This is a very interesting question, my dear friend, and the answer may seem a bit confusing at first blush. I’ll try to make this as understandable as I am able. I believe that in a very real sense, Noah’s curse was in fact on one of his children, Ham to be precise. In essence, with the curse being on Canaan because of Ham’s failure, this did impact Ham being the father of his seed. In any case, let’s begin by looking at some of the Scriptures in Genesis 9. I’ll be quoting from the New Translation by J. N. Darby as I believe it is a very accurate translation. In Genesis 9:18-19 we read: “And the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth. And Ham is the father of Canaan. These three are the sons of Noah; and from these was the population of the whole earth spread abroad.”

So, a very wicked world has just been destroyed in the flood by God, and Noah and his family alone are spared to begin a new world, as it were. From Noah’s sons came the population of the world from the time of the flood to the present. Now, Noah was expected to lead his family as an example of a godly walk. It was a time of rich blessing in the land, and so Noah was able to grow a lovely vineyard. However, as we read in Genesis 9:20-21 that he failed in his headship early on, “And Noah began to be a husbandman, and planted a vineyard. And he drank of the wine, and was drunken, and he uncovered himself in his tent.” Noah became intoxicated from the wine he made from his abundant crop of grapes. He used God’s blessing (his harvest) inappropriately, and in so doing, he made an unfortunate and unseemly exposure of himself in his tent. Not at all the proper and expected behavior of the father of those who were to populate the earth, wouldn’t you say?

His son Ham, who was himself the father of Canaan, witnessed Noah’s compromised situation, but Ham complicated the issue by not dealing respectfully with his father’s poor example, because he simply told his brothers what he had seen (verse 22). It was left to Shem and Japheth to deal appropriately, both showing due respect by not looking upon their father in that condition. Thus, while Noah failed in his headship, his youngest son Ham was disrespectful, thus showing his true nature. We read in verses 24-26, “And Noah awoke from his wine, and learned what his youngest son had done to him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; Let him be a bondman of bondmen to his brethren. And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Shem, And let Canaan be his bondman.”

But now, you ask why Ham’s eldest son Canaan received this curse and not Ham. Ham did in fact suffer, even as I am certain Noah the grandfather suffered, realizing that their son Canaan bore the judgment for their indiscretion. And it was not just Canaan who received the curse, but also his children, since Canaan would represent his family as the elder of his clan. The Bible Commentary on Genesis 9 by L. M. Grant might be helpful at this juncture: “This weakness also leads to another evil, as we see in Ham, the son of Noah. He showed serious disrespect for his father. Instead of covering Him when he saw him uncovered, he went and told his two brothers (v. 22). This is the evil of despising government, which has become most prevalent in the day in which we live (Jude 8). Though governments often fail sadly, this gives us no right to reject or disobey proper authority…When Noah awoke he knew that Ham had shown this disrespect toward him, though we are not told how he found out (v. 24). Then he pronounced a curse, not upon Him, but upon his son Canaan. It may be that this would hurt Ham more than if the curse had been on him. Canaan would be “a servant of servants” to his brethren. How far this curse would extend to Canaan’s children we do not know. But Shem was blessed, or rather, the Lord God of Shem was blessed (v. 26) …Though this is no doubt prophetic, it does not infer that anyone has the right to subjugate others as slaves to themselves. That is, God is not giving authority to anyone to put the descendants of Canaan under servitude to them. But since Ham was not properly subject to government, then his descendants would learn by experience what obedience to authority means. In fact, we may all take a lesson from this, that we should willingly bow to authority that God has allowed to be over us. Not only Canaan’s seed, but all mankind has been put under a curse, that of not continuing in obedience to all that the law commands. Therefore, let us not think we are better than Ham.”  (SF)  (670.3)