Moses has set forth the penalty of the impudence and impiety of Cham against his father Noah; now he relates, as it were, the reward of the reverence and piety which the other two sons, Sem and Iaphet, showed to their father Noah. But why did he bless Sem before Iaphet? Was it because he was the firstborn? Or because he excelled in holiness and prudence and gravity of character, and was therefore most dear to his father and to God? Or because he himself had more vehemently rebuked Cham, and had been the author to Iaphet of doing toward their father what we read was done by them? Or rather on account of the excellence of his posterity, in which would be the Patriarchs, Kings, Prophets, and — what is above all — the Messiah Himself? But those words, “Blessed be the Lord God of Sem,” yield a twofold sense: the one, “Let the God of Sem be praised and celebrated,” namely on account of the immense goods with which He will heap him and his posterity. There is signified, therefore, so great a future magnitude of goods, that on account of it God is to be blessed — that is, His so great munificence is to be celebrated with praises. The other sense [is]…²

…[the other sense] is: the God alone whom Sem and his posterity will worship will be the true God, and therefore to be blessed and praised by all: for the faith and worship of the true God remained in the posterity of Sem alone, the descendants not only of Cham but even of Iaphet slipping down to Idolatry. And this excellence of the dignity of Sem and his posterity the very word ‘Sem’ seemed in a way to portend: for it signifies ‘named, famous, renowned’ — as if his posterity, for the aforesaid causes, would be most noble and most celebrated. And in those words, “Blessed be the Lord God of Sem,” the verb ‘be’ or rather ‘will be’ must be understood.³

Moreover, just as the curse of Cham prefigured the evils to come upon ungrateful and impious children, so the blessing of Sem and Iaphet signified the most ample reward of grateful and pious children. In the book of Ecclesiasticus, chapter three, nine goods are recounted, promised to good children who in no way omit to help, adorn, and honor their parents in whatever they need. The first good is abundance of riches, both corporeal and spiritual: “As he that lays up treasure,” it says, “so is he that honors his mother.” The second, that he will be fortunate and happy in the children he will beget: “He that honors his father shall have joy in his children.” The third, that whenever he supplicates God he will be heard by Him, made possessor of his wishes: “In the day of his prayer he shall be heard.” The fourth, length of life: “He that honors his father shall live a longer life.” And this is the first precept in the law to which God joined a recompense of reward, as Paul weighs in Ephesians 6. The fifth, the stability of family and posterity: “The blessing of the father establishes the houses of the children.” The sixth, glory: “From the honor of the father is the glory of the son.” This can be understood in two ways, either that the honored father renders his sons glorious, or that the son honoring his father procures for himself glory with all. The seventh, the deliverance of a man in the time of tribulation: “The alms of the father shall not be in forgetfulness, and in the day of tribulation it shall be remembered for thee.” The eighth, the dissolution of sins: “As ice in fair weather, so shall thy sins be melted away.” The ninth is, as it were, the heap of all goods, that is, the perpetual benevolence, beneficence, and protection of God toward good children unto the end: “Honor,” it says, “thy father, that a blessing may come upon thee from God, and his blessing may remain in the latter end.” For the blessing of God signifies the most lavish bestowal of goods, which if it remain unto the very end, nothing more desirable than that can befall a man.⁴