Religion & Spirituality

Overly Affectionate Son

Now, I had quite a heated exchange with a couple of Christian friends yesterday while discussing Genesis 9, 18-29, you know the story of Noah's drunken escapade.

I mentioned that Ham 'seeing his fathers nakedness', referred to Ham raping his father up the as$hole, while Noah lay in his drunken state. The term 'seeing nakedness' is used throughout scripture as a euphemism for sex, see Leviticus for example.

My buddy's nearly lynched me!! Cripes, it's a good job I brought pizza and a DVD!!

Now the Oxford Commentary indicates this is a possible view, but dismisses it as rather unlikely. The Good News Bible actually translates the event as a sexual one, but then who ever trusts the Good News Bible eh.

I have always believed that this story to be a methophor for the wrongs of the Canaanites (abject prostitution) in a single act, with the other brothers doing the opposite and representing Israel.

Do you interpret this event as a sexual one?

Mani Hussain Thurs 15/05/08 20:47

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naomi24
Thurs 15/05/08
22:02

Hello Mani, I don't think the Old Testament contains metaphors or euphamisms. I think it's a history, and the writers told it as it happened - although with regard to God, I don't believe they understood what they were seeing, and so described events to the best of their limited knowledge and ability.

coco pops
Fri 16/05/08
10:54

Mani,not thought of it like that before, got me thinking though.

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