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Genesis 9:21

EOB (Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible):

He drank wine and got drunk, then passed out naked in his tent.

EOB Footnote:

The MT includes the phrase “of the vineyard” after “he planted,” specifying what Noah planted, which is implied but not explicitly stated in the LXX at this point in the verse. The LXX reading “he became drunk” renders a Greek verb that could more literally be translated “he was made drunk,” but the active sense better conveys Noah’s agency in the context.

Other Translations:

KJV (King James Version):

And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

WEB (World English Bible):

He drank of the wine and got drunk. He was uncovered within his tent.

Benton LXX (Vaticanus):

And he drank of the wine, and was drunken, and was naked in his house.

Douai-Rheims (Vulgate):

“And drinking of the wine was made drunk, and was uncovered in his tent.”

Apostoliki Diakonia (LXX):

He drank some of the wine and became drunk, and he lay uncovered inside his tent.

YLT (Young Literal Translation )(MT):

He drank of the wine and became drunk, and he was uncovered within his tent.

BBE (Bible in Basic English):

He took of the wine of it and was overcome by drink; and he was uncovered in his tent.

EOB COMMENTARY:

EOB Commentary:

Commentary on Genesis 9:21

The Nakedness of Noah and the Mystery of Human Weakness

This verse presents us with a troubling image: Noah, the righteous man who found favor with God and preserved humanity through the flood, now lies drunk and exposed in his tent. The Fathers of the Church approached this passage with great care, recognizing both its literal historical meaning and its deeper spiritual significance.

Patristic Interpretation: Saint John Chrysostom, in his Homilies on Genesis, treats Noah with remarkable compassion, noting that Noah likely did not know the intoxicating power of wine, as he was the first to cultivate the vine after the flood. Chrysostom emphasizes that Scripture does not hide the failings of the righteous, teaching us that even the greatest saints remain susceptible to human weakness. This honest portrayal serves to magnify God’s grace rather than human merit.

Saint Ambrose of Milan saw in Noah’s drunkenness a prefiguration of deeper mysteries. The wine that overcame Noah points forward to the wine of the Eucharist and the spiritual intoxication of divine grace. Just as Noah was overcome and lay exposed, so Christ in His Passion was stripped and exposed on the Cross, bearing the shame of humanity’s sin though He Himself was sinless.

Typological Significance: The tent where Noah lay uncovered has been interpreted by some Fathers as a type of the Church, within which the mysteries of human weakness and divine redemption are worked out. Noah’s nakedness recalls the nakedness of Adam after the fall, suggesting that even after the purifying waters of the flood—a type of baptism—the consequences of ancestral sin remain present in human nature.

Spiritual Application: For Orthodox spirituality, this passage offers profound lessons in humility. If Noah, who walked with God and was deemed righteous in his generation, could fall into such a state, how much more must we guard ourselves against spiritual complacency. The Desert Fathers frequently warned against judging others, and this narrative provides biblical grounding for such caution. We see only the external act; God alone knows the heart and the circumstances.

The passage also speaks to the Orthodox understanding of theosis as a gradual process. Righteousness is not a permanent achievement but a continuous struggle requiring vigilance. Noah’s momentary lapse does not negate his faithfulness, just as our failures need not define our relationship with God when met with repentance.

Liturgical Connection: During the blessing of wine and the celebration of the Eucharist, the Church transforms what brought shame to Noah into the vehicle of salvation. The fruit of the vine, which here exposed human weakness, becomes in Christ the Blood that covers our sins and restores our dignity as children of God.

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