Genesis 9:17-19
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
17 God told Noah: This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and every mortal being that is on earth.
Noah and His Sons. 18 [a]The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan.(A) 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated.
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- 9:18–27 The character of the three sons is sketched here. The fault is not Noah’s (for he could not be expected to know about the intoxicating effect of wine) but Ham’s, who shames his father by looking on his nakedness, and then tells the other sons. Ham’s conduct is meant to prefigure the later shameful sexual practices of the Canaanites, which are alleged in numerous biblical passages. The point of the story is revealed in Noah’s curse of Ham’s son Canaan and his blessing of Shem and Japheth.
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