Genesis 9
Genesis 9 contains an account of humanity as it begins anew after Noah’s flood. God blesses Noah and his family, who come out of the ark after the waters have receded, and He gives new rules and promises concerning the life of humanity. This chapter unfolds based on a major flow that establishes the relationship between humanity and the created world, and between God and humanity, as well as the promise for the future.
1verseGod blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth.
2verseThe fear of you and the dread of you will be on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the sky. Everything that moves along the ground, and all the fish of the sea, are delivered into your hand.
3verseEvery moving thing that lives will be food for you. As I gave you the green herb, I have given everything to you.
4verseBut flesh with its life, that is, its blood, you shall not eat.
5verseI will surely require accounting for your life’s blood. At the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man’s brother, I will require the life of man.
6verseWhoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image.
7verseBe fruitful and multiply. Increase abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it.”
8verseGod spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,
9verse“As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you,
10verseand with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ship, even every animal of the earth.
11verseI will establish my covenant with you: All flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood. There will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12verseGod said, “This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13verseI set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be a sign of a covenant between me and the earth.
14verseWhen I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud,
15verseI will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16verseThe rainbow will be in the cloud. I will look at it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
17verseGod said to Noah, “This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
18verseThe sons of Noah who went out from the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham is the father of Canaan.
19verseThese three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.
20verseNoah began to be a farmer, and planted a vineyard.
21verseHe drank of the wine and got drunk. He was uncovered within his tent.
22verseHam, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.
23verseShem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it on both their shoulders, went in backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were backwards, and they didn’t see their father’s nakedness.
24verseNoah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done to him.
25verseHe said, “Canaan is cursed. He will be a servant of servants to his brothers.”
26verseHe said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant.
27verseMay God enlarge Japheth. Let him dwell in the tents of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant.”
28verseNoah lived three hundred fifty years after the flood.
29verseAll the days of Noah were nine hundred fifty years, and then he died.
God’s Blessing and Command
God declares that humanity will begin anew on the earth along with the blessing: be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth—a command given to Noah and his sons. This echoes the command given to Adam in Genesis 1, highlighting the meaning of a fresh start.
A New Order and Human Responsibility
Unlike before, humans are permitted to eat animals, but a clear rule is added: they must not eat the blood. This calls attention to the preciousness of life and the boundaries that must be respected. It also acknowledges the honor of human life and sets the rule whoever sheds a person’s blood, by that person his blood will be shed. This is an important scene that emphasizes responsibility and sacredness regarding human life.
God’s Covenant and the Rainbow
God establishes an everlasting covenant with Noah, his descendants, and with all living creatures, that He will never again destroy the entire earth with water. And as a sign of this covenant, the rainbow is given. The rainbow becomes a symbol that brings God’s faithfulness to mind, so that afterward, whenever humanity is afraid or troubled, it can remember God’s promise.
Noah and His Sons
In the latter part of this chapter, the story of Noah farming and drinking wine appears. Ham sees his father’s disgrace and tells his brothers, but Shem and Japheth take an attitude of respect toward their father. Through this, we can catch a kind of lesson about the attitude of respect and responsibility within the family, as well as the consequences that follow from one’s actions.
Reflection Points
- What does the meaning of the command “be fruitful and multiply,” which God repeatedly gives, hold for us?
- In our life and community today, take time to reflect on how we remember God’s covenant—namely, a promise like the rainbow.
Personal Application
- Reflect on what sign reminds you of God’s promises in your own life, and consider whether you are living today by trusting that covenant.
- When dealing with created beings and neighbors, think about how you can put into practice the respect and sense of responsibility that God showed, in a concrete way.
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