See article: Noah’s Nakedness and the Curse on Canaan (Genesis 9:20-27) by John Sietze Bergsma and Scorr Walker Hahn. JBL 124/1 (2005) 25-40.
Noah’s curse on Canaan for Ham’s seeing him naked
(notice how at the beginning and end of this episode, the Ham is referred to “Ham, the father of Canaan”. Canaan is Ham’s 4th son.
Prominent explanations:
-Voyeurism: taking it literally as plain as the text says. Noah uncovered himself in the tent while naked. Ham saw him. Told his brothers. Noah woke up and knew Ham saw him, cursed Ham’s youngest son Canaan.
Pros:
-literal reading of the account.
-gives plain meaning to why Shem and Japheth walked in backward and covered Noah.
Cons:
-does not explain how Noah knew what Ham did after he woke.
-does not explain why Canaan was cursed.
-there’s no reason given to why all of the sudden accidentally seeing your parent naked is bad.
-Castration:
Ham castrated Noah. A rabbinic view. Or sexually abused him in an attempt to usurp Noah’s position.
Pros:
-may explain the cursing of Canaan by Noah cursing Ham’s 4th son because Noah can’t have a 4th son.
-would explain how Noah knew this upon waking.
Cons:
-no other examples of this in Bible as a means to usurp a parent’s position (or to do anything in that matter). Some examples in Near Eastern Mythology.
-no hint of this happening whatsoever in the text as given.
-Canaan, resembles giants.
Perhaps Ham married a woman with Nephilim genes and Canaan resembles them the most. Noah uses this occasion to curse him.
Pros:
-explains the cursing of Canaan
-explains why there were giants after the flood
Cons:
-does not explain what was so bad about Ham seeing Noah.
-does not explain how Noah knew this upon wakening.
-no mention of Ham marrying a woman with Nephilim genes or Canaan resembling the race.
-even when drunk, people don’t usually strip unless for sexual purposes.
-Paternal Incest: Ham rapes his father.
Pros:
-may explain how Noah knew this upon waking.
-”uncovering one’s nakedness” or “seeing one’s nakedness” is an idiom in other parts of the Bible for sexual intercourse: especially sexual promiscuity and sexual violence. (Lev 18:6 : “None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the Lord. )
-other examples of this used as an idiom for sexual sin: Ezek 16:36-37, 22:10, 18, 19)
-wine is also intimately connected with other examples of incest: Lot (Gen 19:30-38), David (2 Sam 11).
-May be linked chiastically with Gen 6:1-4, another prohibited sexual encounter, forming an inclusio around the two stories.
-much in common with Lot: involves drunkeness from wine of an aged patriarch, happens after a supernatural destruction/judgement, create long time enemies of Israel.
–Lev 18 opens with warning not to imitate practices of those of Canaan or Egypt (two of Ham’s most prominent decedents).
-if he did this displace his brother’s position, his immediate going on and telling them would make sense.
Cons:
-still doesn’t explain the cursing of Canaan.
-no explanation of why Ham would do this. No example or mention that this would usurp Noah’s position or displace his brother’s position. No other examples of this in Bible.
-takes the ‘seeing of nakedness’ as an idiom rather than literal, but then why do the brothers go in backward to cover father? Yet, it could be both.
-Maternal Incest:
Ham rapes Noah’s wife (his mom). Same pros as incest with father but more. No cons.
Pros:
– Lev 18:7-8 , Lev 20:11, Deut 27:20 say that uncovering the nakedness of your mother or father’s wife is the same as uncovering the nakedness of your father.
-If Canaan is the product of this, it would be obvious why he is cursed.
-Noah would know this upon waking.
-Being the product of incest would also match with the story of Lot, creating enemies for Israel. Cursed nations.
-If Noah had intended on intercourse with his wife in the tent, would explain his uncovering himself, then he falls asleep whether or not having intercourse. Ham comes in. This would explain why Noah uncovers himself and the dire sin of Ham.
-explains why brothers went in the way they did.
-explains why Ham immediately told his brothers.
-motivation of Ham is apparent thanks to other episodes of this in the Bible: Lot in Gen 19:30-38, Reuben’s episode with Bilhah (Gen 35:22; 49:3-4), David’s acquisition of Saul’s concubines (2 Sam 12:8), Adonijah’s attempt at David’s wife Abishag (2 Kings 2:13-25), Ahithophel’s advice to Absalom and Absalom doing it (2 Sam 16:21-22).
-This takes place immediately after the command to be fruitful and multiply, implying that Noah is obeying by going in the tent to have intercourse with wife, and even possibly behind Ham’s motivation as well.
-a strong etiological link between the laws in Lev 18 and 20, Deut 20 and heterosexual incest.
Cons:
-none
Note: Wine is associated only with heterosexual intercourse in the Bible. No examples in Bible of homosexual intercourse in this context.