18 And the sons of Noah who are going out of the ark are Shem, and Ham, and Japheth; and Ham is father of Canaan. 19 These three 'are' sons of Noah, and from these hath all the earth been overspread. 20 And Noah remaineth a man of the ground, and planteth a vineyard, 21 and drinketh of the wine, and is drunken, and uncovereth himself in the midst of the tent. 22 And Ham, father of Canaan, seeth the nakedness of his father, and declareth to his two brethren without. 23 And Shem taketh—Japheth also—the garment, and they place on the shoulder of them both, and go backward, and cover the nakedness of their father; and their faces 'are' backward, and their father's nakedness they have not seen.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Genesis 9:18-23
Commentary on Genesis 9:18-23
(Read Genesis 9:18-23)
The drunkenness of Noah is recorded in the Bible, with that fairness which is found only in the Scripture, as a case and proof of human weakness and imperfection, even though he may have been surprised into the sin; and to show that the best of men cannot stand upright, unless they depend upon Divine grace, and are upheld thereby. Ham appears to have been a bad man, and probably rejoiced to find his father in an unbecoming situation. It was said of Noah, that he was perfect in his generations, 1 Peter 4:8. Beside that, there is a robe of reverence to be thrown over the faults of parents and other superiors. The blessing of God attends on those who honour their parents, and his curse lights especially on those who dishonour them.