Genesis 9

God reneweth his blessing upon men after the flood verse 1 alloweth and forbiddeth certain viands 3 ordains punishment for murder 5 appoints the rainbow for a token of his covenant that no deluge shall cover the earth no more 9 Noah plants a vine 20 and in drunken sleep is mocked by Cham for his nakedness 22 who therefore is cursed with his posterity 25 but Sem and Japheth are blessed 26 Noah his age and death.29.

1. And God blessed Noah and his sons and he said unto them be fruitful and multiply replenish the earth [God here reneweth the blessing which above chapter 1.28 he had pronounced upon mankind to shew that the maintaining and multiplying of the mankind together with all the dominion and power which man had retained after the fall over the unreasonable creatures as well after as before the flood depend on his blessing.]

2. And your fear and your terror be upon the beasts of the earth and upon all fowls of heaven upon all that stirs [or creeps or moveth as an unreasonable creature] upon the earth and upon all fishes of the sea they given unto your hand.

3. All that stirs [all manner of eatable creatures upon the earth and in the air and in the waters] that is alive [forbidding by this law to eat what dieth either of itself or n ill death] be meat unto ye I have given all unto ye as the green herb [Heb. Verdure or the green of the herb as above chapter 1.30 that is to say after the common opinion besides or over and above the green herb and the fruits which I formerly appointed for your food I do now give and allow ye likewise all kinds of eatable living creatures.]

4. Yet the flesh with its soul that is its blood ye shall not eat [God forbids the eating of the bloody flesh thereby to deter men from all the cruelty and the disposition of killing & murdering one another compare Leviticus 3 verse 17 and 17.11 Deuteronomy 12:23.]

5. And verily I will require your blood, (the blood) of your souls [that is your persons or bodily life; the meaning is, I will avenge it either by the order instituted by me or else without it] at the hand of every beast will I require it [see Exodus 21:28] also at the hand [Let him be what he will, of high or low degree, rich or poor, man or woman, seeing man is his brother or sister or neighbour] at the hand of everyone’s brother will I require the soul of man.

6. Who so sheds mans blood his blood shall be shed by man [here the office of the magistrate is established and the sword delivered into his hands for the punishment of the evil doers Romans 13:1] for God hath made man after his image [see above chapter 1.27and though the image of God be much impaired and broken since the fall nevertheless God hath for considerable reason left come remainder thereof in man which he will not have abused but ordaineth every abuse thereof to be strictly punished .]

7. But ye be ye fruitful and multiply propagate [or engender] abundantly upon the earth the earth and multiply upon the same.

8. Moreover God said unto his sons and to his with him saying:

9. But I behold I establish my covenant with ye [that is as for me to assure ye on my part that I will no more destroy all man and beast that is I do bind myself to ye by promise and give ye the ensuing pledge and token thereof] and with your seed after ye [that is with your posterity which shall be propagated and born by and of you thus the word seed is frequently taken see below chapter 12.7 Exodus 28:43 Leviticus 22:4 Deuteronomy 4:37 1samuel 24.22 2Kings 2.33 John 8:33 Romans 1:3 and 11.1 2Timothy 2.8.]

10. And with every living soul that is with you of the fowl of the cattle and of the beasts of the earth with you of all is gone forth out of the ark and unto all the beasts of the earth.

11. And I establish my covenant with ye that all flesh [that is all men and what else is living and stirring and moving upon the earth] shall no more be destroyed by the waters of the flood [see above chapter 8.21,22 understand this of such a flood whereby the whole earth shall be covered with water to the destruction of all man and beast that have their abode and maintenance upon the earth insomuch that here are to be expected in so particular floods and inundation] and that they shall be no flood more to destroy the earth.

12. And God said this is a token of the covenant that I give between me and between you every living soul that I with you to ever lasting generations [Heb. To generations of eternity that is as long as the world shall endure see below verse 16.]

13. My bow have I given in the clouds [understand the rainbow which though in its nature be a token of rain yet by the ordinance of God it is an assured testimony that the world shall never perish again by the rain and a general deluge of water] shall be for a token of the covenant between me and between the earth.

14. And it shall come to pass when the clouds over the earth [Heb. When I cloud a cloud upon the earth that is to say when I am drawing clouds together about it] that is bow [or and this bow] shall be seen in the cloud.

15. then shall I remember my covenant [that is I shall perform my promise then see above chapter 8 on verse1 and here the next verse] that is between me and between ye and between every soul of all flesh and the waters shall be no more for a flood to destroy the flesh.

16. When this bow shall be in the clouds then I shall look upon it to remember the everlasting covenant, [see above chapter 8.21,22 and in this chapter on verse 12. Hebrew: The covenant of eternity] between God [that is myself] and between every living soul of all flesh that is upon the earth.

17. So God said unto Noah: This is the token of the covenant that I have established between me and between all the flesh that is upon the earth.

18. And the sons of Noah that went forth out of the ark were Sem, Cham, and Japheth and Cham he is the father of Canaan [of whom the Canaanites issued and the land of Canaan was denominated which land became afterwards the inheritance of the Israelites descending from Sem (the uncle of Canaan).]

19. These three were the sons of Noah and of these the whole earth is overspread [viz. the inhabitants.]

20. And Noah began to be a husbandmen [or countrymen Heb. A man of the earth or of the ground that is to say one that husbanded or tilled the ground so below chapter 25.27 a man of the field tat is one that keeps the field more than the house or home 1Samuel 16.18 a man of war Proverbs 6:11 a man of the field that is such a one as doth practice shield and arms in wars and see] and he planted a vineyard [others being a husbandman he planted a vineyard.]

21. And he drank of the wine and was drunk and he uncovered himself in the midst of the tent [to wit ignorantly or unaware in the sleep and not of set purpose.]

22. And Cham the father of Canaan [this is again repeated here to the further punishment of Cham and comfort of the Israelites whom God was leading by Moses into the land of Canaanites] saw his father’s nakedness and he made it known to both his brothers without.

23. And Sem and Japheth took a garment and put it upon both their shoulders and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father and their faces were turned backwards so that they did not see their father’s nakedness

24. And Noah awaked from his wine [that is of the sleep which he was fallen by his drinking of wine] and he perceived [either by an instinct from God or by the relation of his two other sons or also by his own enquiry] what his youngest son had done to him.

25. And he said [not as a sinful man had transported with carnal passion and vexation but as a prophet through the inspiration of the holy Ghost] cursed [that is hateful before God and contemptible among man unhappy upon earth both in himself and his] be Canaan[understand here not the on only but the father Cham also together with the sons off-springs] let him be a servant of servants to hi brethren [that is the most vile and abject slave thus vanity of vanities Ecclesiastes 1:2 wickedness of wickedness Hosea 10:15 for the highest and most enormous &c compare Leviticus 2 the annotate on verse 3.]

26. Furthermore he said blessed be the Lord the God of Sem [Sem is named here in the extraordinary manner not only because he is first commended of the honor shewed to his father above verse 23 but likewise for that the Messiahs and God should come forth out of the loins see below chapter 10 on verse 21] and Canaan be servant to him.

27. god spread forth Japheth [others god allure or persuade Japheth understand this as the prophesy of the calling of the gentiles Japheth’s posterity which should be brought about by the pleasing and persuasive preaching of the holy gospel] and let him dwell in the tents of Sem [that is his posterity shall come in and be admitted in the communion of the church of the people of God] and Canaan be servant to him.

28. And Noah liveth after the flood three hundred and fifty years.

29. So all days of Noah were one hundred and fifty years and then he died.