In Genesis, what did Noah do after the Flood before becoming drunk?

The story behind the answer

In Genesis, Noah planted a vineyard after the Flood before becoming drunk.

Genesis 9:20 says that Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. The next verses describe him drinking wine made from the vineyard and becoming drunk inside his tent. This episode follows the covenant established after the Flood and occurs after Noah’s altar and offerings in Genesis 8.

The scene is important because it portrays Noah as a farmer in the post-Flood world rather than only as the builder of the ark. It also introduces the actions of his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, whose responses to Noah’s condition lead to a blessing and a curse involving their descendants. The story is sometimes shortened into the inaccurate claim that Noah immediately made wine or that his first act after the Flood was planting grapes. Genesis first records the altar; only afterward does it mention Noah planting the vineyard.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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