Noah's Drunkenness and the Symbolism of His Sons' Actions: A Neville Goddard Interpretation

Genesis 9:20–27 through the Teachings of Neville Goddard

“And Noah began to be a man of the earth, and he planted a vineyard. And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.”
(Genesis 9:20–21 YLT, Some translations are ambiguous but typically point to the earth)

After the flood—after the great purification of consciousness—Noah plants a vineyard, makes wine, and becomes drunk. But this story is about more than wine or weakness. Through the symbolic understanding Neville Goddard brings to Scripture, we see this moment as a warning: the danger of getting caught up in external reality and forgetting that the inner world—our imagination—is what shapes life.

Noah Becomes a Man of the Earth

The Bible tells us Noah “began to be a man of the earth.” This marks a shift—from spiritual awareness to fixation on the physical. He becomes a husbandman, a worker of the ground—the outer world—symbolising a mind that, once awake to inner cause, now becomes absorbed in the effects it has produced.

The vineyard represents the field of consciousness. The wine is its fruit: manifestation, the emotional fulfilment of what was once imagined. But Noah drinks the wine and becomes drunk—soaked in the outer results, intoxicated by the world he himself created, and disconnected from the inner cause.

The Tent: Exposure in the Inner Sanctuary

Noah “was uncovered within his tent.” This phrase is rich with symbolism. In biblical language, the tent often symbolises one’s inner dwelling—the mind, the imagination. To be uncovered within it is to experience a collapse of purpose, direction, or awareness within the private world of thought.

This is not a public failure, but an internal one. Noah’s nakedness symbolises the imagination laid bare and vulnerable, no longer clothed with creative purpose. It speaks to those moments when we forget to walk in the assumption, and begin living by sight rather than by faith.

The Sons of Noah: Three Ways of Responding to the Imagination

When Noah is found uncovered, his sons respond differently—each reflecting a part of us.

• Ham: The Outer Mind Reacting to What It Sees
  Ham (whose name means “hot” or “impulsive”) represents the reactive, external mind. He sees the nakedness and rushes to tell his brothers. He focuses on appearances and draws attention to what is visible—disconnected from the sacredness of inner cause. He represents the part of us that judges and reacts without reverence.

• Shem and Japheth: Reverence for the Imagination
  Shem (meaning “name” or “identity”) and Japheth (meaning “expansion”) move differently. They walk backward with a garment and cover their father without looking. This means:

  • They turn away from outer evidence and choose to walk in faith.

  • They protect the dignity of imagination, even when it falters.

  • They act in honour of the inner world, not reacting to surface conditions.

Their actions show how we should respond when our imagination appears to falter—by returning to reverence, protecting the assumption, and refusing to focus on appearances.

A Parallel with Lot’s Daughters: Preserving Old Patterns

There is a similar symbolic message in Genesis 19:30–38. After the destruction of Sodom, Lot’s daughters fear they will have no descendants. So, they get their father drunk and lie with him to preserve their lineage.

On the surface, it’s a disturbing tale. But symbolically, Lot’s daughters represent the subconscious mind, trying to preserve old mental patterns even after the world they belonged to has crumbled. Just like Noah’s drunkenness symbolises absorption in effect rather than cause, this moment with Lot reflects how the old self seeks to repeat what is familiar—even if it no longer serves.

In both stories, intoxication represents the danger of unconscious creation. Whether it’s Noah forgetting the imagination or Lot led blindly into repetition, the message is the same: stay conscious, stay faithful to the inner world, and don’t let outer results define or limit you.

The Message: Don’t Get Drunk on the World

Noah’s story is a parable. It teaches that even the awakened imagination can forget itself—can become “a man of the earth,” fixated on what it sees rather than what it knows.

• The vineyard is your imagination.

• The wine is your manifestation.

• The tent is your mind—your inner dwelling.

• Nakedness is the imagination exposed and unguarded.

• Shem and Japheth are the honouring of that power.

• Ham is the impulse to judge and react.

Stay sober in imagination. Celebrate what you create, but do not lose yourself in it. Walk in the assumption, even when the outer world tempts you to forget. Your reality flows from within—and the garment of reverence must always clothe the imagination.

A Parallel to Jesus' Refusal of the Fruit of the Vine

In a deeper sense, we can draw a parallel to Jesus’ words at the Last Supper when He says, “I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine.” (Matthew 26:29, Mark 14:25, Luke 22:18) Jesus’ refusal to partake in the wine symbolises His transition from the old reality of external symbols and rituals to the new reality of divine creation through inner consciousness.

Neville Goddard often emphasises the power of imagination as the true creative force within us, transcending external forms and appearances. Just as Noah became intoxicated by the outer results of his own imagination, Jesus’ refusal to drink the wine points to a higher awareness: a consciousness grounded in the recognition that true creation comes from within, from the imagination, and not from the world of external effects.

Jesus’ statement can be seen as a profound reminder to stay aligned with the inner world—just as Noah, after the flood, must not forget the deeper cause of creation. It is a reminder not to become “drunk” on the outer world, but to maintain the inner focus and faith in what we assume within.

As Neville teaches, we must stay sober in imagination, cultivating the reverence necessary to honour the creative power that flows from within. By doing so, we align ourselves with the divine imagination—just as Jesus demonstrated by His refusal of external symbols, choosing instead to create reality from within.