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Genesis 9:20

EOB (Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible):

Noah was a farmer who planted the first vineyard.

EOB Footnote:

The MT includes “a man of the ground” (literally “man of the ground/soil”), which the LXX renders simply as a farmer or one who works the ground. The Hebrew construction emphasizes Noah’s identity as a cultivator, while the Greek focuses on the activity itself.

Other Translations:

KJV (King James Version):

And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:

WEB (World English Bible):

Noah began to be a farmer, and planted a vineyard.

Benton LXX (Vaticanus):

And Noah began to be a husbandman, and he planted a vineyard.

Douai-Rheims (Vulgate):

And Noah, a husbandman, began to till the ground, and planted a vineyard.

Apostoliki Diakonia (LXX):

Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard.

YLT (Young Literal Translation )(MT):

Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.

BBE (Bible in Basic English):

Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vine-yard.

EOB COMMENTARY:

EOB Commentary:

Commentary on Genesis 9:20

Noah as Farmer and the Beginning of Viticulture

This verse marks a significant transition in the biblical narrative, presenting Noah in his post-diluvian role as a man of the soil who plants a vineyard. The Hebrew phrase “ish ha-adamah” (man of the ground) deliberately echoes Adam’s connection to the adamah from which he was formed, suggesting that Noah represents a new beginning for humanity while simultaneously inheriting the agricultural vocation given to the first man.

Typological Significance

The Fathers of the Church recognized in Noah’s planting of the vineyard a profound typological connection to Christ. Saint John Chrysostom notes that just as Noah cultivated the vine after the waters of judgment receded, so Christ, the true Vine (John 15:1), establishes His vineyard—the Church—after passing through the waters of death and resurrection. The vineyard becomes a recurring biblical image for God’s people, reaching its fulfillment in our Lord’s teaching about Himself as the Vine and His disciples as the branches.

Saint Ephrem the Syrian observes that Noah’s agricultural work demonstrates the restoration of the divine command to tend and keep the earth, showing that the flood did not abolish humanity’s stewardship but renewed it under the covenant of grace symbolized by the rainbow.

Liturgical and Spiritual Connections

The wine produced from Noah’s vineyard anticipates the Eucharistic mystery. Orthodox hymnography frequently draws connections between Old Testament wine and the precious Blood of Christ offered in the Divine Liturgy. The cultivation of the vineyard thus becomes a preparation in salvation history for the ultimate fruit of the vine—the cup of the New Covenant.

In the prayers of the Proskomedia, the preparation of the Eucharistic gifts, the Church acknowledges that all good things of the earth find their purpose in being offered back to God. Noah’s vineyard represents the first post-flood offering of human labor that would eventually yield the matter for the supreme Sacrament.

Ascetical Considerations

The verse also introduces a theme that will develop in the following verses regarding the proper use of God’s gifts. The Fathers consistently teach that wine itself is not evil—it is a blessing from God—but its misuse leads to shame and spiritual harm. This establishes an important principle in Orthodox spirituality: creation is good, but fallen humanity must exercise discernment and temperance. The monastic tradition particularly emphasizes this teaching, viewing Noah’s subsequent intoxication as a warning about vigilance even for the righteous.

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