HomeOld_PostsSlavery ...is it the curse of Ham ?

Slavery …is it the curse of Ham ?

Published on

THE account of Noah’s nakedness in Genesis 9:20-27 are well known; the subtle narrative, with its inexplicable and indirect hints of sexual transgression, has been a paradox since time immemorial.

The narrative’s short verses indicate that Canaan’s Hamite paternity must have had great significance.  

The concept of the ‘Curse of Ham’ finds its origins in Genesis 9: 20-27.

20. And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. 

21. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. 

22. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 

23. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.

24. So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. 

25. Then he said:

“Cursed be Canaan;

A servant of servants

He shall be to his brethren.”

26. And he said:

“Blessed be the Lord,

The God of Shem,

And may Canaan be his servant.

27. May God enlarge Japheth,

And may he dwell in the tents of Shem;

And may Canaan be his servant.” 

Interpretive debates have since revolved around two inter-related questions: 

Is  ‘The Curse of Ham’ the basis of slavery today?

The nature of Hams offence: Why would Ham’s ‘seeing’ Noah’s nakedness merit a curse? and

The rationale for Canaan’s punishment:  If Ham was the perpetrator, why was Canaan cursed?  

What did Ham see that emasculated him (Noah)? 

Recently it has been pointed out that, in Babylonia, in the first millennium, looking at another person’s genitals was regarded as a serious matter.

Some assume the existence of a taboo against the accidental sight of a naked parent and view Ham’s offence as ‘voyeurism’, believing he did nothing more than behold his father’s nakedness.  

Yet, voyeurism (unattested in biblical or ancient literature), fails to clarify either the gravity of Ham’s offence or the reason for the curse of Canaan. 

Generations of scholars believe there is much more to the story.  Some have identified Ham’s deed either as voyeurism, castration, paternal incest or maternal incest, which explains the gravity of Ham’s offence and the rationale for the cursing of Canaan, who is the fruit of the illicit union. 

Recent scholars have rationalised arguments in favour of the paternal-incest theory.  

The erotic imagery of the text, the idiomatic meaning of ‘to see nakedness’, the parallels with other texts and the nature of Ham’s deed as a familial-political power play all support the possibility that Ham committed an incestuous act. 

Those proponents of the paternal-incest theory point out that their view offers a possible motivation for Ham’s deed; that by humiliating his father, Ham hoped to usurp his father’s authority and displace his older brothers in the familial hierarchy.

According to Leviticus 20:17, “…to uncover nakedness” is understood a euphemism for sexual intercourse.  In Leviticus 18:7-8, the “…nakedness of your father” is defined as “…the nakedness of your mother”:  “You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is the nakedness of your father.” 

Leviticus 18:14, 16; 20:11, 30, 21 all describe a woman’s nakedness as the nakedness of her husband.  Likewise, in Deuteronomy 23:1 and 27:20, describe ‘intercourse’ with one’s father’s wife as “…uncovering the fathers skirt.”

If Ham’s voyeuristic deed is recognised as nothing more than looking, it fails to explain the gravity of Ham’s sin or the cursing of Canaan.

Thus, if Ham’s deed is understood as maternal incest, it becomes possible to explain Canaan’s origin as the fruit of that union. 

This is why, according to theorists, Canaan is cursed, and why Ham is repeatedly identified as “…the father of Canaan.” 

Canaan is cursed because his origin was a vile taboo on the part of his father.  

By repeatedly identifying Ham as “…the father of Canaan” the narrator explains how Ham became “…the father of Canaan.” 

What is known as ‘The Curse of Ham’ invoked in response to an act of moral depravity was not bestowed upon Ham himself by Noah but indirectly via his son Canaan. 

Cursed is Canaan: Noah said to Ham: “You caused me that I should not father a fourth son, another one to serve me. May your fourth son [Ham’s fourth son was Canaan), be cursed by serving the offspring of these greater ones [Shem and Japheth] ….”  

Genesis 9:25: “And he said, cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.”

‘The curse on Canaan’ is the first intimation of the theme of the corruption of the Canaanites, which is given as the justification for their being dispossessed of their land and for the transfer of that land to the descendants of Abraham.

Ham (Cham) according to the Table of Nations in the Book of Genesis, was a son of Noah and the Father of Cush, Mizraim, Phut and Canaan. 

Ham’s descendants are understood as having populated Africa and adjoining parts of Asia. The Bible refers to Egypt as “…the land of Ham” in Psalm 78:51; 105:23,27; 106:22; 1 Chronicles 4:40.

A number of suggestions, since the 17th Century but now discounted, have postulated the name Ham is a Hebrew word for ‘burnt’, ‘black’ or ‘hot’, and the Egyptian word ḥm for ‘servant’.

Genesis 9:20-27 and 19:30-38 are concerned with the repopulation of the earth after a supernatural disaster and offer aetiologies explaining the low state of Israel’s traditional enemies (Canaan, Moab, Ammon) due to their origins in parent-child incest. 

Was slavery the result of  the curse of Ham or is this the Christian justification?

Dr Michelina Rudo Andreucci is a Zimbabwean-Italian researcher, industrial design consultant, lecturer and specialist hospitality interior decorator.  She is a published author in her field.  For comments e-mail: linamanucci@gmail.com

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest articles

Kariba Municipality commits to President’s service delivery blueprint

By Kundai Marunya IT is rare to find opposition-controlled urban councils throwing their weight on...

The resurgence of Theileriosis in 2024 

THE issues of global changes, climate change and tick-borne diseases cannot be ignored, given...

Britain haunted by its hostile policy on Zimbabwe

TWO critical lessons drawn from the recent debate on Zimbabwe in the British House...

The contentious issue of race

 By Nthungo YaAfrika AS much as Africans would want to have closure to many of...

More like this

Kariba Municipality commits to President’s service delivery blueprint

By Kundai Marunya IT is rare to find opposition-controlled urban councils throwing their weight on...

The resurgence of Theileriosis in 2024 

THE issues of global changes, climate change and tick-borne diseases cannot be ignored, given...

Britain haunted by its hostile policy on Zimbabwe

TWO critical lessons drawn from the recent debate on Zimbabwe in the British House...

Discover more from Celebrating Being Zimbabwean

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading