Discovery BoxGenesis 9:23 
Context9:23 Shem and Japheth took the garment 1 and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned 2 the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.
Genesis 42:21
Context42:21 They said to one other, 3 “Surely we’re being punished 4 because of our brother, because we saw how distressed he was 5 when he cried to us for mercy, but we refused to listen. That is why this distress 6 has come on us!”
1 tn The word translated “garment” has the Hebrew definite article on it. The article may simply indicate that the garment is definite and vivid in the mind of the narrator, but it could refer instead to Noah’s garment. Did Ham bring it out when he told his brothers?
2 tn Heb “their faces [were turned] back.”
3 tn Heb “a man to his neighbor.”
4 tn Or “we are guilty”; the Hebrew word can also refer to the effect of being guilty, i.e., “we are being punished for guilt.”
5 tn Heb “the distress of his soul.”
6 sn The repetition of the Hebrew noun translated distress draws attention to the fact that they regard their present distress as appropriate punishment for their refusal to ignore their brother when he was in distress.
