The Bible — World English Bible
Genesis 9
In brief
After the flood, God blesses Noah and his sons and gives them again the mission to fill the earth. He sets some markers for life: respect for blood, and verse 6, which grounds the value of human life in the image of God. He then establishes his covenant with Noah, his descendants and every living creature, with the rainbow in the cloud as the sign that there will never again be a flood. The chapter ends with Noah's drunkenness, the curse on Canaan and the record of Noah's death.
The chapter in 5 parts
1God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth.
2The 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.
3Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As I gave you the green herb, I have given everything to you.
4But flesh with its life, that is, its blood, you shall not eat.
5I 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.
6Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image.
7Be fruitful and multiply. Increase abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it.”
8God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,
9“As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you,
10and 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.
11I 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.”
12God 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:
13I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be a sign of a covenant between me and the earth.
14When I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud,
15I 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.
16The 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.”
17God said to Noah, “This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
18The sons of Noah who went out from the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham is the father of Canaan.
19These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.
20Noah began to be a farmer, and planted a vineyard.
21He drank of the wine and got drunk. He was uncovered within his tent.
22Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.
23Shem 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.
24Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done to him.
25He said, “Canaan is cursed. He will be a servant of servants to his brothers.”
26He said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant.
27May God enlarge Japheth. Let him dwell in the tents of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant.”
28Noah lived three hundred fifty years after the flood.
29All the days of Noah were nine hundred fifty years, and then he died.
Key verses
God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth.
God repeats to Noah the word of blessing spoken at the beginning of creation: be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth. After the flood, he starts his plan for humanity afresh.
Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image.
This verse bases the prohibition on shedding human blood on the creation of man in the image of God. It is often cited to affirm the dignity of every person.
I 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.”
God promises that no flesh will ever again be cut off by the waters of a flood. It is a one-sided promise: it rests on his faithfulness, not on that of human beings.
I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be a sign of a covenant between me and the earth.
The rainbow set in the cloud serves as the sign of the covenant between God and the earth. Each time it appears, God remembers his promise, as the following verses say.
Test your knowledge
Characters in this chapter
What the sermons say
Frequently asked questions about Genesis 9
What does the rainbow mean in Genesis 9?
The rainbow is the sign of the covenant God establishes with Noah, his descendants and every living creature. When it appears in the clouds, God remembers his promise: never again a flood to destroy the earth. The sign therefore recalls God's faithfulness, not an obligation placed on human beings.
What does Genesis 9:6 mean about the image of God?
The verse says that shedding human blood is a grave matter because God made man in his own image. The value of a human life therefore depends neither on its usefulness nor on its condition, but on its origin. The verse is cited to defend the dignity of every person, although Christians differ on how it applies to the death penalty.
Why did Noah curse Canaan in Genesis 9?
After Noah's drunkenness, Ham sees his father's nakedness and tells his brothers, who cover him. When Noah wakes, he curses Canaan, Ham's son, and blesses Shem and Japheth. The text does not develop his reasons, and this passage has sometimes been misused. Many readers take it as a prediction, not as a justification for one people dominating another.
Articles quoting Genesis 9
World English Bible translation — public domain.