Bible Basics: Genesis 9 through 11:9
Chapter 9
Noah and Family: A Fresh Start for Humanity
Verse 1: God repeats his blessing and call (originally given in Genesis 1) for humanity to fill the earth and live a full life.
2–4: He continues to provide for their needs by allowing meat into their diet as well as plants. Now that animals are prey, they begin to fear humanity. However, only their flesh may be eaten, not their blood. so blood comes to symbolize life. Placing a restriction on the consumption of an animal’s “lifeblood” conveys a deep respect for life, both human and animal, and for the sacrifice of one life to sustain another. This foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice of Christ's blood—his life—on the cross, to provide forgiveness of sins and therefore life to humankind. (1)
5–7: God further underscores the value of human life by establishing “life-for-life” accountability for both people and animals when a human life is taken. This sets the precedence for capital punishment. He also reminds Noah and his family that they are created to live abundantly by reiterating the commission he gave them in verse 1.
8–17: God repeats the covenant (agreement) he established between himself, humanity, and all living creatures, that he would never send a flood to destroy people and all living creatures again. He designates the rainbow as a sign, or reminder, to himself and us of this promise.
18–19: Noah and his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, become the predecessors for us all.
We Blow It Again, but God Still Has a Plan
20–23: Unfortunately, this new beginning is reminiscent of Adam and Eve’s mistake in the garden: it’s not long before people wander into sin again. Noah expands his agricultural portfolio to include wine. He quickly learns the “adverse effects” of alcohol, and ends up naked in his tent. Ham encounters him there, and rather than helping Noah out of this vulnerable position, he leaves to share the incident with his brothers (likely to make sport of Noah). Shem and Japheth, on the other hand, don't stoop to such a deep level of disrespect. Rather than violating their father by looking at him naked, they enter his tent backward and cover him.
24–27: Noah curses Ham for the attitude of his heart and his actions. In doing so, Noah appropriately foretells the subjection of Ham’s descendants, the Canaanites, to Shem's descendants, the Israelites. His blessing for Shem, which includes a blessing for Japheth, also foretells Israel's future as the chosen people of God.
28–29: Noah's lifespan totals 950 years, including 350 years after the flood.
Chapter 10
Through the Generations of Noah, a Savior Will Emerge
1: Moses gives an account of the lineage of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Noah’s sons.
2–4: Seafaring people, with distinct nations and languages, begin to emerge from Japheth’s line.
5–20: Ham’s line includes Nimrod, a renowned, ancient warrior who ruled over much of the present-day Middle East. Many of Ham’s descendants (deviating from God like their forefather) become enemies of God and Israel, such as the Assyrians, Babylonians, Ninevites, and Canaanites.
21–31: In verse 21, Moses particularly notes Eber as one of Shem’s descendants, since Abraham, David, and Jesus come through his line,
32: These descendants of Noah, with varying cultures, nations, and languages, spread out to inhabit the earth.
Chapter 11:1–9
God Continues to Help Us See Our Need for Him
1–2: For a time after the flood, all people speak the same language. As they begin to disperse and move eastward, some settle on a plain in Shinar (east of what is Israel today, likely in modern-day Syria or Iraq).
3–4: They decide to plant in this spot and build a city, contrary to God’s plan. Rather than honoring and living in harmony with him, they develop their own agenda and begin constructing a monument to themselves.
5–9: In love, God doesn’t allow this self-destructive narcissism to continue. He gives different languages to them, pushing them to scatter throughout the earth and no doubt turn from self-reliance and self-worship back to him, the only one able to provide a truly good, satisfying life.
(1) https://www.bibleref.com/Genesis/9/Genesis-9-4.html