Genesis 9 · Verse 25

Genesis 9:25

And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
Genesis 9:25, King James Version

Genesis 9:25 in other translations

BSBhe said, “Cursed be Canaan! A servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”
WEBHe said, “Canaan is cursed. He will be a servant of servants to his brothers.”
ASVAnd he said, Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
YLTand saith: ‘Cursed is Canaan, Servant of servants he is to his brethren.'
DARBYAnd he said, Cursed be Canaan; Let him be a bondman of bondmen to his brethren.
BBECursed be Canaan; let him be a servant of servants to his brothers.
WebsterAnd he said, Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be to his brethren.

What does Genesis 9:25 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
25. Cursed be Canaan--This doom has been fulfilled in the destruction of the Canaanites--in the degradation of Egypt and the slavery of the Africans, the descendants of Ham.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 25 Cursed be Canaan - See on the preceding verses. In the 25th, 26th, and 27th verses, instead of Canaan simply, the Arabic version has Ham the father of Canaan; but this is acknowledged by none of the other versions, and seems to be merely a gloss.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 9:24-29

Noah declares a curse on Canaan, the son of Ham; perhaps this grandson of his was more guilty than the rest. A servant of servants, that is, The meanest and most despicable servant, shall he be, even to his brethren. This certainly points at the victories in after-times obtained by Israel over the Canaanites, by which they were put to the sword, or brought to pay tribute. The whole continent of Africa was peopled…

Read the full comment on Genesis 9:24-29 →

Genesis 9:25 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֖אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
אָר֣וּר'a.Rur[be] cursedH779
כְּנָ֑עַןke.Na.'anCanaanH3667
עֶ֥בֶד'E.veda slave ofH5650
עֲבָדִ֖ים'a.va.DimslavesH5650
יִֽהְיֶ֥הyih.Yehhe will beH1961
לְאֶחָֽיו\׃le.'e.Chavof brothers hisH251

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 9:25

  • Deuteronomy 27:16

    Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

  • Joshua 9:23

    Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.

  • Judges 1:28-30

    And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out. Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them. Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries.

  • 1 Kings 9:20-21

    And all the people that were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which were not of the children of Israel, Their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel also were not able utterly to destroy, upon those did Solomon levy a tribute of bondservice unto this day.

  • Joshua 9:27

    And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the Lord, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.

  • John 8:34

    Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

  • 2 Chronicles 8:7-8

    As for all the people that were left of the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which were not of Israel, But of their children, who were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel consumed not, them did Solomon make to pay tribute until this day.

  • Genesis 9:22

    And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

  • Deuteronomy 28:18

    Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

  • Matthew 25:41

    Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

  • Genesis 49:7

    Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Cursed.
22; 3:14; 4:11; 49:7; De 27:16; 28:18; Mt 25:41; Joh 8:34
a servant.The devoted nations, which God destroyed before Israel, were descended from Canaan: and so were the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, who were at length subjugated with dreadful destruction by the Greeks and Romans. The Africans, who have been bought and sold like beasts, were also his posterity.
Jos 9:23,27; Jud 1:28-30; 1Ki 9:20,21; 2Ch 8:7,8; Joh 8:34

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Genesis 9:24

    And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.

  • Genesis 9:25

    And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

  • Genesis 9:26

    And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

Read all of Genesis 9

Genesis 9:25 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y dijo: Maldito sea Canaán; siervo de siervos será á sus hermanos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		et il dit: Maudit soit Canaan! Il sera l’esclave des esclaves de ses frères.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und er sprach: Verflucht sei Kanaan! Ein Knecht der Knechte sei er seinen Brüdern!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		ait: Maledictus Chanaan, servus servorum erit fratribus suis.