As the story as told in Genesis goes, Ham sees his drunk dad, naked in his tent--- And that's all we know. It really is. The rest is complete speculation, including the idea from Leviticus, that "seeing your father's nakedness' is having relations with his wife. Speculation and inference.
Scripture is fully capable of saying exactly what it means, as it does so clearly in Leviticus 18, where it implicitly states>>>
“‘No man is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations with her. I am the LORD. You must not expose your father’s nakedness by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; you must not have sexual relations with her. You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; she is your father’s nakedness. You must not have sexual relations with your sister, whether she is your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she is born in the same household or born outside it; you must not have sexual relations with either of them. You must not expose the nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter by having sexual relations with them, because they are your own nakedness.
It's not like the Bible has to use code language to avoid calling sex-- sex. That's not what "exposing your father's nakedness" means. It's one of the ways how it occurs. It simply means to shame him. One's nakedness being exposed is akin to one being humiliated. To be shamed, left em-bare-assed, made powerless, made fun of, mocked, rendered helpless, vulnerable, exposed, etc. And in this case it means to have your garments stolen from you.
Not just any garments-- very special one of a kind, original garments-- handed down by generations-- not only your clothes, but your birthright, your position of leadership, --your mantle of power. And that is what Ham stole from his father-- leaving him naked. If Ham had done what so many want to accuse him of, I suspect that Noah would have slain him rather than banishing/cursing his son Canaan, but that part of the story is yet to come.
Scripture is fully capable of saying exactly what it means, as it does so clearly in Leviticus 18, where it implicitly states>>>
“‘No man is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations with her. I am the LORD. You must not expose your father’s nakedness by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; you must not have sexual relations with her. You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; she is your father’s nakedness. You must not have sexual relations with your sister, whether she is your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she is born in the same household or born outside it; you must not have sexual relations with either of them. You must not expose the nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter by having sexual relations with them, because they are your own nakedness.
It's not like the Bible has to use code language to avoid calling sex-- sex. That's not what "exposing your father's nakedness" means. It's one of the ways how it occurs. It simply means to shame him. One's nakedness being exposed is akin to one being humiliated. To be shamed, left em-bare-assed, made powerless, made fun of, mocked, rendered helpless, vulnerable, exposed, etc. And in this case it means to have your garments stolen from you.
Not just any garments-- very special one of a kind, original garments-- handed down by generations-- not only your clothes, but your birthright, your position of leadership, --your mantle of power. And that is what Ham stole from his father-- leaving him naked. If Ham had done what so many want to accuse him of, I suspect that Noah would have slain him rather than banishing/cursing his son Canaan, but that part of the story is yet to come.
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