Genesis 9

Notes

[Ver. 4. This restriction seems also to imply that the animals intended for food should be regularly killed by drawing off the blood; it thus prohibits the cruel practice of mutilating animals by cutting away part of the flesh for food while they are yet alive. P.]

Ver. 9. [By covenant, we are not here to understand a mutual compact and agreement, but a simple and gracious promise, see Nu. 18. 19; 25. 12. C.]

Ver. 18. [The last clause of this verse is manifestly inserted as introductory to the painful incident which is narrated below. The mind of the writer being specially directed to that incident, he naturally connects Canaan with Ham. It would seem, too, from the tenor of the whole narrative, that Canaan must have been in some way implicated. Probably he was the first who discovered Noah, and then told his father. P.]

Ver. 24. [Some suppose that this expression, which may be translated 'his little son,' applies to Canaan, Noah's grandson. This, however, is contrary to the idiom of the Hebrew. There can be no doubt that the words apply to Ham, and ought to be rendered 'his youngest son,' thus indicating Ham's position in the family of Noah. P.]

Ver. 25-27. These predictions are greatly extensive: almost every prediction in Scripture relative to the Egyptians, Canaanites, Tyrians, and Sidonians, is comprehended in this repeated curse of Canaan. Almost every prediction relative to the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persians, and Arabs, and especially what relates to the Jewish nation and Jesus Christ, is included in the blessing of Shem. Almost every prediction relative to the Greeks, Romans, Goths, Tartars, and Turks, and especially what relates to the gospel-church among the Gentiles, is contained in the blessing of Japheth. The fulfilment of these predictions is no less remarkable. Much of the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, much of the history of nations, is no more than an account of it. The descendants of Ham, by his sons Cush, Mizraim, Phut, and Canaan, peopled Africa and part of Western Asia. For about four thousand years past the bulk of the Africans have been abandoned of Heaven to the most gross ignorance, rigid slavery, stupid idolatry, and savage barbarity. Scarcely ever hath a state formed of them made any respectable figure—the Egyptians and Carthaginians excepted; and even they had little dominion over any part of the descendants of Shem or Japheth. For many ages the northern parts of Africa were enslaved or harassed by the Assyrian, Chaldean, and Persian descendants of Shem; and next by the Greeks, but especially the Roman and Vandal descendants of Japheth. For eleven hundred years past they have been enslaved by the Ishmaelite Saracens descended from Shem, or by the Seljukian and Ottoman Turks descended of Japheth. And what multitudes of the Western Africans were formerly bought for slaves by the English, and further by the Spaniards, the French, Portuguese, and Dutch, and condemned to the hardest drudgery in their American plantations! It was Canaan, I suppose, who first saw the nakedness of Noah, and told his father of it. His posterity first settled in the west of Asia, and the curse hath pursued them in a still more remarkable manner. About A.M. 2079 Chedorlaomer and his Elamite descendants of Shem rendered tributary the Canaanitish kingdoms of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim, and Zoar. Upon their revolt he invaded and pillaged their country, Ge. xiv. Not long after they, Zoar excepted, were destroyed with fire and brimstone from heaven, for their unnatural lewdness and other abominations, Ge. xix. The Hebrews, chiefly under Moses, Joshua, and Barak, cut off most of the other Canaanites, and seized on their country, Nu. xxi.; Jos. vi.-xix.; Ju. iv. The Gibeonites and others, whose lives were spared, were subjected to slavery, Jos. ix.; Ju. i.; 2 Sa. v. Solomon had more than 150,000 of them employed as slaves in the building of the temple, 1 Ki. 9. 20, 22; 5. 15, 16. They who settled in the north-west of Canaan, and formed the once flourishing states of Tyre and Sidon, were by the Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Persians, but chiefly by the Greeks, Romans, Saracens, and Turks, reduced to great misery and bondage, till at last they were totally ruined, Is. xxiii.; Eze. xxvi. xxviii. They who fled from Joshua, or afterwards to Northern Africa, and formed the Carthaginian and other states, were, after much contention and mutual enslavement, reduced by the Romans to the basest servitude and misery; and for about two thousand years that country hath been one continued scene of slavery to the Romans, Vandals, Saracens, or Turks. The Phœnician Canaanites, who, pushing their fortunes, settled in the Mediterranean islands, or in Greece, Italy, or on the border of the Euxine Sea, have shared a similar fate of thraldom and misery from the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Saracens, Normans, or Turks. But the countries of Persia, Assyria, Chaldea, Lydia, Syria, Arabia, India, and I suppose most of China, were peopled by the posterity of Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram, sons of Shem. The blessings bestowed upon them by God have been remarkable. The most rich or fertile parts of the world fell to their share. They formed the Assyrian, Chaldean, Persian, and Saracen monarchies, which in their turns enslaved the offspring of Canaan. For two thousand years, from the death of Noah to that of Christ, the knowledge of the true religion and the new covenant relation to God, as his church and people, were almost wholly confined to them, particularly to the Jews; and from them the Messiah, the Lord from heaven, had his human descent; and from them the apostolic founders of the gospel church did spring. The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. Their descendants, the Celts or Gauls, the Tartars, Medes, Greeks, Romans, Goths, Turks, &c., prodigiously multiplied, and peopled the whole of Europe, the northern half of Asia, and I suppose most of America. For many ages they have been settling themselves in the original habitations of the posterity of Shem. The Medes, assisted by the Chaldeans, overturned the Assyrian empire; and afterwards, assisted by the Persians, whom they had subdued, ruined the Chaldean. Perhaps it was their Scythian brethren who about two hundred years after founded the powerful monarchy of the Parthians in Persia and the places about; while multitudes of the overstocked Gauls from Europe invaded Asia, and partly took up their residence in Mesopotamia. About three hundred and thirty years before the birth of our Saviour, the Greeks, under Alexander, overran Asia to the river Indus, and for several ages held it in subjection. Next the Romans pushed their conquests into Syria, Assyria, and Canaan; and for more than seven hundred years retained what they could of it. For many ages the Tartarian Huns and Turks continued to pour themselves into Persia and the countries about. In the eleventh century of the Christian reckoning, the Seljukian Turks formed themselves into the four kingdoms of Bagdad, Damascus, Aleppo, and Iconium, and quickly extended their dominion as far as the Indus. Meanwhile Mahmud-Gazni, with an army of Tartars and others, invaded India, and founded there a mighty empire, which continued about two hundred years. In the 13th century Jenghis Khan and his sons, with their Tartar troops, conquered the greater part of Asia. The empires which they founded in China and in Persia continued about nine generations. In the beginning of the 15th century Tamerlane with his Tartars overran great part of Asia, and founded an empire in Persia, and another in Western India, which still subsists under the Great Mogul. For about three hundred years the Ottoman Turks have been masters of Assyria, Syria, Canaan, and the places about; while the Portuguese, the Spaniards, the English, the Dutch, the Danes, and French, have been rendering themselves masters of islands or settlements, almost innumerable, in the East Indies. Thus there is scarce one single country of note which originally pertained to the offspring of Shem but is now possessed or governed by the enlarged posterity of Japheth, Arabian Hejiaz excepted. Multitudes too of the posterity of Japheth in Asia and America, but chiefly in Europe, have been persuaded of God to embrace the true religion, and become his church, ever since the Jews were rejected. The far greater part of that race known to us do, and for many ages have, at least in word, made profession of the Christian faith, while very few of the descendants of Shem or Ham have so much as pretended it. Nor do I remember that the Christian religion ever had a public establishment from one of them, the Abyssinians excepted. What an exact, an explicatory, and confirming counterpart is the whole providence of God to his word! What understanding of the divine authenticity of the scriptures, and of the love and faithfulness of God, may I attain by a wise and careful observation thereof!——[Ver. 27. This remarkable prophecy is given in the form of a short poem, and consists of three parts—a curse upon Canaan, and a blessing upon Shem and Japheth. But it will be observed that each blessing embodies, while it illustrates, the first curse. Canaan appears to be mentioned as the representative of the whole Hamites—the head of that section of the Hamitic race with which the Israelites came specially into contact. The whole prophecy has been remarkably fulfilled in the history of mankind since it was uttered. The Hamites as a race have been 'servants of servants,' i.e., as the Hebrew idiom implies, they have been in a state of perpetual servitude under the Shemitic Israelites, and the Japhetic Greeks, Romans, and Saxons. Japheth has been enlarged. His descendants occupy at this day the territories of Shem, and constitute the leading nations of the civilized world. P.]

Reflections.—Lord, what is man, that thou shouldst be so mindful of him and his concerns! that thou shouldst so care for his welfare and his life! that thou shouldst so familiarly covenant with him, and so often repeat thy declarations for the strengthening and confirmation of his faith! May I always accept thy favours with thankfulness, and obey thy commandments with cheerfulness! But ah, how quickly do we forget his mighty works! how fearfully do the best stumble and fall, if the Lord uphold them not mightily! How readily do fools trample on every tie of relation or duty, in order to make a mock of sin! But dreadful is the curse, lasting and extensive the disfavour, which awaits those who contemn and deride their aged parents! while blessings shall be on their head who regard them, and cover their infirmities. But let me not bid adieu to the dying patriarch, till in him I contemplate the great God my Saviour! His name is a bed of rest, and source of comfort. He is the distinguished favourite of Heaven. In the midst of a crooked and perverse generation he dared to be singularly good: at once he gave an unblemished pattern of uprightness, and boldly preached righteousness in the great congregation. To him mankind owe their recovery from ruin. By him the church is gradually built up as the mean of our salvation, and his believers are rendered true members thereof. Upon the savour of his sweet-smelling sacrifice God hath promised no more to curse the world. With him and believers is the new covenant for ever established; and to them are the inheritance and rules of the new covenant state conferred. By him is the church, the vineyard of the Lord of hosts, planted and cultivated; and in his word is irreversibly declared the everlasting fate of his faithful ones. Behold how those who love his person, and hide the infirmities of his saints, are blessed with all spiritual blessings! Behold how the curse of sin pursues both wicked Jews and carnal professors, who stumble at this corner-stone, who turn his grace into licentiousness, and the infirmity of his saints into ridicule! and what everlasting ruin it entails upon them.