Genesis 9:27

God The blessing on Japheth is introduced with the name not of "Jehovah," but of "Elohim." Jehovah is the God who reveals Himself through the descendants of Shem. The blessing of Japheth shall come from God; but Japheth will not know God by His name Jehovah.

enlarge The word in the Hebrew, yapht, is employed on account of its resemblance in sound to the name of Japheth. The blessing means, "May God extend the rule of Japheth," i.e. may the meaning of his name be realized in the extension of his power!

let him dwell Better than he shall. The "he" in this clause is not God, but Japheth. The clause contains the prayer that Japheth may ever continue on terms of peace with Shem, and that his descendants, dwelling as guests among the Israelites, may partake of their privileges. That "to dwell in the tents of Shem" should mean "to dispossess the Shemites and occupy their homes" (following the analogy of the phrase in Psalms 78:55), is an explanation quite unsuited to a clause of blessing.

The conjecture that "Shem" in this verse is not a proper name, but is the Hebrew word meaning "name" or "renown" (as in Genesis 6:4), so that the meaning is "and let him dwell in the tents of renown," would hardly have been suggested, unless the clause had been one of some obscurity.

his Better, as R.V. marg., their. See note on Genesis 9:26.

28 (P). And Noah lived This and the following verses are the conclusion of P's account of the Deluge. In contents and character they belong to the genealogy of the Sethite patriarchs in ch. 5.