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....Cursed be Canaan....


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Gen 9:22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
Gen 9:23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid [it] upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces [were] backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.
Gen 9:24

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This is the passage that I have heard defending slavery of black people, also. But (answering my own question from another thread) Canaan's descendants weren't black. They were swarthy, like Egyptians and Israelites.

Before this country was founded, slavers came here and stole Indians to be slaves.

White people have, for many years, been stolen and sold into slavery around the world.

Seems to me that it isn't only the blacks that could be slaves. I think the preachers who defend slavery with this verse do it with hindsight...to justify the fact that this country was so involved in the black slave traffic.

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"Shemites", Israelites were enslaved for 500 years in Egypt(Hamites) and later by Babylonians(Hamites), Assyrians(?) and others.

I've read where an awful lot of Canaanites were killed, but I've never seen scripture where the Canaanite race was enslaved..like the Israelites were. And I don't mean isolated incidents of individuals, small groups or even cities; I mean where is scripture to prove that the Canaanite race were historically "servants of servants" any more than any other.

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This is the passage that I have heard defending slavery of black people, also. But (answering my own question from another thread) Canaan's descendants weren't black. They were swarthy, like Egyptians and Israelites.

Before this country was founded, slavers came here and stole Indians to be slaves.

White people have, for many years, been stolen and sold into slavery around the world.

Seems to me that it isn't only the blacks that could be slaves. I think the preachers who defend slavery with this verse do it with hindsight...to justify the fact that this country was so involved in the black slave traffic.


I've not seen anything in Scripture to support the idea of a "slave race". All peoples have, and some continue to be, slaves; slaves to those of their own race and slaves to other races.

Some have well argued that those who live paycheck to paycheck fall into a slave category.

Scripture is pretty clear about slavery and it covers all peoples, not any one people or group with regards to slavery.

Now the Canaanites were "cursed" in that God allowed their sin to build to a predetermined point at which time God ordered the Jews to completely eliminate them; men, women and children.
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I heave heard it said that Ham had already been blessed by Noah, so for some reason Noah chose Canaan to curse instead of Ham. I'm not exactly sure how this might have influenced the history of his descendants, but isn't it interesting that no civilization or culture of any great importance, other than Egypt, and that because of the presence of Joseph, arose out of Africa until Ethiopia, which was arguably because of the Christian influence there? Ham had always been a backwards "race," if you look at history honestly. While China had the largest fleet in human history, Africans were running around naked with bones in their noses. Of course Japheth wasn't doing too well either, with Catholicism running rampant in Europe, but after that influence was gone, look what happened to Europe and the US, settled by Europeans.

No, it's not a good idea to relate that curse to what became American slavery, but it's obvious that something did come of it. Along those lines though: realize that around 1% of all slaves came to the mainland US, and it was black slavers that captured and sold other blacks to either black or European traders who brought them to the New World. It wasn't an American oppression; it was their own countrymen who fueled the trade.

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I've not seen anything in Scripture to support the idea of a "slave race".


That's a weird way of putting it. I don't know of any Christians who state that. I do believe the curse specifies that his descendants (or some of them) would be slaves (which is what the term servant basically means in the OT). A bondservant is a willing slave.

Genesis 9:25-27 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

5650 - from 5647; a servant:--X bondage, bondman, (bond-)servant, (man-)servant.

5647 - a primitive root; to work (in any sense); by implication, to serve, till, (causatively) enslave, etc.

The Semites did conquer the Canaanites and enslave some of them. The Japhethites (is that how you spell it?) also enslaved descendants of Ham/Canaan.

We see that many blacks were enslaved - a result of the curse? I believe this is what the passage is talking about.

Why is Canaan cursed and not Ham specifically? There is not enough information given. Perhaps Canaan was involved directly in his father's sin, OR continued in that sinful manner. Maybe Canaan was cursed because he was the last of Ham's children, the one that would carry on his sinful ways. The Canaanites were so wicked that God was determined to wipe them out.

I heave heard it said that Ham had already been blessed by Noah, so for some reason Noah chose Canaan to curse instead of Ham.


Any Biblical basis for that? The only blessings or cursings I can find by Noah were in that chapter (quoted above). Also, the Bible does not teach that someone can only be blessed OR cursed by God* (blessed or cursed in what way?) - the context will determine what kind of blessings or cursings are in view. For example, Deuteronomy teaches that God will bless His people that do His will, and curse those who do not - these principles could very well be applied to the same individuals (ie. blessing them when they do right, cursing them when they are backslidden, then blessing them again when they get their sin right).

*Obviously a believer cannot be cursed with the curse that Christ bore for our sins - but we are still effected by the curse of sin on this world, the curse of toiling for our daily bread, the curse of pain in childbearing, the curse of death as the wages for our sin, etc.
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That's a weird way of putting it. I don't know of any Christians who state that. I do believe the curse specifies that his descendants (or some of them) would be slaves (which is what the term servant basically means in the OT). A bondservant is a willing slave.

Genesis 9:25-27 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

5650 - from 5647; a servant:--X bondage, bondman, (bond-)servant, (man-)servant.

5647 - a primitive root; to work (in any sense); by implication, to serve, till, (causatively) enslave, etc.

The Semites did conquer the Canaanites and enslave some of them. The Japhethites (is that how you spell it?) also enslaved descendants of Ham/Canaan.

We see that many blacks were enslaved - a result of the curse? I believe this is what the passage is talking about.

Why is Canaan cursed and not Ham specifically? There is not enough information given. Perhaps Canaan was involved directly in his father's sin, OR continued in that sinful manner. Maybe Canaan was cursed because he was the last of Ham's children, the one that would carry on his sinful ways. The Canaanites were so wicked that God was determined to wipe them out.



Any Biblical basis for that? The only blessings or cursings I can find by Noah were in that chapter (quoted above). Also, the Bible does not teach that someone can only be blessed OR cursed by God* (blessed or cursed in what way?) - the context will determine what kind of blessings or cursings are in view. For example, Deuteronomy teaches that God will bless His people that do His will, and curse those who do not - these principles could very well be applied to the same individuals (ie. blessing them when they do right, cursing them when they are backslidden, then blessing them again when they get their sin right).

*Obviously a believer cannot be cursed with the curse that Christ bore for our sins - but we are still effected by the curse of sin on this world, the curse of toiling for our daily bread, the curse of pain in childbearing, the curse of death as the wages for our sin, etc.


Not really, there are still many who teach the black race was cursed to be a race of slaves. I was simply pointing out that I don't see that in Scripture.
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Not really, there are still many who teach the black race was cursed to be a race of slaves. I was simply pointing out that I don't see that in Scripture.


There is something to be said for quoting the part of the post you are referring to. (Hint, hint.) Are you referring to this part:

I've not seen anything in Scripture to support the idea of a "slave race".

That's a weird way of putting it. I don't know of any Christians who state that. I do believe the curse specifies that his descendants (or some of them) would be slaves (which is what the term servant basically means in the OT).


I do not believe that that black ethnic groups or nations (hate the evolutionary, unbiblical word "race") were cursed to be a "race of slaves." The curse resulted in many being enslaved - and then eventually God released them from that slavery. Being a race of slaves sounds like they were all destined to be enslaved (and in fact, would be wrong for them to not be enslaved) - and I certainly don't see or agree with those ideas.
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Like I said, I have heard it said that way. It's also polite to point out when you change something in someone's post. I don't recall italicizing anything. :smile

I didn't say I necessarily believed this, I simply mentioned it as a possible reason or explanation.
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A clear distinction should be made between something being prophesied in a curse, and commanded of people. Women were cursed with pain in child bearing, would that justify taking a hammer into the delivery room and bopping a woman on the head giving birth? A prophesy of slavery in no way validates the kind of slavery practiced in the US. God foretold of all kind of evil that would be done by evil people. But in the end, those evil people were destroyed.

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A clear distinction should be made between something being prophesied in a curse' date=' and commanded of people. Women were cursed with pain in child bearing, would that justify taking a hammer into the delivery room and bopping a woman on the head giving birth? A prophesy of slavery in no way validates the kind of slavery practiced in the US. God foretold of all kind of evil that would be done by evil people. But in the end, those evil people were destroyed.[/quote']


:goodpost: :amen:
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It's also polite to point out when you change something in someone's post. I don't recall italicizing anything.


I italicized the part I was specifically commenting on.
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