Blessed by the LORD my God be Shem: Blessed is a form that is parallel grammatically to “cursed” in verse 25. The translation of Revised Standard Version requires that the word for God be read ʾelohay instead of ʾelohe, as the text is written. This is a very minor change that affects no consonant. Some translations follow Revised Standard Version in this, as it seems to give Shem a blessing just as Canaan is given a curse. The curse in Canaan’s case is to be made a slave to his brothers. By contrast the blessing in Shem’s case is without content. We are forced to ask then what Blessed means. We see this most clearly by interpreting this line according to the Hebrew, which is given in a footnote in Revised Standard Version: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem,” in which Blessed is to be translated as “Praise” or “Give praise to.” See Good News Translation.

In some languages “Praise the LORD” or “Give praise to the LORD” must be restructured as a direct quotation, and the basis for the praise must be provided. For example, “Let people say the LORD is great, wonderful, mighty,” or “Everyone should say, ‘LORD God of Shem, you are great.’ ” A further adjustment may also be required, since in some languages it is not natural for someone to possess or own God, as in the expression “God of Shem.” Accordingly we may have to say, for example, “… the God Shem worships” or “… the God Shem serves.”

Good News Translation‘s “the LORD, the God of Shem” may be understood to be two rather than one and the same God. Therefore it may be necessary to say, for example, “The LORD, who is the God Shem serves.” The full expression may sometimes be rendered “Let everyone say that the LORD is wonderful. He is the God Shem serves,” or “Let people say, ‘LORD, you are wonderful. You are the God Shem worships.’ ”

And let Canaan be his slave repeats the curse of Canaan: “May Canaan be Shem’s slave” or “Canaan will be the slave of Shem” (Good News Translation). This thought serves as a refrain that is repeated again at the end of verse 27.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .