We have this odd story in Genesis 9:20-24 about Noah planting a vineyard, getting drunk, and being “naked” inside his tent. But did it really happen that way? Joseph Smith taught that Noah stands next in authority to Adam in the priesthood. He is identified by latter-day revelation as Gabriel. As Gabriel he appeared to Zacharias in the temple to announce the birth and role of John the Baptist (Luke 1:1-25), and he was the angel sent to instruct Mary concerning her role as the mother of the Savior of the world. (Luke 1:26-38; See Larry E. Dahl, Church News, 12 March 1994.) It seems he is the messenger sent to Daniel in chapter 8 to give prophecy. He is named in D&C 27:7 as “Elias,” which is more of a title as forerunner than a name. He announced John the Baptist’s mission as forerunner to the Savior and John’s role in the latter-day restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood.
This story of drunkenness and nakedness seems quite out of character for such an important figure. Could there be another explanation? Yes, according to Joseph Smith who was reported as saying, “Noah was not drunk, but in a vision.” This agrees with the Greek Apocryphon, an early Christian Gnostic text, that alleges Noah experienced a dream vision after ritual wine drinking with his family. Jeffrey M. Bradshaw argues that this state of “drunkenness” should be translated and read as a heavenly trance. (see Jeffrey M. Bradshaw and David J. Larsen, In God’s Image and Likeness 2, pages 300-10.)
Let’s address the wine issue first. In Genesis 14:18-22, Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine to Abraham to ordain him a king and priest to the Most High God. Wine seems to have been a ritual associated with the holy priesthood. Wine was also used in drink offerings in conjunction with animal sacrifice and at Passover. Wine was considered a gift from God in ancient times and associated with joy, blessing, and prosperity. In Alma 55:11, the Lamanites believed it would give them strength in their battles against the Nephites. It was one of the seven first fruits and was central to the sacrament. (I’m speaking here of its role in ancient ritual and do not recommend its consumption as I’m a recovering alcoholic, and also because of the Word of Wisdom. Yes, in olden days it was real wine and not merely grape juice.)
Next, let’s address the “nakedness.” Hugh Nibley contends that there are two similar Hebrew words for nakedness, and that it may be better rendered as skins, or the “coats of skins” given to Adam and Eve. The Midrash (a collection of rabbinic texts) asserts that the garment of Adam was handed down to Noah, who wore it when he offered sacrifice. Heber C. Kimball held the view that Ham was cursed because he “pulled the clothing off from his father Noah.” Some Bible scholars have argued that Ham did this to usurp Noah’s priesthood authority. They also point to other instances where “nakedness” means to be clothed only with an inner garment, or tunic, such as when Peter put on his fisher’s coat to greet Jesus, (John 21:7) or when Saul prophesied before Samuel and “lay down naked all that day and all that night” (1 Samuel 19:24). With Noah, it may have been an exchange of clothing with Noah removing his earthly clothing to be “clothed upon with glory.” A similar event is described in 2 Enoch, where Enoch is anointed and divested of his outer clothing to be clothed with glory (see also Moses 7:3).
Finally, let’s look at the tent. I’ve heard about five different versions of this story, including what it sounds like in the King James Version, appearing on the surface that Noah gets drunk, gets naked, and is exposed to his sons. Now I don’t know enough about Hebrew to extract this out of the story, but every scholar that I respect (both in and out of the Church) has said that a particular word is not translated correctly. Genesis 9:21 says that Noah “was uncovered within his tent.” But scholars say it wasn’t his tent, but rather her tent. It’s supposedly the Hebrew feminine possessive. I’ve heard scholars say that this was Noah’s wife’s tent, and even that Ham walked in on her and sexually assaulted her. However, this is not the version I believe.
Jeffrey M. Bradshaw observed that the Hebrew feminine possessive means “the tent of the vineyard, namely the tent of Shekinah.” Shekinah comes from the Hebrew root shakan (meaning to dwell or tabernacle with) and is used to describe the presence of Yahweh (Jehovah) in Israelite temples. It is regarded as the divine feminine and is associated with the glory of the Lord as it is manifested in a pillar of fire or a cloud of glory. An example is the dedication of Solomon’s Temple when “the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.” (1 Kings 8:11).
If Noah is having a heavenly vision in the sacred tent of Jehovah, then it makes sense why Shem and Japheth went away backward with their faces backward since they were not authorized to behold the revelation. A parallel occurs in the Book of Mormon where Ammon explains the role of seers and their authorization to use “interpreters” to translate, and that “no man can look in them except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he ought not and he should perish” (Mosiah 8:13).
In summary, Noah was likely using wine as part of a ritual. The term drunken may be better rendered as being in a “heavenly trance” and receiving revelation in a temple-like experience. Noah was probably not totally naked but was wearing an inner garment associated with the priesthood, perhaps involved in a change of clothing as a part of temple worship. This could have taken place in the sacred tent of Jehovah, known as Shekinah Glory.
See the images below for Shekinah and Shekinah Glory.
