Gen 9:18–21: the vineyard, the wine, and the tent
Says The sons who came out of the ark are שֵׁם וְחָם וָיָפֶת, and וְחָם הוּא אֲבִי כְנָעַן, "and Ham was the father of Canaan." In 9:19 וּמֵאֵלֶּה נָפְצָה כָל־הָאָרֶץ, "and from these the whole earth was scattered" ("populated," BSB).
Says 9:20 has וַיָּחֶל נֹחַ אִישׁ הָאֲדָמָה וַיִּטַּע כָּרֶם: וַיָּחֶל (vayyakhel) is a Hiphil of khalal, "begin" (BDB, citing this verse); אִישׁ הָאֲדָמָה (ish ha'adamah) is the "tiller, husbandman" (BDB); וַיִּטַּע כָּרֶם, "and he planted a vineyard" (BDB "plant"). In 9:21 וַיֵּשְׁתְּ מִן־הַיַּיִן וַיִּשְׁכָּר, "and he drank of the wine and became drunk" (BDB "wine"; "become drunken"), וַיִּתְגַּל, "and he uncovered himself," a Hitpael of galah, בְּתוֹךְ אָהֳלֹה, "in the midst of his tent," with the older spelling of "his" in a final he.
Uncertain (1) The syntax of 9:20: "Noah began to be a man of the soil, and planted"; "Noah, the man of the soil, began, and planted a vineyard," the first to do so; or "began to plant" ("proceeded to plant," BSB). Objections: the first supplies a "to be" the text lacks; the others take "began" with a following finite verb, not an infinitive. (2) How far Noah is at fault: the text gives no verdict. No lean is taken here.
Claims
- SaysShem, Ham and Japheth; Ham the father of Canaan; from them the whole earth was scattered.
- SaysNoah began (Hiphil of khalal), man of the soil, planted a vineyard, drank, became drunk, uncovered himself (Hitpael) in his tent.
- UncertainThe syntax of 9:20, and Noah's culpability (no verdict in the text); no lean.
Citations
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 9:18–21 (WLC/OSHB; morph HVqp3fs, HC/Vhw3ms, HC/Vqw3ms, HC/Vqw3ms, HC/Vtw3ms, HNcmsc/Sp3ms)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 320 (leaf n343, archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft), s.v. H2490 "begin"; checked against the printed page (scan)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 9 (leaf n32, archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft), s.v. H127 "tiller, husbandman"; checked against the printed page (scan)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 642 (leaf n665, archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft), s.v. H5193 "plant"; checked against the printed page (scan)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 406 (leaf n429, archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft), s.v. H3196 "wine"; checked against the printed page (scan)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 1016 (leaf n1039, archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft), s.v. H7937 "be, or become, drunk, drunken"; checked against the printed page (scan)
- BSB public domain Gen 9:19–20
2026-11-11
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