Genesis 9

Genesis chapter nine details God's blessing upon Noah and his sons, commanding them to be fruitful and replenish the earth, and granting them dominion over all living creatures for food, with a prohibition against consuming blood. God then establishes an everlasting covenant with Noah and all living creatures, promising never again to destroy the earth by a flood, with the rainbow serving as the token of this covenant. The chapter concludes with Noah's drunkenness, Ham's disrespectful act, and Noah's subsequent curse upon Canaan and blessings upon Shem and Japheth.

Following the flood, God blessed Noah and his sons, instructing them to multiply and fill the earth. He granted them authority over animals, allowing them to eat all moving creatures, but explicitly forbade the consumption of blood, emphasizing the sanctity of life and instituting capital punishment for shedding human blood, as man is made in God's image. God then established a perpetual covenant with Noah, his descendants, and all living creatures, promising that no flood would ever again destroy all flesh on the earth. The rainbow was designated as the enduring sign of this covenant. Later, Noah became a husbandman and, after drinking wine, lay uncovered in his tent. Ham saw his father's nakedness and told his brothers, while Shem and Japheth respectfully covered their father without looking. Upon awakening, Noah cursed Canaan, Ham's son, to be a servant, and blessed Shem and Japheth.

Genesis chapter nine opens with God blessing Noah and his sons, commanding them to be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth. God establishes their dominion over all living creatures, stating that the fear and dread of man would be upon every beast, fowl, and fish, and that all moving things that live would be meat for them, just as green herbs were given. However, a crucial prohibition was given: they were not to eat flesh with its life, which is its blood. God further declared that He would require the blood of their lives, holding both beasts and men accountable for shedding human blood, asserting that whoever sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed, because man was made in the image of God. God then reiterated the command to be fruitful and multiply. Subsequently, God established an everlasting covenant with Noah, his seed, and every living creature, promising that all flesh would never again be cut off by the waters of a flood, nor would a flood again destroy the earth. The rainbow was set in the cloud as the perpetual token of this covenant between God and the earth, serving as a reminder of God's promise whenever clouds appear. The chapter then lists Noah's sons as Shem, Ham, and Japheth, from whom the whole earth was overspread. Noah began to be a husbandman and planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine, became drunken, and lay uncovered within his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and told his two brethren outside. In contrast, Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it upon their shoulders, and walked backward to cover their father, ensuring they did not see his nakedness. When Noah awoke and understood what his younger son had done, he cursed Canaan to be a servant of servants to his brethren. He then blessed the LORD God of Shem, stating Canaan would be his servant, and prayed for God to enlarge Japheth, that he might dwell in the tents of Shem, with Canaan also serving him. The chapter concludes by noting Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood, and his total lifespan was nine hundred and fifty years before he died.