{"id":1798,"date":"2018-07-06T19:54:28","date_gmt":"2018-07-06T23:54:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/midwestapologetics.org\/blog\/?p=1798"},"modified":"2018-07-06T20:14:57","modified_gmt":"2018-07-07T00:14:57","slug":"noah-ham-and-the-cursing-of-canaan-part-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/midwestapologetics.org\/blog\/?p=1798","title":{"rendered":"Noah, Ham, and the Cursing of Canaan\u2014Part Two"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In this scene from the Palazzo Ducale in Venice, Shem and Japheth cover Noah. Is this really what the Bible describes? (Image courtesy of User:Amazone7)<\/p><\/div>\n

In the first post in this series<\/a>, we looked at three of the popular views related to the confusing passage in Genesis 9 that begins with Noah getting drunk. While he was passed out, Ham did something that caused Noah to curse Ham\u2019s son Canaan. What did he do that warranted such a response?<\/p>\n

So far we have discussed the voyeurism view, the castration view, and the paternal rape view. Each of these positions explains certain portions of the text, but they do not seem to provide a reasonable justification for Noah to curse Canaan, particularly since Ham is the one who did something wrong. For full descriptions along with the strengths and weaknesses of these views, please read the first post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As I mentioned in the first post, some of the issues discussed in these two posts may not be suitable for younger readers and would likely earn a PG-13 rating if it were a movie. I have tried to keep the language as family friendly as possible, but there is no getting around certain details. With that being said, let’s take a look at the fourth position regarding Noah, Ham, and Canaan.<\/p>\n

Maternal Incest<\/strong><\/p>\n

This view states that when Noah was passed out after getting drunk, Ham entered his father\u2019s tent and slept with or raped his own mother, Noah\u2019s wife. Whether he raped her or she lay with him willingly does not really change the main point of this position. At first glance, this view seems far-fetched since Noah\u2019s wife is never directly mentioned in this account and we are told that Ham did something to Noah. However, there are several arguments that seem to support this view, including many from Scripture itself.<\/p>\n

The first argument comes from the numerous passages that use the language about uncovering someone\u2019s nakedness. This wording is slightly different than what appears in Genesis 9 where we are told that Ham \u201csaw the nakedness of his father.\u201d It does not say that he \u201cuncovered his nakedness.\u201d However, the book of Leviticus uses these two phrases interchangeably at one point.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a man takes his sister, his father\u2019s daughter or his mother\u2019s daughter, and sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a wicked thing. And they shall be cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncovered his sister\u2019s nakedness. He shall bear his guilt.\u201d (Leviticus 20:17)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In this verse, seeing the nakedness of one\u2019s sister is equated with uncovering her nakedness. Does this mean that they only saw one another naked? No, it means that they had an incestuous relationship because in Leviticus the wording about uncovering someone\u2019s nakedness refers to sexual intercourse.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe man who lies with his father\u2019s wife has uncovered his father\u2019s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.\u201d (Leviticus 20:11)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This verse clearly states that the man who has sex with his father\u2019s wife has \u201cuncovered his father\u2019s nakedness.\u201d So not only does it use the \u201cuncovering nakedness\u201d as a euphemism for sex, this verse also tells us that sex with one\u2019s mother or stepmother means that the nakedness of one\u2019s father has been uncovered. And this is not the only verse that explains this point.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness. The nakedness of your father\u2019s wife you shall not uncover; it is your father\u2019s nakedness.\u201d (Leviticus 18:7\u20138)<\/p>\n

\u201cCursed is the one who lies with his father\u2019s wife, because he has uncovered his father\u2019s bed.\u201d (Deuteronomy 27:20)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

These verses specifically forbid a man from engaging in sexual activity with his mother or stepmother. And there are other verses that speak of a woman\u2019s nakedness as being the nakedness of her husband, such as Leviticus 18:14, 16 and 20:20\u201321.<\/p>\n

Why would Ham do something so vile? A clue to answering this question might be found in what Ham did immediately after the act. He went out and told his brothers what he had done. But why would Ham boast, or at least make known, what he had done? Let\u2019s see if we might be able to answer this question better after looking at some potentially similar passages in Scripture.<\/p>\n

Reuben<\/em><\/p>\n

Genesis 35:22 states that Jacob\u2019s oldest son, Reuben, lay with Jacob\u2019s concubine, Bilhah. In fact, shortly before his death, Jacob recalled this event while explaining why Reuben was not to be blessed as a firstborn was typically blessed (Genesis 49:3\u20134). In 1 Chronicles 5:1 we are told plainly that Reuben \u201cwas indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father\u2019s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Absalom<\/em><\/p>\n

David\u2019s son, Absalom, rebelled against his father and quickly drove him out of Jerusalem. Upon usurping the throne (temporarily), the first bit of advice he was given to was to \u201cGo in to your father\u2019s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house\u201d (2 Samuel 16:21). So, a tent was prepared on the roof of the king\u2019s place, and Absalom slept with ten of David\u2019s concubines \u201cin the sight of all Israel\u201d (2 Samuel 16:22). When David eventually regained power, he put the ten concubines in seclusion and cared for them, but he did not have relations with them again (2 Samuel 20:3).<\/p>\n

Adonijah<\/em><\/p>\n

In David\u2019s last days, a beautiful young woman, Abishag, was brought in to care for the king and to lie with him. The wording of the passage in English seems fairly innocent. \u201cLet a young woman, a virgin, be sought for our lord the king, and let her stand before the king, and let her care for him; and let her lie in your bosom, that our lord the king may be warm\u201d (1 Kings 2:2). Verse 4 states that she did tend to the king, \u201cbut the king did not know her.\u201d In other words, he did not have sexual relations with her. Apparently, in his old age, he was no longer able to do this.<\/p>\n

But what does this situation have to do with Genesis 9? Immediately after the passage about Abishag and David, the king\u2019s son, Adonijah sought to make himself king. He gathered a following to proclaim him as the heir to David\u2019s throne, but some quick thinking by Bathsheba and the prophet Nathan led David to announce Solomon as his heir, as he had promised. With Solomon established on the throne, Adonijah feared him and pleaded for his life to be spared. Solomon said that if he proved to be worthy, then he would live, but if wickedness was found in him then he would die (1 Kings 1:52).<\/p>\n

When David died, Adonijah went to Bathsheba, Solomon\u2019s mother, and after explaining that the kingdom had been in his hands, he had only one request that he wanted her to bring before Solomon. He said, \u201cPlease speak to King Solomon, for he will not refuse you, that he may give me Abishag the Shunnamite as wife\u201d (1 Kings 2:17). Upon hearing this request, Solomon\u2019s response comes across as quite harsh to people in our culture. \u201cNow why do you ask Abishag the Shunnamite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also\u2014for he is my older brother\u2026\u201d (1 Kings 2:22). Then Solomon ordered Benaiah to execute Adonijah.<\/p>\n

Alpha Males<\/em><\/p>\n

Clearly, there was something much deeper going on in these cases than just sexual activity, or in Adonijah\u2019s case, the attempt to marry Abishag, which would naturally include having sexual relations with her. It seems like in each case, the son was attempting to assert authority by replacing his father. By sleeping with his father\u2019s wife or at least attempting to lie with the last woman that lay in his father\u2019s bed, as was the case with Adonijah and Abishag, these men sought to usurp their father\u2019s authority. If the maternal incest view of Ham\u2019s wrongdoing is correct, then Ham was seeking to usurp Noah\u2019s authority by lying with Noah\u2019s wife. This might explain why he immediately went out and told his brothers\u2014He wanted to let them know that he would be in charge, even though he was the youngest.<\/p>\n

The whole concept is similar to how some animals behave. The strongest male has the right to mate with the females in the pack or herd, but sometimes a young challenger will seek to defeat him and take over the right to mate. Of course, there are some differences here. From a biblical perspective, people are not animals (we are made in God\u2019s image and were created to have dominion over the animals). And, in these cases, the young buck must defeat the alpha male first before he is allowed to mate, which was essentially the opposite order of what Reuben, Absalom, and Adonijah attempted to do.<\/p>\n

What about Canaan?<\/em><\/p>\n

A weakness of the first three views, with the possible exception of the castration view, is that they offer fairly weak explanations for Noah\u2019s cursing of Canaan. So how does the maternal incest view fare on this issue? It depends. If Noah\u2019s wife became pregnant as a result of the encounter with Ham, then we might have a strong explanation for the cursing of Canaan. That is, Canaan may have been the result of this incestuous event. And if that were the case, then Noah\u2019s curse has to do with Canaan being an illegitimate child, the result of Noah\u2019s own son seeking to usurp his authority by lying with his wife. The curse does not necessarily mean that Canaan was destined to be evil and rejected by God. It likely meant that his descendants would not enjoy the same blessings given to the descendants of Shem and Japheth, and that Canaan\u2019s descendants would serve them.<\/p>\n

Does the text give us reason to believe that Canaan was the result of this event? The passage twice states that Ham was the father of Canaan (verses 18 and 22) before it even described Ham\u2019s actions. It seems that the author may have been dropping clues about Canaan\u2019s origins in this passage.<\/p>\n

If the maternal incest view is correct, then a similar event occurred in Genesis 19. After Lot fled Sodom with his wife and two daughters, his wife famously turned around and was turned into a pillar of salt. Then Lot and his two daughters lived in a cave up in the mountains. After a while, the older daughter persuaded her younger sister that they should get their father drunk and then lie with him so that they could preserve his line. So that\u2019s what they did. The older daughter slept with him one night, and the younger daughter lay with him the next night, and both became pregnant. The older daughter gave birth to a son and called him Moab, and the younger daughter gave birth to a son named Ben-Ammi. They became the fathers of the Moabites and Ammonites, respectively.<\/p>\n

Now think about this. Who were three of Israel\u2019s greatest enemies after the Exodus as they prepared to take back the land promised to Abraham? The Moabites, Ammonites, and Canaanites. And if the maternal incest view of our passage is accurate, then we are told in Genesis that each of these people groups originated from incestuous relationships.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

So which of these views is correct? As you might have guessed by now, I believe the maternal incest view makes the most sense of the passage, because I believe it dots the most i\u2019s and crosses the most t\u2019s. It makes sense of the language about the father\u2019s nakedness, explains why Ham immediately told his brothers about his deed, has some parallels in the Bible, and it can provide an adequate explanation for the cursing of Canaan. However, I hold this view tentatively since I recognize we cannot make a watertight case for it. For example, the text does not necessarily tell us that Noah\u2019s wife was the mother of Canaan. If Canaan were not the result of this event, then the maternal incest view loses one of its best arguments. Also, it assumes that some time passes, maybe even several months, between Noah waking from his drunkenness and Noah learning what Ham had done to him, but this does not seem to be the natural reading of the text. So there are plenty of assumptions being made to support each of the positions, but at this point, I think the maternal incest view has the most explanatory power.<\/p>\n

While it is indeed disturbing that Ham may have raped or slept with his mother, we should not reject something just because it disturbs us. Believe me when I say that I\u2019m disturbed by the idea too, especially after writing three novels about Noah and his wife (The Remnant Trilogy<\/em><\/a>) and growing to truly appreciate these people. I don\u2019t like to think that something like this may have happened between them. But we need to face reality and realize that all sorts of heinous activities occur regularly. We cannot pretend that rape, incest, abortion, and murder do not happen in our world just because they might disturb us. People are sinful and routinely make horrible decisions that can have disastrous consequences, and the Bible does not shy away from telling us about some of these awful actions.<\/p>\n

Hopefully, these posts have helped make sense of a confusing passage. Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts on this subject.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the first post in this series, we looked at three of the popular views related to the confusing passage in Genesis 9 that begins with Noah getting drunk. While he was passed out, Ham did something that caused Noah … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,23,1],"tags":[6,64,25,17],"class_list":["post-1798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interpretation","category-theology","category-uncategorized","tag-bible","tag-mythology","tag-old-testament","tag-the-flood"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/midwestapologetics.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/midwestapologetics.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/midwestapologetics.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/midwestapologetics.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/midwestapologetics.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1798"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/midwestapologetics.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1798\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1802,"href":"https:\/\/midwestapologetics.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1798\/revisions\/1802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/midwestapologetics.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/midwestapologetics.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/midwestapologetics.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}