God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
Parallel translations
- WEB May God enlarge Japheth. Let him dwell in the tents of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant.”
- BSB May God expand the territory of Japheth; may he dwell in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant.”
- NKJV May God enlarge Japheth, And may he dwell in the tents of Shem; And may Canaan be his servant.”
- NASB “May God enlarge Japheth, And may he live in the tents of Shem; And may Canaan be his servant.”
- NLT May God expand the territory of Japheth! May Japheth share the prosperity of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Noah asked God to enlarge Japheth and let him share in Shem's blessing. The nations are invited to dwell within the sphere of God's favor.
Overview
Noah prays that Japheth's descendants would be enlarged and find a place in the tents of Shem, hinting that Gentiles will one day share in the blessings given to Shem's line. This is a quiet foreshadowing of the gospel reaching the nations. In Christ, Gentiles are brought near and made fellow heirs with the people of promise.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Rom 11:12Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
- Rom 15:12And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.
- Eph 2:13–14But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
- Heb 11:9–10By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
- Eph 3:6That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
- Eph 3:13Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
- Eph 2:19Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
- Hos 2:14Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.
- Isa 11:10And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
- Mal 1:11For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.
- Acts 17:14And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still.
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 9:27 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.