Noah's Curse Upon His Son

FROM THE SERIES BY GUSTAVE DORÉ.

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"And he said, cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren."-Gen., 9, 25.

HERE is always a peculiar tenderness be

tween a father and his youngest son, the child

Ttween a

of his old age. This had been the relation of Seth to Adam, and of Ham to Noah. Hence it must have been with peculiar bitterness that Noah learned how his shame had been exposed to ridicule by Ham. In his rage he was roused to prophecy, the first of the many prophecies in the Bible, which the latest translation restores to their original verse. The inspired curse falls not directly upon Ham, but, in condemnation of his attitude toward his father, it falls upon Ham's youngest son Canaan, whose descendants are to be servants through ages.

Then Ham and his family went forth to the southward, and the Bible glancing hurriedly over the repeopling of the earth, names as his descendants the nations of the Euphrates Valley, the former home of the race; and attributes to him the peopling of Africa, the home of negro slavery. Canaan became father of the Phoenicians, the men of Sidon and Tyre, and of the Canaanites, the dwellers whom the Hebrews found later in Palestine, and conquered there. These Hebrews, as well as the other "Semite" races, were supposed to be the descendants of Shem, whom Noah specially blessed, while from Japheth sprang the European races.

GENESIS XXXVII-JOSEPH SOLD

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17 And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.

18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.

19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. 20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

21 And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.

22 And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.

23¶ And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;

24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

25 And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.

28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen1; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelities for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.

30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?

31 And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;

32 And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no.

33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

Apparently this means the same troop as mentioned in verse 25; both Midianites and Ishmaelites were descended from Abraham, and the passing caravan may have been composed of both.

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GENESIS XXXVIII—JUDAH AND TAMAR

34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. 36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.

Chapter 38

1 Judah begetteth Er, Onan, and Shelah. 6 Er marrieth Tamar 8 The trespass of Onan. 11 Tamar stayeth for Shelah. 13 She deceiveth Judah. 27 She beareth twins, Pharez and Zarah.

ND it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.

3 And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er. 4 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.

5 And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.

6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.

7 And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.

8 And, Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.

9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.

10 And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.

11 Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter-in-law, Remain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.

12¶ And in process of time the daughter of Shuah, Judah's wife, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepbearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

13 And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father-in-law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.

14 And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and