was a time of turmoil for the world, and an enforced pause or rest for those on the ark. On the ark there was rest, relief, protection. The world was being "rebooted".
The reading in the prophets for Seder 5, in Isa 54-55, emphasizes that God's grace and compassion are unfailing (54:9-11). He is a source of protection--vv 12-14. He invites us to repent and come back to him (55:1-9).
Kyle also explains that Psalm 1, the psalm connected with this Seder, is linked with Noah. Noah is seen as a prototype example of the righteous man described there who follows God rather than the world.
Noah is just one of the heroes of faith celebrated in Heb 11, one of that great "cloud of witnesses" (Heb 12:1). Kyle notes that they "found relief and refuge from their struggles through their faith relationship with the one true God." They looked ahead to the coming of the Messiah, who provides the ultimate peace, rest, and reboot for the world. We are called to walk in their footsteps.
Kyle Kettering points out in his Seder 5 sermon that Noah's name means "rest" (Gen 5:29). For the people and animals on the ark, it was a time that had some things in common with April 2020. It was a time of turmoil for the world, and an enforced pause or rest for those on the ark. On the ark there was rest, relief, protection. The world was being "rebooted".
The reading in the prophets for Seder 5, in Isa 54-55, emphasizes that God's grace and compassion are unfailing (54:9-11). He is a source of protection--vv 12-14. He invites us to repent and come back to him (55:1-9).
Kyle also explains that Psalm 1, the psalm connected with this Seder, is linked with Noah. Noah is seen as a prototype example of the righteous man described there who follows God rather than the world.
Noah is just one of the heroes of faith celebrated in Heb 11, one of that great "cloud of witnesses" (Heb 12:1). Kyle notes that they "found relief and refuge from their struggles through their faith relationship with the one true God." They looked ahead to the coming of the Messiah, who provides the ultimate peace, rest, and reboot for the world. We are called to walk in their footsteps.
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Seder 4: Gen 5:1-6:8
Genesis 5:1 begins by reaffirming that humans are created in the image of God and are blessed by God. The commission that God gave to man, to "be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth" still stands, even after the Fall. Without the tree of life this commission is harder to carry out, but at this point God seems to be granting Adam and his descendants some pretty long lifespans.
Genesis 5 gives a genealogical listing of 10 generations from Adam to Noah. A midrash on Ps 139:16 says that God knew about all of these in advance, with the details recorded in his book.
In the Masoretic Text these 10 generations cover a total of 1656 years, a fairly large chunk of human history. Some of the numbers in the LXX are different, and the total number of years is about 600 years more than in the MT. For more on the numbers, see here.
The entries in the Gen 5 list the generations in a set format with this structure:
Genesis 5 gives a genealogical listing of 10 generations from Adam to Noah. A midrash on Ps 139:16 says that God knew about all of these in advance, with the details recorded in his book.
In the Masoretic Text these 10 generations cover a total of 1656 years, a fairly large chunk of human history. Some of the numbers in the LXX are different, and the total number of years is about 600 years more than in the MT. For more on the numbers, see here.
The entries in the Gen 5 list the generations in a set format with this structure:
"And X lived a years, and begot Y. And X lived after he begot Y for b years, and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of X’s life were (a + b) years, and he died."
The seventh entry is a little different. With Enoch there is emphasis that he was one who "walked with God," and instead of saying "and he died" in 5:21, the text says that "God took him". This tantalizingly brief discussion has led to lots of speculation about what happened to Enoch, including legends about his being taken to heaven, being shown wonderful things, and prophesying. At any rate, we count him as a hero of faith (Heb 11:5).
In Gen 6:1-8 we read about the sins of mankind increasing, leading to God deciding to send a flood as a judgment upon the earth. These verses have also been the subject of much speculation. Here is how Gen 6 begins:
"When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose."
The earliest understanding of this passage (and as far as we know, the only understanding prior to 100 AD), is to identify the "sons of God" as angelic beings who rebelled against God, manifested themselves as humans, and married human women, violating a boundary that God had put in place.
This identification of the "sons of God" is consistent with the use of that term elsewhere in the Tanakh (e.g., Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7).
Chapter 6 goes on to say in verse 4, "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown."
In the LXX, "Nephilim" is translated "giants". So the implication is that the offspring of the "sons of God" and the "daughters of men" were giants. The Nephilim are mentioned again in Num 13:33, and apparently one of the reasons that God commanded the Israelites to wipe out the inhabitants of Canaan was to deal with those giants (Joshua 11:21-22).
If we had asked Jews during the time of Jesus about the meaning of Gen 6:1-4, they would have filled in some more details based on 1 Enoch 6-16. (They didn't consider 1 Enoch to be scripture, but they believed that it contained accurate history on this point.) According to 1 Enoch, the angels who married the human women also brought forbidden knowledge to mankind, including sorcery and how to make weapons of war. These angels were then put in a condition of restraint to await final judgment in the future.
We see these beliefs in a few places in the New Testament, especially Jude 6-7:
"And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day---just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire."
Jude 14, by the way, quotes a prophecy of Enoch from 1 Enoch 1.
Another place in which the I Enoch account is assumed is in 2 Peter 2:4-5:
"For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to
chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but
preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;"
Another place in which the I Enoch account is assumed is in 2 Peter 2:4-5:
"For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to
chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but
preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;"
I also want to say something about Gen 6:3: Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years."
This verse has been interpreted in two different ways. One is that human lifespans were going to be shortened, down to around 120 years. Another is that God was giving mankind 120 years to repent before sending the flood.
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