King James Version

Genesis 9:23

And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.

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Hebrew

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וַיִּקַּח֩vayiqachand takeלָקַחconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and take”, the next action in the storyH3947to take (in the widest variety of applications)accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, [idiom] many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.שֵׁ֨םshemShemשֵׁםnoun, proper name — “Shem”H8035Shem, a son of Noah (often includ. his posterity)Sem, Shem.וָיֶ֜פֶתvayefetand Japhethיֶפֶתconjunction, noun, proper name — “and Japheth”H3315Jepheth, a son of Noah; also his posterityJapheth.אֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).הַשִּׂמְלָ֗הhasimlahthe apparelשִׂמְלָהdefinite article, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “the apparel”, the ordinary formH8071a dress, especially a mantleapparel, cloth(-es, -ing), garment, raiment. Compare H8008 (שַׂלְמָה).וַיָּשִׂ֨ימוּ֙vayasimvand putשׂוּםconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “and put”, the next action in the storyH7760to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)[idiom] any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, [phrase] disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, [phrase]…עַלalaboveעַלpreposition — “above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…שְׁכֶ֣םshekhembackשְׁכֶםnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “back”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH7926the neck (between the shoulders) as the place of burdens; figuratively, the spur of ahillback, [idiom] consent, portion, shoulder.שְׁנֵיהֶ֔םsheneyhemtwoשְׁנַיִםadjective, cardinal, masculine, dual, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “two”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH8147two; also (as ordinal) twofoldboth, couple, double, second, twain, [phrase] twelfth, [phrase] twelve, [phrase] twenty (sixscore) thousand, twice, two.וַיֵּֽלְכוּ֙vayelekhvand carryיָלַךְconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “and carry”, the next action in the storyH3212to walk (literally or figuratively); causatively, to carry (in various senses)[idiom] again, away, bear, bring, carry (away), come (away), depart, flow, [phrase] follow(-ing), get (away, hence, him), (cause to, made) go (away, -ing, -ne, one's way, out), grow, lead (forth), let down, march, prosper, [phrase] pursue,…אֲחֹ֣רַנִּ֔יתachoranitbackאֲחֹרַנִּיתadverb — “back”H322backwardsback (-ward, again).וַיְכַסּ֕וּvaykhasvand coverכָּסָהconjunction, verb, piel, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “and cover”, the next action in the storyH3680properly, to plump, i.e. fill up hollows; by implication, to cover (for clothing or secrecy)clad self, close, clothe, conceal, cover (self), (flee to) hide, overwhelm. Compare H3780 (כָּשָׂה).אֵ֖תetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).עֶרְוַ֣תervatnakednessעֶרְוָהnoun, common, feminine, singular, construct — “nakedness”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH6172nudity, literally (especially the pudenda) or figuratively (disgrace, blemish)nakedness, shame, unclean(-ness).אֲבִיהֶ֑םavihemfatherאָבnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “father”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH1father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote applicationchief, (fore-) father(-less), [idiom] patrimony, principal. Compare names in 'Abi-'.וּפְנֵיהֶם֙ufeneyhemand a- foreפָּנִיםconjunction, noun, common, both genders, plural, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “and a- fore”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH6440the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.)[phrase] accept, a-(be-) fore(-time), against, anger, [idiom] as (long as), at, [phrase] battle, [phrase] because (of), [phrase] beseech, countenance, edge, [phrase] employ, endure, [phrase] enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-…אֲחֹ֣רַנִּ֔יתachoranitbackאֲחֹרַנִּיתadverb — “back”H322backwardsback (-ward, again).וְעֶרְוַ֥תveervatand nakednessעֶרְוָהconjunction, noun, common, feminine, singular, construct — “and nakedness”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH6172nudity, literally (especially the pudenda) or figuratively (disgrace, blemish)nakedness, shame, unclean(-ness).אֲבִיהֶ֖םavihemfatherאָבnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “father”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH1father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote applicationchief, (fore-) father(-less), [idiom] patrimony, principal. Compare names in 'Abi-'.לֹ֥אlono , -r,לֹאparticle, negative — “no , -r,”H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles[idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as trul…רָאֽוּravseeרָאָהverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, common, plural — “see”, a completed actionH7200to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)advise self, appear, approve, behold, [idiom] certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), m…

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Young’s Literal Translation

And Shem taketh — Japheth also — the garment, and they place on the shoulder of them both, and go backward, and cover the nakedness of their father; and their faces [are] backward, and their father's nakedness they have not seen.

World English Bible

Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it on both their shoulders, went in backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were backwards, and they didn’t see their father’s nakedness.

Darby Translation

And Shem and Japheth took the upper garment and both laid [it] upon their shoulders, and went backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. And their faces were turned away, that they saw not their father's nakedness.

Douay-Rheims

But Sem and Japheth put a cloak upon their shoulders, and going backward, covered the nakedness of their father: and their faces were turned away, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And Sem and Japheth having taken a garment, put it on both their backs and went backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their face was backward, and they saw not the nakedness of their father.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ λαβόντες Σὴμ καὶ Ἰάφεθ τὸ ἱμάτιον, ἐπέθεντο ἐπὶ τὰ δύο νῶτα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν ὀπισθοφανῶς, καὶ συνεκάλυψαν τὴν γύμνωσιν τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν· καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν ὀπισθοφανῶς, καὶ τὴν γύμνωσιν τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν οὐκ εἶδον.