A Basis for Rejecting Homosexuality?
Responding to the Theory of Voyeurism in the Ham-Noah Narrative
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46567/ijt.v12i2.533Keywords:
Genesis, Ham, homosexuality, Noah, see (רָאָה), sexual desire, voyeurismAbstract
The brief narrative of Ham seeing Noah’s nakedness (Gen 9:20-27) has been interpreted by some as a text that can be used against homosexuality. This interpretation is unsurprising given the numerous exegetical traditions that characterize Ham’s action as sexual perversion, informed by a theory of voyeurism that frames Ham looking upon Noah’s nakedness with lustful desire. For such interpreters, this reading of Genesis 9:20-27 offers biblical grounds for rejecting homosexual behavior. The primary purpose of this article is to challenge the use of the Ham-Noah narrative as basis for teaching against homosexuality. This article is not necessarily written to support homosexuality but rather to examine the textual evidence through critical analysis of the term רָאָה (“to see/look”). In Genesis 34:2 and 38:15, this term is found within explicitly sexual contexts that begin with the act of looking. The textual analysis reveals significant differences between Genesis 34:2 and 38:15 and the text of Genesis 9:22 regarding רָאָה. In 34:2 and 38:15, sexual behavior is clearly recorded following the act of seeing, providing strong evidence that the uses of רָאָה in those contexts imply sexual desire. However, unlike those passages, 9:22 records no sexual behavior following the act of seeing. Therefore, it is incorrect to assert that Ham viewed Noah with sexual desire. This finding ultimately refutes the use of the Ham-Noah narrative as a basis for teaching against homosexuality.
Downloads
References
Aggrawal, Anil. “References to the Paraphilias and Sexual Crimes in the Bible.” Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, Vol. 16, No. 3 (2009): 109-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2008.07.006.
Arnold, Bill T. Encountering the Book of Genesis (Encountering Biblical Studies). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003.
Bancroft, John. “Chapter 16 - Sexual Offences.” In Human Sexuality and Its Problems (Third Edition). Ed., John Bancroft, 464-510. Churchill Livingstone, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-05161-6.00016-1.
Bassett, Frederick W. “Noah’s Nakedness and the Curse of Canaan, a Case of Incest?” Vetus Testamentum, Vol. 21, No. 2 (1971): 232-37. https://doi.org/10.2307/1517286.
Bergsma, John Sietze, and Scott Walker Hahn. “Noah’s Nakedness and the Curse on Canaan (Genesis 9:20-27).” Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 124, No. 1 (2005): 25-40. https://doi.org/10.2307/30040989.
Blackmer, Corinne. “No Name Woman: Noah’s Wife and Heterosexual Incestuous Relations in Genesis 9:18-29.” Judaica Ukrainica, Vol. 1 (2012): 29-46.
Bloom, H. The Book of J. London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1991.
Brake, Andrew S. Kisah-Kisah Rasa Malu Dalam Perjanjian Lama. Makassar: Sekolah Tinggi Theologia Jaffray, 2021.
Brodie, Thomas L. Genesis as Dialogue: A Literary, Historical, and Theological Commentary. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
De La Torre, Miguel A. Genesis: Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible. Louisville, KY: Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, 2011.
Embry, Brad. “The ‘Naked Narrative’ from Noah to Leviticus: Reassessing Voyeurism in the Account of Noah’s Nakedness in Genesis 9.22-24.” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Vol. 35, No. 4 (2011): 417-433. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309089210386345.
Frankel, David. “Noah’s Drunkenness and the Curse of Canaan: A New Approach.” Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 140, No. 1 (2021): 49-68. https://doi.org/10.1353/jbl.2021.0010.
Gagnon, Robert A. J. The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics. Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 2001.
Gnuse, Robert K. “Seven Gay Texts: Biblical Passages Used to Condemn Homosexuality.” Biblical Theology Bulletin: Journal of Bible and Culture, Vol. 45, No. 2 (2015): 68-87. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146107915577097.
Goldenberg, David M. “What Did Ham Do to Noah?” In “The Words of a Wise Man’s Mouth Are Gracious” (Qoh 10,12). Ed., Mauro Perani, 257-66. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110901399.257.
Goldingay, John, and Bill Arnold. Genesis (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament: Pentateuch). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2020.
Guinan, Ann Kessler. “Auguries of Hegemony: The Sex Omens of Mesopotamia.” Gender & History, Vol. 9, No. 33 (2002): 462-479.
“Ham Yang Berdosa, Mengapa Kanaan Yang Dikutuk?” Verbum Veritatis. 14 Juni 2021, YouTube, 39:55. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU85yFG353k.
Hamilton, Victor P. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament: The Book of Genesis. Grand Rapidsa, MI: Eerdmans, 1990.
Hartley, John E. Genesis. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1995.
Kaplan, M. S., and R. B. Krueger. “Voyeurism: Psychopathology and Theory.” In Sexual Deviance: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment. Eds., D. Richard Laws and William T. O’Donohue. Guilford Press, 2008.
Kunin, Seth Daniel. The Logic of Incest: A Structuralist Analysis of Hebrew Mythology. Vol. 185. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1995.
Långström, Niklas, and Michael C. Seto. “Exhibitionistic and Voyeuristic Behavior in a Swedish National Population Survey.” Archives of Sexual Behavior, Vol. 35, No. 4 (2006): 427-435. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-006-9042-6.
Leupold, H. C. Exposition of Genesis. Vol. 2. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1942.
Lewis, Ruth, and Sundari Anitha. “Upskirting: A Systematic Literature Review.” Trauma, Violence & Abuse, Vol. 24, No. 3 (2023): 2003-2018. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380221082091.
Lister, Victoria P. M., and Theresa A. Gannon. “A Descriptive Model of Voyeuristic Behavior.” Sexual Abuse, Vol. 36, No. 3 (2024): 320-348. https://doi.org/10.1177/10790632231168072.
Mathews, Kenneth. Genesis 1-11: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 1996.
_______. Genesis 11:27-50:26: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture. Nashville: Holman Reference, 2005.
Nissinen, Martti. Homoeroticism in the Biblical World. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 1998.
Odhiambo, Nicholas. “The Nature of Ham’s Sin.” Bibliotheca Sacra, Vol. 170, No. 678 (2013): 154-165. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lsdar&AN=ATLA0001937768&site=ehost-live.
Panjaitan, Firman, and Dwi Ratna Kusumaningdyah. “Tragedi Keluarga Nuh dan Pengabaian Anggota Keluarga: Tafsir Kejadian 9:18-29: Noah’s Family Tragedy and Family Members Abandonment: A Commentary on Genesis 9:18-29.” PASCA : Jurnal Teologi dan Pendidikan Agama Kristen, Vol. 17, No. 2 (2021): 134-148. https://doi.org/10.46494/psc.v17i2.141.
Phillips, Anthony. “Uncovering the Father’s Skirt.” In Essays on Biblical Law, 344:245–50. JSOTSup. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2002.
Provan, Iain. Discovering Genesis: Content, Interpretation, Reception. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2016.
Robertson, O. Palmer. “Current Critical Questions Conserning the ‘Curse of Ham’ (Gen 9:20-27).” JETS, Vol. 41, No. 2 (1998): 177-88. https://etsjets.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/files_JETS-PDFs_41_41-2_41-2-pp177-188-JETS.pdf.
Ryan, Thomas J. Review of The Drunkenness of Noah by H. Hirsch Cohen. Horizons, Vol. 2, No. 2 (1975): 253-254, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0360966900012408.
Sarna, N. Genesis: JPS Torah Commentary I. Philadelphia, PA: Jewish Publication Society, 1989.
Situmorang, Jonar. Eksposisi Tematis Kitab Kejadian. Yogyakarta: ANDI Offset, 2022.
Steinmann, Andrew E. Genesis. Westmont, IL: IVP Academic, 2019.
Steinmetz, Devora. “Vineyard, Farm, and Garden: The Drunkenness of Noah in the Context of Primeval History.” Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 113, No. 2 (1994): 193-207. https://doi.org/10.2307/3266510.
Toler, Emily. “A Recuperative Theology of the Body: Nakedness in Genesis 3 and 9.20-27.” Denison Journal of Religion, Vol. 8 (2008): 1-16. https://digitalcommons.denison.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1063&context=religion.
Von Rad, Gerhard. Genesis. Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1972.
Vos, Howard F. Genesis: Everyday Bible Commentary. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2019.
“Voyeurism | Peeping, Observation, Surveillance | Britannica,” September 14, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/topic/voyeurism.
Waltke, Bruce K., and Cathi J. Fredricks. Genesis: A Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2016.
Walton, John H. Genesis. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2001.
Wenham, Gordon J. Genesis 1-15, Vol. 1. Word Biblical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2017.
_______. Word Biblical Commentary: Genesis 16-50. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Inc., 2017.
Wold, Donald J. Out of Order: Homosexuality in the Bible and the Ancient Near East. Kyle, TX: Venus Moon Press, 2009.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2024 Randy Frank Rouw
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
