Genesis 9:27

 Genesis 9:27

God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

a. NLT: May God expand the territory of Japheth! May Japheth share the prosperity of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant.”[Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. ASV: God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant. [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. YLT: God doth give beauty to Japheth, And he dwelleth in tents of Shem, And Canaan is servant to him.' [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

d. Classic Amplified: May God enlarge Japheth; and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

e. Stone Edition THE CHUMASH, Rabbinic Commentary: May God extend Japhet, but he will dwell in the tents of Shem; may Canaan be a slave to them. [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE TANACH--STUDENT SIZE EDITION Copyright 1996, 1998 by Mesorah Publications, Ldt.]

1. “God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.”

a. God [Strong: 430 'elohiym el-o-heem' plural of 433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:--angels, X exceeding, God (gods)(-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.]

b. [shall] enlarge [Strong: 6601 pathah paw-thaw' a primitive root; to open, i.e. be (causatively, make) roomy; usually figuratively (in a mental or moral sense) to be (causatively, make) simple or (in a sinister way) delude:--allure, deceive, enlarge, entice, flatter, persuade, silly (one).

c. Japheth [Strong: 3315 Yepheth yeh'-feth from 6601; expansion; Jepheth, a son of Noah; also his posterity:--Japheth.]

d. [that he shall] dwell [Strong: 7931 shakan shaw-kan' a primitive root (apparently akin (by transmission) to 7901 through the idea of lodging; Compare 5531, 7925); to reside or permanently stay (literally or figuratively):--abide, continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-er), have habitation, inhabit, lay, place, (cause to) remain, rest, set (up).]

e. [in the] tents [Strong: 168 'ohel o'-hel from 166; a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance):--covering, (dwelling)(place), home, tabernacle, tent.]

f. [of] Shem [Strong: 8035 Shem shame the same as 8034; name; Shem, a son of Noah (often includ. his posterity):--Sem, Shem.]

g. [and] Canaan [Strong: 3667 Kna`an ken-ah'-an from 3665; humiliated; Kenaan, a son a Ham; also the country inhabited by him:--Canaan, merchant, traffick.]

h. [shall] be [Strong: 1961 hayah haw-yaw a primitive root (Compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit (one-)self, require, X use.]

h. [his] servant [Strong: 5650 `ebed eh'-bed from 5647; a servant:--X bondage, bondman, (bond-)servant, (man-)servant.]

1). Shem received the patriarchal blessing of his father Noah. He would have also received the priesthood of the family. Shem was 98 years old after the flood. His first son was born two years after the flood. He lived a total of 600 years, 502 of them after the flood, Genesis 11:10, 11. With Shem living 502 years after the flood, this puts his death well after the tower of Babel and well into the time of Abraham and the implications are rather astounding. He seems to fall off the Biblical landscape and yet he lived 500 more years after the flood. Shem was 450 years old when Abram was born and he was 550 years old when Isaac was born, living another 50 years. Abraham was 150 years old when Shem died.