curse Ham's son Canaan (his own grandson) with eternal slavery, while giving his blessing to Shem and Japheth, just because Ham saw him drunk and naked?
2007-11-19 06:02:09 · 13 answers · asked by B 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Thats because Canaan raped him when he was passed out. According to the Bible, anyways.
2007-11-19 06:07:25 · answer #1 · answered by jkhawaja 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The account in Genesis appears to missing some of the details. If you read it again, you will find that it was Ham who saw Noah, but Canaan who was cursed. It appears that something more happened that the Bible writers choose not to detail. They usual assumption is that Canaan took sexual liberties with Noah. The base that on the statement where Noah says he "had uncoverd his nakedness", which is often used as an idiom for sex, like we would say "spelt together".
If you follow the history of Canaan, his descendents did not become eternal slaves. Rather they were the Canaanite people who lived in the Promised Land when Moses and Joshua arrived there. The vast majority of them would be exterminated in the conquest of the land by the Israelites.
After that, there is only one mention of a "Canaanite" in the Bible, that is a woman whose daughter Jesus healed in the gospels. Even then, it is not clear whether whe was of Canaanite descend, or only lived in a region that HAD been a Canaanite stronghold 1500 years before.
2007-11-19 14:11:35 · answer #2 · answered by dewcoons 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There must be some missing texts to explain that further. It could have been written with some prejudice against the descendants of Canaan, and as a prelude to the eventual conquest of the land.
2007-11-19 14:09:27 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all, Noach did not curse Ham's son. He said he was cursed. (Gen 9:25)
Secondly, the sin wasn't just seeing his father naked. He uncovered his father's nakedness. Compare this to Lev 20:11. A man who shall lie with his father's wife will have uncoverd his father's nakedness.
So, now we have an idea of the real sin.
2007-11-19 14:09:56 · answer #4 · answered by Gershon b 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It wasn't because Ham saw Noah drunk and naked, it's because Ham's reaction revealed his true character. He didn't honor his father by covering his fathers shame, rather he pointed it out...kind of like "ha ha look at you...sinner..." Love covers a multitude of sins, and Ham was simply not being loving.
2007-11-19 14:13:36 · answer #5 · answered by mommyoffour 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Most of the OT is filled with irrational behavior from both God and the main characters. This was long before the age of enlightenment, when reasoning and logic took a foothold.
2007-11-19 14:08:17 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because the people in those days believed in slavery so they adjusted this story to give a good and godly reason why we should have slaves.
Just another sickness in the bible.
2007-11-19 14:06:59 · answer #7 · answered by Alan 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
In the bible it says it's not lawful for a person to see others nakedness. I'm not talking about married people.
2007-11-19 14:16:13 · answer #8 · answered by King Arthur 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it was that he saw him drunk and naked and when and got his brothers and made fun of him.....
2007-11-19 14:05:37 · answer #9 · answered by Lee's Wife 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's called 'tough love'.
2007-11-19 14:04:46 · answer #10 · answered by S K 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋