Gen 9:25–27: cursed, blessed, and servant

Says אָרוּר כְּנָעַן (arur), "cursed be Canaan," עֶבֶד עֲבָדִים יִהְיֶה לְאֶחָיו, "a servant of servants he shall be to his brothers": the noun with its own plural is a superlative, the lowest of servants. In 9:26 בָּרוּךְ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי שֵׁם, "blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem": the Lord is blessed, not Shem directly. Canaan is to be עֶבֶד לָמוֹ, "servant to them." In 9:27 יַפְתְּ אֱלֹהִים לְיֶפֶת, "may God enlarge Japheth" (yaft … Yefet), a play on the name, וְיִשְׁכֹּן בְּאָהֳלֵי־שֵׁם, "and may he dwell in the tents of Shem."

Implies "The God of Shem" points ahead to Shem's line (11:10–26), which leads to Abram.

Implies The text gives no ground for the documented use of 9:25 to defend the enslavement of Africans, notably in American pro-slavery argument, and that use is rejected: the curse names Canaan, not Ham; Canaan's descendants are placed in Canaan (10:15–19); the words are Noah's; the three sons are one family (9:19), and every human bears God's image (9:6).

Uncertain (1) Why Canaan, not Ham: a word about Canaan's descendants (cf. Lev 18:3, 24–28), Canaan's own part, Ham punished through his youngest son, or Canaan as the child of view (c) at 9:22; Noah speaks, not God. (2) In 9:27 "he" may be God or Japheth, and לָמוֹ singular or plural. No lean is taken here.