The remarkable thing in Genesis 9:26 is that it is not primarily a blessing but an expression of praise. It is praise to the God of Shem. The blessing for Shem lies in the fact that the Lord is called the God of Shem. The Lord will go a special way in history with Shem and some of his descendants. Abraham is one of the descendants of Shem. Later in the Bible, we often read that the Lord is the God of Abraham, or that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see, e.g., Genesis 24:27; Exodus 3:15; Exodus 32:27; Exodus 34:23). God’s special blessing elevates Shem far above Canaan and his descendants.
Noah also speaks of blessings for Japheth and his descendants. This blessing will mean that there will also be enough room for Japheth and his descendants to live independently, and that they can live in such a way that they will not be slaves and servants of other nations. They will not need this in order to survive. The words, Let him dwell in the tents of Shem
indicate that the descendants of Shem and Japheth will live together in peace. Canaan and its descendants will serve them.
An example of Shem’s rule over Canaan is found in Elam’s years of domination over the five Canaanite kings mentioned in Genesis 14:1–24 (see especially Genesis 14:1–5). Elam and the Elamites are descendants of Shem’s eldest son (see Genesis 10:22).
26 He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.