Genesis 9:23
New International Version
But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.

New Living Translation
Then Shem and Japheth took a robe, held it over their shoulders, and backed into the tent to cover their father. As they did this, they looked the other way so they would not see him naked.

English Standard Version
Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.

Berean Standard Bible
Then Shem and Japheth took a garment and placed it across their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.

King James Bible
And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.

New King James Version
But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.

New American Standard Bible
But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it on both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.

NASB 1995
But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.

NASB 1977
But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.

Legacy Standard Bible
But Shem and Japheth took the garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned backward, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.

Amplified Bible
So Shem and Japheth took a robe and put it on both their shoulders, and walked backwards and covered the nakedness of their father; their faces were turned away so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.

Christian Standard Bible
Then Shem and Japheth took a cloak and placed it over both their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father naked.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then Shem and Japheth took a cloak and placed it over both their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father naked.

American Standard Version
And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Sheem and Yaphet took a cloak and they threw it over both their shoulders and they walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father and their faces were toward their back and they did not the nakedness of their father.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Sem and Japheth having taken a garment, put it on both their backs and went backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their face was backward, and they saw not the nakedness of their father.

Contemporary English Version
Shem and Japheth put a robe over their shoulders and walked backwards into the tent. Without looking at their father, they placed it over his body.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But Sem and Japheth put a cloak upon their shoulders, and going backward, covered the nakedness of their father: and their faces were turned away, and they saw not their father's nakedness.

English Revised Version
And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Shem and Japheth took a blanket and laid it over their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered their father's naked body. They turned their faces away so that they didn't see their father naked.

Good News Translation
Then Shem and Japheth took a robe and held it behind them on their shoulders. They walked backward into the tent and covered their father, keeping their faces turned away so as not to see him naked.

International Standard Version
Then Shem and Japheth took their father's cloak, laid it across both their shoulders, and walking backwards, they both covered their father's genitals. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's genitals.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.

Literal Standard Version
And Shem takes—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.

Majority Standard Bible
Then Shem and Japheth took a garment and placed it across their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.

New American Bible
Shem and Japheth, however, took a robe, and holding it on their shoulders, they walked backward and covered their father’s nakedness; since their faces were turned the other way, they did not see their father’s nakedness.

NET Bible
Shem and Japheth took the garment and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father's nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so they did not see their father's nakedness.

New Revised Standard Version
Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.

New Heart English Bible
Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it on both their shoulders, went in backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned the other way, and they did not see their father's nakedness.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father: and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.

World English Bible
Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it on both their shoulders, went in backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were backwards, and they didn’t see their father’s nakedness.

Young's Literal Translation
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.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Noah's Shame and Canaan's Curse
22And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside. 23Then Shem and Japheth took a garment and placed it across their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away so that they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24When Noah awoke from his drunkenness and learned what his youngest son had done to him,…

Cross References
Genesis 9:22
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and told his two brothers outside.

Genesis 9:24
When Noah awoke from his drunkenness and learned what his youngest son had done to him,


Treasury of Scripture

And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.

Exodus 20:12
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Leviticus 19:32
Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.

Romans 13:7
Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

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Backs Backward Backwards Covered Faces Father's Garment Japheth Laid Nakedness Putting Robe Shem Shoulders Turned Walked
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Backs Backward Backwards Covered Faces Father's Garment Japheth Laid Nakedness Putting Robe Shem Shoulders Turned Walked
Genesis 9
1. God blesses Noah and his sons, and grants them flesh for food.
4. Blood and murder are forbidden.
8. God's covenant, of which the rainbow was constituted a pledge.
18. Noah's family replenishes the world.
20. Noah plants a vineyard,
21. Is drunken, and mocked by his son;
25. Curses Canaan;
26. Blesses Shem;
27. Prays for Japheth, and dies.














Verse 23. - And Shem and Japheth took a garment. Literally, the robe, i.e. which was at hand (Keil, Lange); the simlah, which was an outer cloak (Deuteronomy 10:18; 1 Samuel 21:10; Isaiah 3:6, 7), in which, at night, persons wrapped themselves (Deuteronomy 22:17). Sometimes the letters are transposed, and the word becomes salmah (cf. Exodus 22:8; Micah 2:8). And laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not the nakedness of their father; thereby evincing "the regard they paid to their father's honor and their own modesty (Calvin).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then Shem
שֵׁ֨ם (šêm)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 8035: Shem -- 'name', oldest son of Noah

and Japheth
וָיֶ֜פֶת (wā·ye·p̄eṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3315: Japheth -- a son of Noah

took
וַיִּקַּח֩ (way·yiq·qaḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

a garment
הַשִּׂמְלָ֗ה (haś·śim·lāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8071: A dress, a mantle

and placed
וַיָּשִׂ֙ימוּ֙ (way·yā·śî·mū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, set

it across
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

their shoulders,
שְׁכֶ֣ם (šə·ḵem)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7926: The neck, as the place of burdens, the spur of a, hill

and walking
וַיֵּֽלְכוּ֙ (way·yê·lə·ḵū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

backward,
אֲחֹ֣רַנִּ֔ית (’ă·ḥō·ran·nîṯ)
Adverb
Strong's 322: Backwards

they covered
וַיְכַסּ֕וּ (way·ḵas·sū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3680: To plump, fill up hollows, to cover

their father’s
אֲבִיהֶ֑ם (’ă·ḇî·hem)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1: Father

nakedness.
עֶרְוַ֣ת (‘er·waṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 6172: Nakedness

Their faces
וּפְנֵיהֶם֙ (ū·p̄ə·nê·hem)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 6440: The face

were turned away
אֲחֹ֣רַנִּ֔ית (’ă·ḥō·ran·nîṯ)
Adverb
Strong's 322: Backwards

so that they did not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

see
רָאֽוּ׃ (rā·’ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7200: To see

their father’s
אֲבִיהֶ֖ם (’ă·ḇî·hem)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1: Father

nakedness.
וְעֶרְוַ֥ת (wə·‘er·waṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 6172: Nakedness


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OT Law: Genesis 9:23 Shem and Japheth took a garment (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 9:22
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