BEMA Episode Link: 209: Midrash — Noah’s Backstory and the Nephilim
Episode Length: 49:11
Published Date: Thu, 04 Mar 2021 01:00:00 -0800
Session 6
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings take a look at the backstory of Noah and talk about the midrash surrounding the Nephilim from Genesis 6.

Discussion Video for BEMA 209

BEMA 5: A Misplaced Curse

“Pete & Jared on Genesis” — The Bible for Normal People Podcast, Episode 100

Genesis for Normal People by Peter Enns and Jared Byas

Tallest Person Living — Guinness World Records

Hurtaly — Wikipedia

Noah (2014 film)

Parshat Noach — Aleph Beta Academy

Subscribe to Aleph Beta Academy

BEMA listeners can use code friendsofbema for one month off of a monthly Premium membership.

Genesis: A Parsha Companion by Rabbi David Fohrman

BEMA 7: The Preface

“What’s So Bad about Babel?” — BibleProject Podcast

Jewish Women’s Archive

Sefaria: A Living Library of Jewish Texts

BEMA FAQ: Midrash — Marty Solomon, YouTube

The Social Dilemma — Netflix

Thought of the Day: The Social Dilemma — Marty Solomon, YouTube

Transcript for BEMA 209

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA 209: Midrash - Noah’s Backstory and the Nephilim - Study Notes

Title & Source Summary

Episode: 209 - Midrash: Noah’s Backstory and the Nephilim Hosts: Marty Solomon and Brent Billings Focus: Genesis 6:1-10, Genesis 9:18-29, and Jewish Midrashic tradition surrounding Noah, the Nephilim, and Ham’s actions

This episode explores Jewish Midrashic interpretations of the Noah narrative, specifically addressing questions about the Nephilim (giants mentioned before and after the flood) and the incident between Ham and Noah involving nakedness and a curse. The hosts emphasize holding Midrash loosely as an interpretive tool that teaches how to think rather than what to think, while exploring multiple streams of rabbinic tradition that provide backstory and deeper meaning to biblical texts.

Key Takeaways

  • Midrash is an interpretive tool meant to teach us how to think, not what to think, and should be held with humility and open hands
  • The Nephilim appear both before and after the flood according to Genesis 6:4, creating a textual problem that Midrash addresses through various explanations
  • Multiple streams of Midrash exist around any given text, and they often contradict each other, which is acceptable within Jewish interpretive tradition
  • The Noah vineyard incident, regardless of which Midrashic interpretation you follow, ultimately teaches about the dangers of revenge and lashing out in insecurity
  • The curse on Canaan connects to later biblical narratives about the conquest of Canaan, showing how vengeance and curses lead to massive human destruction
  • Midrash helps Western readers notice textual problems and details they typically overlook or explain away
  • The process of studying Midrash requires acknowledging limitations, making mistakes, and continuing to learn in the open

Main Concepts & Theories

Understanding Midrash as Interpretive Tool

Midrash is not about determining historical facts or establishing doctrinal authority equivalent to Scripture. Instead, it functions as commentary that helps readers:

  • Notice problems and inconsistencies in the biblical text
  • Search for interconnections between different passages
  • Ask better questions rather than pursuing definitive answers
  • See the story behind the story - what the narrative teaches about human nature and God

The hosts emphasize that Midrash should be held loosely, especially by non-rabbis. They acknowledge their own limitations and potential errors, modeling humility in engaging ancient Jewish interpretive traditions.

The Nephilim Problem

Genesis 6:4 states that “the Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward” - creating a textual puzzle since only Noah’s family survived the flood. The text describes the Nephilim as offspring of “sons of God” and “daughters of humans,” creating a race of giants or “heroes of old, men of renown.”

Multiple Midrashic solutions address how the Nephilim survived:

  1. Tower of Babel Theory: The Tower of Babel’s construction began before the flood, and the Nephilim who were building it survived by being high enough above the floodwaters. This connects to Nimrod, Ham’s descendant through Kush, who is credited with building Babel.

  2. Og the Giant: Some Midrash teaches that a giant named Og (possibly the same Og, king of Bashan from Numbers, or called Hurtaly in other traditions) either:
    • Clung to the outside of the ark and survived
    • Straddled the ark and actually steered it safely to Mount Ararat
  3. Angelic Reproduction Post-Flood: The same phenomenon of “sons of God” and “daughters of humans” could have occurred again after the flood.

The Nephilim reappear in Numbers and Deuteronomy as the descendants of Anak - giants inhabiting Canaan when the Israelites arrive to possess the land.

The Ham and Noah Incident: Multiple Interpretations

The text says Ham “saw his father naked” and when Noah awoke, he cursed Ham’s son Canaan. This raises questions about what actually happened. Various interpretations include:

  1. Castration Theory: Genesis Rabbah (or Rambam) teaches that “seeing nakedness” is a Hebrew idiom for castration. Ham literally castrated his father.

  2. Lion Attack Theory: Genesis Rabbah also contains a tradition that a lion on the ark attacked Noah one morning when he was late feeding it, mangling Noah’s genitals so he could no longer procreate. Ham discovered this and mocked his father’s condition to his brothers.

  3. Missing Wife Theory: Some traditions suggest Noah failed to provide Ham with a wife due to seeing humanity’s depravity. Ham’s friendship with Og (the ark hitchhiker) led him to marry a Nephilim woman, explaining why Nephilim appear among Ham’s descendants in Canaan. Ham’s castration of Noah was revenge for being denied a wife.

  4. Sexual Violation Theory: Some textual critics (not Jewish tradition) suggest Ham slept with his mother, Noah’s wife.

The hosts note that regardless of which interpretation you follow, the core teaching remains constant.

The Core Teaching: Revenge and Insecurity

No matter which Midrashic stream you follow, the Noah vineyard story teaches about:

  • The dangers of lashing out in insecurity
  • How revenge and curses lead to catastrophic consequences
  • The human tendency to respond to hurt with hurt

Noah’s curse on Canaan (whether in response to castration, mockery, or other offense) leads directly to the later biblical narrative of the conquest of Canaan - one of the most brutal and violent portions of Scripture. The Midrash suggests that massive human destruction often traces back to this root human condition of vengeful cursing born from insecurity.

Documentary Hypothesis and Noah

The episode references Peter Enns’s theory that the flood narrative, like the Exodus plague narrative, may consist of two interwoven stories. Evidence includes:

  • Different writing styles potentially indicating different authors (priestly and elohist voices)
  • Structural breaks that could indicate separate source material
  • Parallels to how Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 present two creation accounts

However, the hosts note they lack expertise in Hebrew grammar and syntax to fully evaluate this theory.

Timeline Considerations

The episode challenges common assumptions about the Noah timeline:

  • Creating a producing vineyard takes 4-5 years according to modern vineyard owners
  • This allows time for Ham to have had multiple sons (Canaan is his fourth son in Genesis 10)
  • Years may have elapsed between exiting the ark and the vineyard incident
  • The curse falls on Canaan specifically, suggesting other sons were already born
The Role of Women in the Flood Narrative

The wives of Noah and his sons are mentioned but never named, which rabbinic tradition finds significant. Key observations:

  1. Boarding Order Changes:
    • Going in: Noah, sons, wife, sons’ wives (Genesis 6-7)
    • God’s command to exit: Noah, wife, sons, sons’ wives (Genesis 8)
    • Actual exit: Noah, sons, wife, sons’ wives (back to original order)

  2. Naamah Tradition: Rabbinic tradition identifies Noah’s wife as Naamah from Genesis 4, the sister of Tubal-Cain and seventh-generation descendant of Cain. Her name means either “lovely/beautiful” or can imply righteousness.

  3. Conflicting Naamah Traditions:
    • One stream: She was the most beautiful woman in creation who enticed the angelic beings to have relations with human women, beating “drums of idolatry and sexual immorality”
    • Another stream: She was righteous and Noah’s greatest partner through the flood ordeal
  4. Women Disappear from Narrative: After exiting the ark, only “Noah and his sons” are mentioned in God’s covenant and blessing, not the wives
Noah and the Plow

Some Midrash teaches that Noah created the plow, fulfilling his father’s hope that Noah would “provide comfort from the toil of our hands.” However, this represents humanity finding comfort in their own work rather than in God - trusting their own efforts rather than trusting the story. This creation of the plow becomes, in some Midrashic interpretation, the final straw that leads God to bring the flood.

Examples & Applications

Textual Problems Lead to Deeper Meaning

The Midrash forces readers to grapple with real textual issues rather than glossing over them:

  • If the flood destroyed everything except the ark, how do Nephilim appear after the flood?
  • Why curse Canaan instead of Ham?
  • Why mention wives but never name them?
  • What does “saw his father naked” really mean?

These apparent problems become doorways to deeper theological and moral truths.

The Danger of Insecurity-Driven Revenge

Whether Noah curses because of castration, mockery, or another offense, the pattern is the same:

  1. Someone experiences violation or embarrassment
  2. They lash out in insecurity and curse another
  3. The curse reverberates through generations
  4. Massive human suffering results (the conquest of Canaan)

This applies to contemporary situations where hurt people hurt people, and cycles of revenge perpetuate across generations and communities.

Holding Knowledge with Humility

The hosts model an important practice: acknowledging when you don’t know something, being willing to stop and research more, and admitting mistakes. Their unprecedented decision to stop recording and restart after Marty realized he didn’t understand the material well enough demonstrates intellectual humility.

This contrasts with Western educational models that emphasize achieving comprehensive, authoritative knowledge. The Eastern approach values asking better questions and learning how to think.

The Gift of Multiple Interpretations

Rather than seeking one “correct” interpretation, Midrash embraces multiple streams of tradition that may contradict each other. This teaches readers:

  • To hold interpretations loosely
  • To value the questions more than the answers
  • To recognize that truth is often more complex than single explanations
  • To engage the text actively rather than passively receiving predetermined meanings

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

The Book of Enoch and the Watchers

The hosts mention but don’t explore the extensive Jewish apocryphal literature about the Watchers - angelic beings who descended to earth. This includes the Book of Enoch and later second through fifth-century writings. While acknowledging this material is “wild and crazy and really easy to abuse,” it represents a significant body of ancient Jewish thought about Genesis 6.

Genesis Rabbah and Other Midrashic Sources

The episode references Genesis Rabbah and Rambam but doesn’t provide a comprehensive introduction to these sources. Further study could include:

  • What is Genesis Rabbah and when was it compiled?
  • Who was Rambam (Maimonides)?
  • What other major Midrashic collections exist?
  • How do different rabbinic sources interact and build on each other?
Documentary Hypothesis and Source Criticism

The discussion of potentially interwoven flood narratives raises questions about:

  • How scholars identify different authorial voices in the text
  • What criteria distinguish priestly from elohist sources
  • How this affects interpretation and theological understanding
  • Whether holding this view conflicts with traditional views of biblical authority
The Conquest of Canaan

The episode connects Noah’s curse to the later conquest but doesn’t fully explore this connection. Areas for further study:

  • How did ancient readers understand the conquest in light of Noah’s curse?
  • Does this change how we interpret the violence of the conquest?
  • What does it mean that human cursing contributes to later divinely-sanctioned warfare?
Women in Ancient Near Eastern Narratives

The observation about women being mentioned but not named, then disappearing from the narrative, raises questions about:

  • Gender in ancient Near Eastern literature
  • Why certain women are named in genealogies (Naamah, Iscah)
  • The role of women in preserving or transmitting the covenant
  • How patriarchal structures in the text should be understood by contemporary readers
Chiastic Structure of Genesis 1-11

Brent mentions that the Noah/Ham story parallels the Adam/Eve story in the chiastic structure of Genesis 1-11. Further exploration could include:

  • How does understanding chiastic structure change interpretation?
  • What other parallels exist in this structure?
  • How does Ham acting like the serpent illuminate both stories?
The Nature of Curses

The episode raises theological questions about curses that deserve deeper exploration:

  • What power do human curses have in biblical thought?
  • Can human curses bind God or predict the future?
  • How do curses relate to blessing in covenant theology?
  • What does it mean to break cycles of cursing?
Google Algorithms and Information Access

The brief mention of how search algorithms create personalized results raises important questions:

  • How do personalized search results affect biblical and theological research?
  • What biases might be reinforced by algorithmic filtering?
  • How can researchers ensure they’re accessing diverse perspectives?

Comprehension Questions

  1. What is the primary purpose of Midrash according to Marty and Brent, and why should it be held with “open hands” rather than firm authority? How does this contrast with Western approaches to biblical interpretation?

  2. Explain the textual problem created by Genesis 6:4’s statement that “the Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward.” What are at least two different Midrashic solutions to this problem?

  3. Regardless of which interpretation of the Ham and Noah incident you follow (castration, mockery of mangled genitals, missing wife, etc.), what is the core teaching that emerges from the story? How does this connect to the later conquest of Canaan?

  4. What significance do the rabbis find in the fact that Noah’s wife and his sons’ wives are mentioned multiple times but never named? Who do they identify as Noah’s wife and why?

  5. Describe the unprecedented situation that occurred during the recording of this episode. What does this situation teach about the process of learning and the appropriate posture toward complex interpretive traditions?

Brief Personalized Summary

This episode demonstrates that ancient texts contain layers of meaning that become visible only when we’re willing to notice problems rather than explain them away. The Nephilim’s survival through the flood, the changing order of family members, the unnamed wives, the specific curse on Canaan - these aren’t errors to fix but invitations to deeper thinking.

What strikes me most is the connection between Noah’s insecure lashing out and the later violence of the conquest. It suggests that our small acts of revenge and cursing born from hurt and embarrassment can echo through generations, leading to unimaginable destruction. The Midrash isn’t primarily concerned with what historically happened in a tent thousands of years ago, but with what happens in human hearts today when we respond to violation with vengeance.

The hosts’ willingness to stop recording, research more, and admit their limitations models the humility required for this kind of study. We’re invited not to master the text but to let it master us - to let it reveal patterns in ourselves that need transformation. The gift of multiple contradictory interpretations isn’t confusion but freedom - freedom from the tyranny of having to get it “right” and freedom to engage the text as a living conversation partner rather than a static answer key.

The Midrash teaches us to see the story behind the story: not just what happened to Noah, but what happens to all of us when insecurity meets power, when hurt meets the opportunity for revenge, when we fail to trust the story and instead trust our own defensive reactions.

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