Genesis 9 · Verse 27

Genesis 9:27

God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
Genesis 9:27, King James Version

Genesis 9:27 in other translations

BSBMay God expand the territory of Japheth; may he dwell in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant.”
WEBMay God enlarge Japheth. Let him dwell in the tents of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant.”
ASVGod enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.
YLTGod doth give beauty to Japheth, And he dwelleth in tents of Shem, And Canaan is servant to him.'
DARBYLet God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, And let Canaan be his bondman.
BBEMay God make Japheth great, and let his living-place be in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.
WebsterGod shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

What does Genesis 9:27 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
27. God shall enlarge Japheth--pointing to a vast increase in posterity and possessions. Accordingly his descendants have been the most active and enterprising, spread over the best and largest portion of the world, all Europe and a considerable part of Asia. he shall dwell in the tents of Shem--a prophecy being fulfilled at the present day, as in India British Government is established and the Anglo-Saxons being in the ascendancy from Europe to India, from India over the American continent. What a wonderful prophecy in a few verses (Is 46:10; 1Pe 1:25)!

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · 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 9:27 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.

יַ֤פְתְּyaftmay he make spaciousH6601
אֱלֹהִים֙'E.lo.HimGodH430
לְיֶ֔פֶתle.Ye.fet<to> JaphethH3315
וְיִשְׁכֹּ֖ןve.yish.Konand let him dwellH7931
בְּאָֽהֳלֵי\־be.'o.ho.lei-in [the] tents ofH168
שֵׁ֑םShemShemH8035
וִיהִ֥יvi.Hiand let him beH1961
כְנַ֖עַןkhe.Na.'anCanaanH3667
עֶ֥בֶד'E.veda slaveH5650
לָֽמוֹ\׃la.moto <the> them

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

Cross references for Genesis 9:27

  • Romans 15:12

    And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.

  • Romans 11:12

    Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?

  • Ephesians 3:6

    That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

  • Hebrews 11:9-10

    By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

  • Ephesians 2:13-14

    But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

  • Hosea 2:14

    Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.

  • Malachi 1:11

    For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.

  • Isaiah 11:10

    And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

  • Ephesians 2:19

    Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

  • Ephesians 3:13

    Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
enlarge. or, persuade. Japheth.Japheth denotes enlargement, and how wonderfully have his boundaries been enlarged; for not only Europe, but Asia Minor, part of Armenia, Iberia, the whole of the vast regions of Asia north of Taurus, and probably America, fell to the share of his posterity.
he shall dwell.These words may mean either that God or that Japheth shall dwell in the tents of Shem. In either sense the prophecy has been literally fulfilled.
dwell.
Isa 11:10; Ho 2:14; Mal 1:11; Ac 17:14; Ro 11:12; 15:12
Eph 2:13,14,19; 3:6,13; Heb 11:9,10

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

Context

  • Genesis 9:26

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

  • Genesis 9:27

    God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

  • Genesis 9:28

    And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.

Read all of Genesis 9

Genesis 9:27 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Engrandezca Dios á Japhet, y habite en las tiendas de Sem, y séale Canaán siervo.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Que Dieu élargisse Japheth, et qu’il demeure dans les tentes de Sem, et que Canaan soit son esclave!
German
Elberfelder 1871		Weit mache es Gott dem Japhet, und er wohne in den Zelten Sems; und Kanaan sei sein Knecht!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dilatet Deus Japheth, et habitet in tabernaculis Sem, sitque Chanaan servus ejus.