Did Ham uncover the nakedness of his father?

[tonychanyt]

The phrase H1540-uncover H6172-nakedness was used 20 times in Lv. E.g. Leviticus 18:

7 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness.

Don't uncover your mother's nakedness. To uncover someone's nakedness was used as a euphemism or idiom for having sexual intercourse with that person.

Outside of Lv, the phrase was sometimes used literally. Ex 20:

26 You shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed [H1540] on it. See also Is 47:3. Ez 22:10.

What about seeing someone's nakedness?

Ex 20:

If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees [H7200] her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered [H1540] his sister’s nakedness, and he shall bear his iniquity.

This was the only place where the phrase "seeing someone's nakedness" appeared in Lv and the phrase "uncovering a person's nakedness" alongside it to express "having sexual intercourse with".

uncovering a person's nakedness = seeing his/her nakedness = having sexual intercourse with him/her?

No, not always. It depended on the context. BSB, Ge 9:

20 Now Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. 21 But when he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and uncovered himself inside his tent.

Noah did it to himself while drunk.

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

Ham did not physically uncover the nakedness of his father. He saw with his physical eyes his father's nakedness. The phrase was not a euphemism. Ham did not have sexual intercourse with his father or mother.

23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment and placed it across their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness.

Neither Shem nor Japheth uncovered the nakedness of his father.

Their faces were turned away so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.

Shem and Japheth did not see their father's nakedness with their physical eyes. I interpret this verse literally.

Gill commented:

some will have it that he[Ham] committed incest with his father's wife; but these things are said without foundation

Ham did not uncover the nakedness of his father.

What was Ham's sin?

He physically saw the physical nakedness of his father and then broadcasted to his brothers about it. He should have quietly covered his father's nakedness without telling anyone. His brother knew it was wrong for him to act like he did. They remedied it by walking backward to cover their father's nakedness. They did the right thing, and Ham did wrong to his father's nakedness.

Ham's sin was threefold:

1. A lack of respect for his father.
2. Failure to protect his father's dignity.
3. Gossiping about or mocking his father's vulnerable state.

In Hebrew, was uncovering a person's nakedness the same as seeing their nakedness?

The two phrases, uncovering and seeing someone's nakedness, were closely related, so close that some scholars treat them as the same. I use more precision in my interpretation and treat them differently depending on the context.

See also Why did Noah Curse Canaan and not Ham when it was Ham who did wrong?.

 

[AV1611VET]

Ham didn't touch his father.

He committed incest with his mother.

Notice it says:

Genesis 9:22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
23 And 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.
24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.

What did he do to him?

He had incest with his wife.

Leviticus 18:8 The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.

 

[AV1611VET]

See also Why did Noah Curse Canaan and not Ham when it was Ham who did wrong?.

Noah couldn't curse Ham, because God had already blessed Ham earlier.

Genesis 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

 

[Benaiah468]

In Leviticus 18, the phrase "uncover the nakedness" appears 11 times as a euphemism or idiom for "having sexual intercourse". E.g. Leviticus 18:

Did any of the sons of Noah uncover the nakedness of Noah (or having sex with Noah's wife) in Genesis 18:

There are numerous passages in the Hebrew Bible about exposing or revealing the shame or nakedness of a “person”.

Ham is said to have seen his father's nakedness.

In the Torah, both expressions are used synonymously

And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity. Lev 20:17

In this verse, seeing one's sister's nakedness is equated with uncovering it, which means nothing other than that brother and sister have entered into an incestuous relationship.

And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. Lev 20:11

So exposing one's father's nakedness is a euphemism for sexual intercourse. Having sex with your mother or stepmother means exposing your father's nakedness

The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness. Lev 18:7-8

These verses explicitly prohibit a man from engaging in sexual activity with his mother or stepmother.

The Torah contains other verses that speak of a woman's nakedness as the nakedness of her husband

Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt. Lev 18:14

Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness. Lev 18:16

And if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife, he hath uncovered his uncle's nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless. Lev 20:20-21

 

[Benaiah468]

But why would Ham have done something so heinous?

We find a clue to answering this question in what Ham did immediately after the deed: he went out and told his brothers what he had done.

But why would Ham boast or at least confess what he had done?

A comparison with similar scriptural passages can help to answer this question.

And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: Gen 35:22

Jacob's eldest son, Reuben, slept with Jacob's concubine Bilhah. In fact, Jacob recalled this event shortly before his death while explaining why Reuben should not be blessed in the way a firstborn is usually blessed

Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch. Gen 49:3-4

Because he desecrated his father's bed, Reuben's birthright was given to Joseph's sons

Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright. 1 Chr 5:1

David's son Absalom rebelled against his father and drove him out of Jerusalem. After (temporarily) usurping the throne, the first advice he received was

And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong. So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. 2 Sam 16:21-22

When David finally returned to power, he let the concubines live in a guarded house and provided for them, but he no longer had any relations with them

And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood. 2 Sam 20:3

In David's last days, a beautiful young woman, Abishag, was brought to look after the king and lie with him

Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat. 1 Kings 1:2

It goes on to say

And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not. 1 Kings 1:4

In other words, he had no sexual relationship with her. Apparently, in his old age, he was no longer able to do so.

But what do these stories have to do with Noah and Ham?

Immediately after the passage about Abishag and David, the king's son Adonijah, after his older brothers Amnon, Absalom and probably also Kilab were dead, laid claim to the throne, procured himself a private army, conspired with allies at court against Solomon's partisans and had himself made king by them at a secret meeting.

However, the prophet Nathan thwarted his plan, sent Solomon's mother, Bathsheba, to the dying David, revealed the conspiracy to him and thus led him to prematurely anoint Solomon as his successor to the throne. Adonijah's followers fled and he had to recognize his brother as king over him.

As Solomon sat on the throne, Adonijah feared him and asked that his life be spared. Solomon told him that he would live if he proved himself worthy, but if wickedness was found in him, then he would have to die

If he will shew himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.1 Kings 1:52

After David's death, Adonijah asked Solomon to marry Abishag of Shunem. She was responsible for his care in the time before David's death.

And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah. 1 Kings 2:22

(According to the customs of the time, marrying Abishag meant that Adonijah was once again asserting his claim to the royal throne)

Solomon took this as a covert attack on his kingship and used it as an opportunity to eliminate his brother and his supporters at court.

In doing so, Solomon had eliminated any potential rivals and from then on ruled unchallenged over Israel and Judah.

Obviously these cases were about something much deeper than just sexual intercourse, or in the case of Adonijah, an attempt to marry Abishag, which would of course include a love affair with her.

It would appear that in each of the above cases, the son sought to gain authority by trying to replace his father. By sleeping with his father's wife, or at least trying to sleep with the last woman who was in his father's bed, as was the case with Adonia and Abishag, these men were trying to usurp the authority of their fathers.

Ham also tried to usurp Noah's authority in this way, namely by sleeping with Naamah.

This again explains why Ham went out immediately afterward and informed his brothers that he wanted to claim paternal authority, even though he was not the oldest among them.

Noah's curse on Canaan has to do with the fact that Canaan is an illegitimate child, the result of Noah's own son's attempt to usurp his authority by sleeping with his wife.

The curse does not inevitably mean that Canaan was destined to be considered wicked and rejected by G-d. It probably means that his descendants would not enjoy the same blessings that were bestowed upon the descendants of Shem and Japheth, and that the descendants of Canaan would serve them.

But only in the Millennium will the curse of Canaan find its complete fulfillment. According to the prophecy of Zechariah, it will be

and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts. Zec 14:21b

Three of Israel's greatest enemies after the Exodus from Egypt, as they prepared to reclaim the land promised to Abraham, were the Moabites, Ammonites and Canaanites.

Each of these three ethnic groups emerged from incestuous relationships.

 

[Benaiah468]

When Noah got drunk on fermented juice of the grape, his son Ham saw him lying undressed in the tent and went to him. After telling his brothers, Noah cursed Ham's son Canaan.

The key to deciphering this cryptic account can be found in the Gospel of Luke, where it says

And as it was in the days of Noe,... Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; Lk 17:26-28

What is the parallel between Noah's and Lot's story?

The second letter of Peter reveals the secret

For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of G-d the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ung-dly men. 2 Pe 3:5-7

Since the judgment in Noah's day was a flood and the judgment in Lot's day was brimstone and fire, in both cases only one family was saved.

Noah was characterized as the righteous man in his generation, and Lot as the righteous man in his city, which is not necessarily a compliment against the backdrop of their wicked generation and a perverse city.

These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with G-d... And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Gen 6:9 .7:1

And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds 2 Pe 2:7-8

Both formed a family of eight, if we are to believe the rabbinical tradition that Lot had two married daughters and two virgin daughters, which add up to eight “persons” if his wife and two sons-in-law are counted.

No window was made in the ark so that Noah could not see the corpses on the water.

The commandment to Lot was even clearer

look not behind thee, Gen 19:17b

Both were saved, and both got drunk. Lot committed incest in a cave with his two daughters, but what about Noah, happened between him and his son in the tent?

Lot's older daughter was obviously not ashamed of what she had done. She came out and told her younger sister exactly what had happened. She even went so far as to name her son Moab, that is, from the father.

Similarly, Ham was obviously not ashamed of what he did. He too went out and told his two brothers.


But what did he do in Noah's tent?

The first mention of Canaan in the Torah is literally out of the blue and says

...and Ham is the father of Canaan. Gen 9:18b
וחם הוא אבי כנען

without any context.

But why should we know this relationship?

Why were the other sons of Canaan or the sons of Shem and Japheth not mentioned?

Now the gematria for the four words is 269,

Total = 269
Original Text
Hebrew Value Inc
וחם 54
הוא 12
אבי 13
כנען 190

which contains the cryptic key with which this report can be decrypted, because this number corresponds exactly to the gematria of the expression

...as the (days) of Noah, likewise the (days) of Lot
...כִּימֵי נֹחַ וְכִימֵי לוֹט


as the (days) of Noah, likewise the (days) of Lot
כִּימֵי נֹחַ וְכִימֵי לוֹט
11. כ כּ Kaf/Khaf 20
10. י Yud 10
13. מ Mem 40
10. י Yud 10
14. נ Nun 50
8. ח Chet 8
6. ו Vav 6
11. כ כּ Kaf/Khaf 20
10. י Yud 10
13. מ Mem 40
10. י Yud 10
12. ל Lamed 30
6. ו Vav 6
9. ט Tet 9
Σ 269


Surprisingly, 269 is also the sum of the four words

Lot, ab (father), Moab, Benammi
לוֹט אָב מוֹאָב בֶּן-עַמִּי

Lot
לוֹט
12. ל Lamed 30
6. ו Vav 6
9. ט Tet 9
Σ 45

ab (father)
אָב
1. א Alef 1
2. ב בּ Bet/Vet 2
Σ 3

Moab
מוֹאָב
13. מ Mem 40
6. ו Vav 6
1. א Alef 1
2. ב בּ Bet/Vet 2
Σ 49

Benammi
בֶּן-עַמִּי
2. ב בּ Bet/Vet 2
14. נ Nun 50
16. ע Ayin 70
13. מ Mem 40
10. י Yud 10
Σ 172

45+3+49+172 = 269


Just as Moab and Benammi were sons of an incestuous relationship, so was Canaan, the son of Ham.

According to the account in Gen 19:30-38, Lot's two daughters resort to an unusual measure, as there is no prospect of a husband in the remote mountainous region where they live. They get their father drunk and “lie with him”, which means that they have sexual intercourse with him. Both daughters become pregnant on successive nights. The older one gives birth to Moab, the younger one to Benammi. Lot is thus the father and grandfather of the two, who subsequently become the progenitors of entire nations: Moab becomes the progenitor of the Moabites, Benammi the progenitor of the Ammonites. As Lot is a nephew of Abraham, the two brother nations are related to the Hebrews and Israelites.
S.: wicki

 

[tonychanyt]

So exposing one's father's nakedness is a euphemism for sexual intercourse. Having sex with your mother or stepmother means exposing your father's nakedness

I have edited my OP. Take another look. Feel free to follow up. Thanks.

 

[Benaiah468]

I have edited my OP. Take another look. Feel free to follow up. Thanks.

Thanks for the info. Perhaps that is also a conceivable explanation if you take the euphemism seeing nakedness literally. I'll have to think about that first.

It's like in court. If new witnesses or evidence emerge, the case may have to be reopened.

We are welcome to exchance ideas about what ultimately happened in Noah's time. In any case, it must have been something so important that Noah felt the need to curse an entire line of his descendants.

 

[Benaiah468]

Who was Noah's wife?

The Torah seems to be silent on this point, but is this really the case?

According to rabbinic Judaism, Naamah was the last woman mentioned in Cain's genealogy

And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. Gen 4:22

Naamah comes from the Hebrew noam and means as much as pleasant.

Cham (Ham) in Hebrew means hot, Hebrew cham.

Early rabbinic literature shows a sexual connotation of the word chamam, which is used to refer to a lustful “person”. As a verb, chamam means to be aroused or hot.

Ham's misbehavior is also found in Jewish and Christian literature.

In Origen's commentary on the first book of Moses, for example, Canaan and Ham are described as ung-dly and contrasted with the piety of the other brothers.

In the Babylonian Talmud, Ham (Cham) is one of those who, along with a dog (keleb) and a raven (oreb), performed the forbidden sexual intercourse in the ark and were punished for it.

But why should the rabbis be concerned about the sexual behavior of a dog or a raven in the ark?

They are codes waiting to be revealed, because the gematria of the three Hebrew words plus that of Naamah is astonishing


oreb (raven)
עֹרֵב
16. ע Ayin 70
20. ר Resch 200
2. ב בּ Bet/Vet 2
Σ 272

keleb (dog)
כֶּלֶב
11. כ כּ Kaf/Khaf 20
12. ל Lamed 30
2. ב בּ Bet/Vet 2
Σ 52

Cham (Ham)
חָם
8. ח Chet 8
13. מ Mem 40
Σ 48

272+52+48 = 372

נַעֲמָה (Naamah)
14. נ Now 50
16. ע Ayin 70
13. מ Mem 40
5. ה He 5
Σ 165

372+165 = 537


With an odd number of data values, the mean or central value corresponds to the middle value.

Since 537 is an odd number, this means that there is a middle number (mean value) from 1 to 537 that is exactly in the middle.

537-1 (mean value) = 536 (number of numbers to the left and right of the center)
536/2 = 268 (left and right half of the number)

The mean value of two or more numbers is calculated by adding all the numbers together and dividing the sum by the number of numbers. The mean value is also called the average value or arithmetic mean

1+2+3+...+537 = 144453
The mean value of 537 is (144453/537) = 269

This corresponds exactly to the gematria of

and Ham is the father of Canaan. Gen 9:18b
וחם הוא אבי כנען

Total = 269
Original Text
Hebrew Value Inc
וחם 54
הוא 12
אבי 13
כנען 190

 

[Benaiah468]

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the Lord your G-d. After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the Lord your G-d. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the Lord. None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the Lord. Lev 18:1-6

According to the Torah, sexual relations with blood relatives are a shameful act

Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness. Lev 18:17

The prohibition of incest is described as uncovering the shame of the father, instead of saying that a man may not have sexual intercourse with his mother

The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness. Lev 18:8

Of course, this can also be described more literally as the uncovering of the woman's shame, but it can also be described idiomatically in relation to the nakedness of the man, father, brother, uncle or son.

The nakedness of the woman is the same as the nakedness of the man, because, as Paul writes, the woman

hath not power of her own body, but the husband: 1 Cor 7:4

and from this perspective the mother's body belongs to the father.

The prophet Ezekiel uses an idiom about Israel in this way

In thee have they discovered their fathers' nakedness: in thee [the woman] have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution. Ez 22:10

And the prophet Habakkuk does not condemn the sin of homosexuality, but of getting a neighbor drunk to seduce his wife. He warns against looking at your neighbor's nakedness, which is only the least alternative form of exposing his nakedness and what Ham did, seeing his father's nakedness.

Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness! Hab 2:15

Getting drunk is a sin that can lead to other sins, such as incest

Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz; the cup also shall pass through unto thee: thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked. Lam 4:21

Understanding this Hebrew idiom makes it possible to understand Moses' account of why Noah cursed Canaan. The facts indicate that Canaan was the result of an incestuous relationship between Noah's wife and Ham. Noah condemned the product of their union, just as G-d condemned the product of David and Bathsheba's adultery, which resulted in the death of their first child.

 

[Benaiah468]

It should be obvious from all that has been said that the nakedness of the father is that of the mother, and it follows that the nakedness of Noah was Naamah.

So what really happened in Noah's tent?

One can guess that both Noah and Naamah were drunk in the tent and that Ham ravished Naamah without her knowledge. This is hinted at in Lot's story, as Lot did not know what his two daughters had done to him.

It should now also be clear that when Shem and Japheth went backwards and covered their father's nakedness, they were in fact covering Naamah, for she was Noah's nakedness.


The gematria of Noah, Shem, Ham, Japheth and Kanaan is 1126

Noach (Noah)
נֹחַ
14. נ Nun 50
8. ח Chet 8
Σ 58

Shem
שֵׁם
21. שׂ שׁ Shin/Sin 300
13. מ Mem 40
Σ 340

Cham (Ham)
חָם
8. ח Chet 8
13. מ Mem 40
Σ 48

Yepheth (Japheth)
יֶפֶת
10. י Yud 10
17. פ פּ Pey/Phey 80
22. ת תּ Tav/Sav 400
Σ 490

Kna'an (Kanaan)
כִּנַעַן
11. כ כּ Kaf/Khaf 20
14. נ Nun 50
16. ע Ayin 70
14. נ Nun 50
Σ 190


58+340+48+490+190 = 1126


The gematria for Lot, his daughters, Moab and Benammi is 732

Lot
לוֹט
12. ל Lamed 30
6. ו Vav 6
9. ט Tet 9
Σ 45

Since the Torah does not reveal the names of Lot's daughters, but simply describes them as

his daughters
בְנֹתָ֗יו

this expression is representative of their names

And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. Gen 19:14


his daughters
בְנֹתָיו
2. ב בּ Bet/Vet 2
14. נ Nun 50
22. ת תּ Tav/Sav 400
10. י Yud 10
6. ו Vav 6
Σ 468

Moab
מוֹאָב
13. מ Mem 40
6. ו Vav 6
1. א Alef 1
2. ב בּ Bet/Vet 2
Σ 49

Ben-ammi
בֶּן-עַמִּי
2. ב בּ Bet/Vet 2
14. נ Nun 50
16. ע Ayin 70
13. מ Mem 40
10. י Yud 10
Σ 172


45+468+49+172 = 734

1126-734 = 392


392 is now exactly the gematria of the expression with which Noah cursed Canaan

And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.


Total = 392
Original Text
Hebrew Value Inc
כנען 190
עבד 76
עבדים 126

 

[tonychanyt]

It should be obvious from all that has been said that the nakedness of the father is that of the mother

obvious to whom? See Mind your language

 

[Benaiah468]

The interpretation of Ham's crime as heterosexual maternal incest provides the most information, explaining the severity and nature of the curse of slavery and why the curse is pronounced against Noah's grandson Canaan and not against the actual perpetrator, his son Ham.

This reading, symbolically and literally, “uncovers the [incestuous] nakedness” of earlier Primordial Prologue narratives, and shows Gen 9:18–29 as chiastic with the narrative of Lot and his two daughters in Gen 19:30–38. Finally, this reading not only accounts for the curious anonymity of Noah’s wife who, given her considerable importance as the new mother of human life (in this enactment of second creation) would appear more logically to bear a personal name and identity, but also for the specific contexts and rationales for effacing her identity while nonetheless making her anonymity stand out in the narrative by scrupulously disguising her name – even as the given “name” of Noah’s wife; or, more correctly, Noah’s woman.

One question that still awaits an answer is why Noah got drunk and undressed in the first place.

Corinne Blackmer (Southern Connecticut State University) provides a suitable answer to this in her study: No Name Woman: Noah's Wife and Heterosexual Incestuous Relationships in Genesis 9:18-29, published 2012.

You can read the whole article here.

First, she points out that G-d blessed Noah and his sons, commanding them to be fruitful and to populate the earth, which makes sense in light of the fact that the Flood produced a depopulated and desolate earth.

However, this fertility commandment, she explains, led to continual sexual transgressions.

As evidence, she cites Genesis 6:1-2, where the sons of G-d took the daughters of men they liked best and had children with them.

From this she concludes

"The enjoined blessing to be fruitful and increase does not include a prohibition against incest but strongly implies a prohibition against homosexuality inasmuch as homosexual sex violates the command ment to produce offspring with whom to repopulate the earth. It makes far more sense to argue that Ham, when having incestuous sex with his mother, can claim to himself that he is obeying G-d’s repeated commandment and displacing the father who has proven impotent.

Although already an elderly man (600 years old) when ordered by G-d to build the ark, Noah, perennially obedient to G-d, must find the means to fulfill the commandment of G-d to be fruitful and multiply. The reason behind the otherwise perplexing fact that Noah, a righteous man, is the first to plant a vineyard and become drunk lies here. In comically absurd and pious terms, Noah attempts to spark his failing virile powers by using wine to inflame his desires, and thus produce offspring."

Blackmer states that this is a well attested use of wine in the Hebrew Bible, as are connections between drunkenness and uncovering nakedness.

In a footnote to this it says

"The images of wine and the vineyard symbolize sexual potency in Song of Songs, which construes the vineyard as an ideal place to make love, where drinking wine functions as a prelude to sexual intercourse. Moreover, in 2 Sam 11:13 King David discovers, to his chagrin, that Uriah the Hittite refuses to go home after David has made him get drunk, in order to make love with his wife (and therefore regard himself as the father of the child David has begotten with Bathsheba). However, Uriah, rather than dispensing with his scruples, merely falls asleep, just as Noah does after he drinks wine to the point of drunkenness.

Habakkuk rails, “Ah, you who make others to drink to intoxication as you pour out your wrath, in order to gaze upon their nakedness” (Hab 2:15).

Lamentations exclaims, “Rejoice and exult, Fair Edom, Who dwell in the land of Uz! To you, too, the cup shall pass, you shall get drunk and expose your nakedness” (Lam 4:21).

See also Psalms 80:8–16, Isa 5:1–7 and 27:2–6, and Ezek 19:10–14 for wine as a symbol of fertility and life."

The study also contains other points, but in any case, Blackmer's study provides a missing puzzle piece of Noah's story.

The interpretation of the incestuous relationship between Ham and Noah's wife can thus be traced completely, especially since all points can be substantiated with other comparable passages.

In addition, Gematria as already shown several times also provides one more reason to me to interpret the story in this way.

So much for that.

 

[tonychanyt]

The interpretation of Ham's crime as heterosexual maternal incest provides the most information, explaining the severity and nature of the curse of slavery and why the curse is pronounced against Noah's grandson Canaan and not against the actual perpetrator, his son Ham.

See Why did Noah Curse Canaan and not Ham when it was Ham who did wrong? and follow up there

 

[Yarddog]

The phrase H1540-uncover H6172-nakedness was used 20 times in Lv. E.g. Leviticus 18:


Don't uncover your mother's nakedness. To uncover someone's nakedness was used as a euphemism or idiom for having sexual intercourse with that person.

Outside of Lv, the phrase was sometimes used literally. Ex 20:


What about seeing someone's nakedness?

Ex 20:


This was the only place where the phrase "seeing someone's nakedness" appeared in Lv and the phrase "uncovering a person's nakedness" alongside it to express "having sexual intercourse with".

uncovering a person's nakedness = seeing his/her nakedness = having sexual intercourse with him/her?

No, not always. It depended on the context. BSB, Ge 9:


Noah did it to himself while drunk.


Ham did not physically uncover the nakedness of his father. He saw with his physical eyes his father's nakedness. The phrase was not a euphemism. Ham did not have sexual intercourse with his father or mother.


Neither Shem nor Japheth uncovered the nakedness of his father.


Shem and Japheth did not see their father's nakedness with their physical eyes. I interpret this verse literally.

Gill commented:


Ham did not uncover the nakedness of his father.

In Hebrew, was uncovering a person's nakedness the same as seeing their nakedness?

The two phrases, uncovering and seeing someone's nakedness, were closely related, so close that some scholars treat them as the same. I tend to use more precision in my interpretation and treat them differently depending on the context.

See also Why did Noah Curse Canaan and not Ham when it was Ham who did wrong?.

Much of the book of Genesis is allegorical in nature as God reveals truths that one can understand only through revelation of the Holy Spirit.
The flood is baptism as God washes away the sins of the world.
Afterwards Noah plants a vineyard. Jesus is the vine.(John 15:1) Noah becomes drunk on the fruit of the vine, which is the blood of Jesus. He lies naked which is an image of Adam's creation. Paul tells us in Hebrews 4:13 " Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable"

Just as Adam tries to hide his nakedness from God, Ham saw his father's nakedness and was ashamed and told his brothers to hide Noah's nakedness before God.

The curse on Canaan may refer to all of the turmoil by those living in the land of Canaan, and the Israelites conquest of those living there and they became servants of Israel

 

[Benaiah468]

G-d was not going to curse Ham. Instead, G-d used this occasion to pronounce a prophecy against Canaan.

The prophesy implies a degradation of Canaan and his descendants and condemns them to servitude.

Canaan didn't do anything except be a son of Ham.

However, G-d never expresses His displeasure without just cause.

In what way is Canaan connected to the sin of Ham?

In no way at all?

Everyone as they understand it, but hard to believe.

Ham didn't commit any great sin.

That is hardly credible either.

Why?

In the Bible, Baal is highlighted as the main g-d of the Canaanites, with sexual rites taking center stage. The iniquities committed by the Canaanites are the men of Sodom (Gen 19:4-9) and the rape of Dinah in Shechem (Gen 34:2).

Isn't it therefore far more life-like to assume that Canaan continues in the sinful path of Ham than to believe that nothing really bad has happened in the story of Noah and that the essence of it is the purpose of pronouncing a violent prophetic curse on an entire nation without any behavior Ham's underlying the curse, that is connected to Canaan in some way?

The Canaanite religion and today's society have one thing in common - the glorification of sexuality far from G-d's teachings.

It is fitting that vineyard and wine symbolize the love between man and woman; in the Song of Songs there are 12 vineyard and wine allusions to erotic and sexual love. Actually, I was wondering why Noah got drunk and took off his clothes.

 

[tonychanyt]

Isn't it therefore far more life-like to assume that Canaan continues in the sinful path of Ham than to believe that nothing really bad has happened in the story of Noah and that the essence of it is the purpose of pronouncing a violent prophetic curse on an entire nation without any behavior Ham's underlying the curse, that is connected to Canaan in some way?

Let proposition P1 = Ham had sexual intercourse with his mother.

True?

 

[Benaiah468]

Why don't you develop your thought further? Perhaps we have overlooked a detail.

Imagine you are Ham's lawful wife; you love your husband and are happy to have given birth to a healthy baby boy. What would you think if the grandfather stood next to you and pronounced a terrible curse on your own child, when you knew that neither the child nor its parents had done anything wrong?

 

[Sabertooth]

I do not doubt the story happening, but its context is unclear to me.

Standard interpretations like

1. Ham molested his father,
2. had incest with his mother or
3. Noah's other wife or concubine

do not ring true to me.

1. Just Shem & Japheth walking backward seems to indicate that looking at Noah's personal nakedness was bad enough. But they were acting as caregivers. If somebody gets hurt while taking a bath or shower (for example), their immediate medical needs trump usual naked propriety.

2. Shem & Japheth covered their father, not their mother.

3. There was no record of Noah having additional wives or concubines.

(This question strikes very close to home for me because I am the guardian & co-caregiver of my 30yo daughter, including help with bathing, toileting, dressing & redressing, as needed.)

 

[tonychanyt]

Why don't you develop your thought further? Perhaps we have overlooked a detail.

Imagine you are Ham's lawful wife; you love your husband and are happy to have given birth to a healthy baby boy. What would you think if the grandfather stood next to you and pronounced a terrible curse on your own child, when you knew that neither the child nor its parents had done anything wrong?

Good question.

If I were Ham's wife, I would be thinking
Proverbs 26:2
Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight.