26
And he said,וַיֹּאמֶר“BlessedבָּרוּךְbeYHWH,יְהֹוָהthe Elohimאֱלֹהֵיof Shem;שֵׁםand letוִיהִיCanaanכְנַעַןbeיהִיtheirלָמוֹslave.עֶבֶד
Genesis 9:26
Study it in the app“And he said, “Blessed be YHWH, the Elohim of Shem; and let Canaan be their slave.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Genesis 9:26, word by word
- And he saidיֹּאמֶרyomer
say
To say with the mouth to someone what one thinks or wants, or to answer him.
Where else “yomer” appears- “Blessedבָּרוּךְbaruch
praise
To praise God: "blessed be YHWH".
Where else “baruch” appears- YHWHיְהֹוָהyehova
YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
Where else “yehova” appears- the Elohimאֱלֹהֵיelohe
Elohim
The one true God, the Creator; the word is plural but means one.
Where else “elohe” appears- of Shemשֵׁםshem
Shem
Shem, one of the three sons of Noah; Abraham descends from him. The name also stands for his descendants.
Where else “shem” appears- and letיהִיyhi
be
To be: "I will be their Elohim".
Where else “yhi” appears- Canaanכְנַעַןchenaan
Canaan
See it on the mapWhere else “chenaan” appears- slaveעֶבֶדeved
slave
A person who belongs to a master and works for him, without freedom of his own.
Where else “eved” appears
Places in this verse
Canaan
Today: Israel, West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, western Syria
The land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, today Israel, Palestine and parts of Lebanon.
God promised this land to Abraham and his descendants (Gen 17:8). Israel entered it after forty years in the wilderness (Josh 5:12).
The context
25And he said, “Cursed be Canaan; a slave of slaves he will be to his brothers.”
26 · This verse (above)
27May Elohim make room for Japheth, and let him live in the tents of Shem; and let Canaan be their slave.”
To study Genesis 9 in a group
1. What it says
What sign did Elohim set as a covenant with Noah and every living creature (vv. 12-13)?
2. What it means
What does verse 6 say about the value of human life, and what reason does it give?
3. How I live it
What simple sign can help you remember Elohim’s promises today?