Why does Noah curse his grandson Canaan?
Canaan did not violate Noah in any way. It was Ham––Canaan’s father––who violated Noah. Therefore, wouldn’t it make more sense to curse Ham directly?
Well let’s understand what happened. The story in Genesis 9 is quite embarrassing. Imagine your family’s dirtiest laundry being aired out for all of history to see. Yikes.
I will paraphrase what happened: The flood is over. Noah plants a vineyard and drinks its wine; he becomes drunk and lays uncovered inside his tent. His youngest son Ham sees his father naked and tells his two brothers outside . . . When Noah awakes from his drunken stupor, he discovers what Ham has done to him. Noah says Cursed be Canaan!
What did Ham do to his father?
One writer has this to say: In Leviticus 18 & 20 the use of this uncover nakedness language is used to denote sexual relations. Since Ham saw his father’s nakedness, this means he sodomized his father and then bragged about it. Or, since uncovering a man’s nakedness can refer to having sex with a man’s wife, then this means that Ham slept with his own mother while his father was passed out.
Okay, well, maybe. But I believe we can render a better interpretation. At least, one that makes more sense to me. I heard it first from Rabbi David Fohrman. I will put it in my own words.
We have to get in Ham’s head. What is he thinking?
Context is helpful. Let’s understand their age difference. When this thing happens in Noah’s tent, Noah is over 600 years old. We know that Ham is at least 500 years younger than Noah. (Gen. 5:32, 7:6, 11:10 establish these facts.)
Next, let’s understand how much time has passed since the flood. When this thing happens in Noah’s tent, enough time has passed that a vineyard planted by Noah has reached enough maturity to produce wine. Furthermore, Ham has by now had his fourth son, a child named Canaan. (Reference Genesis 10:6.)
Ham naturally expects to live as long as his father has. In his mind, Ham has at least another 500 years ahead of him. And already, he sees himself as a power-player on the world’s stage, a forefather above all subsequent generations. His two brothers, Shem and Japheth, are his equals so to speak, all three being Noah’s direct descendants. Ham is 1 in 3, and by golly a third of the earth sounds good to him.
But wait. Coming off the ark, God told Noah to be fruitful and multiply! And Ham knows that his father will be faithful to God, especially given his track record. No doubt: Noah will multiply. Having received such a clear directive, Noah will have more sons! But where will that leave Ham?
With less and less share!
In the end, Ham may not be 1 of 3. He may end up being 1 of 10, 15, perhaps 20! That sounds like war to him. Just the thought of it makes him feel cheated. He went through the flood with his father, after all. He helped his father build the ark, feed the animals, give up everything and trust in his father’s insistence. If Noah has more sons now, these young ones will never understand what he and his brothers had to go through. And yet, they will become equal for all intents and purposes.
Ham makes his decision: he will act swiftly. He will strike at an opportune time. He will prevent his dad from having any more children.
The passage in Genesis is interesting, isn’t it? It says Ham saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside . . . When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him...
What did Ham do to Noah?! This is what I think happened: Ham damaged his father’s male organ, an act so severe as to prevent Noah from having any more sons.
This interpretation resolves a few questions. Like, for one, why does Noah stop at three sons when God clearly tells him to be fruitful and multiply?
Secondly, we learn that Ham tells his brothers afterward. Ham doesn’t tell them beforehand because they might express hesitation; but he is not so ashamed to keep it a secret because his brothers are also benefactors! His deed has cemented their place at the top of all subsequent generations. Notice, Ham doesn’t run away from his crime like Cain did; Ham openly tells his brothers what happened. This action requires a reasoning.
But neither brother reacts as Ham had expected. Shem and Japheth are mortified. They cover their father’s nakedness. They wonder what Noah will do when he wakes up.
Here’s what Noah does: he curses Ham’s son Canaan. Why?
Because Canaan is Ham’s fourth son (Genesis 10:6). Since Ham has prevented Noah from having a fourth son, Noah prevents Ham’s fourth son from flourishing. Since it was status and power that Ham was seeking after, Noah’s curse is one that diminishes the status and power of Ham’s family and lineage. It counteracts Ham’s motivation and humiliates him without end. Every time Ham thinks of his fourth son, he remembers the fourth son he kept from Noah.
Now why doesn’t Genesis just come out and say all of this plainly? Because the Torah is handling the matter with sensitivity. The Torah is avoiding details on purpose, in a manner that is respectful to Noah. The Torah is itself covering the wound right alongside Shem and Japheth. And because the details have been covered so respectfully, what exactly happened that day will remain a mystery.
