Genesis 9:5

9:5 For your lifeblood ¹  I will surely exact punishment, ²  from ³  every living creature I will exact punishment. From each person ⁴  I will exact punishment for the life of the individual ⁵  since the man was his relative. ⁶ 

Genesis 31:39

31:39 Animals torn by wild beasts I never brought to you; I always absorbed the loss myself. ⁷  You always made me pay for every missing animal, ⁸  whether it was taken by day or at night.

Ezekiel 3:18

3:18 When I say to the wicked, “You will certainly die,” ⁹  and you do not warn him – you do not speak out to warn the wicked to turn from his wicked deed and wicked lifestyle so that he may live – that wicked person will die for his iniquity, ¹⁰  but I will hold you accountable for his death. ¹¹ 

Ezekiel 3:20

3:20 “When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I set an obstacle ¹²  before him, he will die. If you have not warned him, he will die for his sin. The righteous deeds he performed will not be considered, but I will hold you accountable for his death.

Ezekiel 33:6

33:6 But suppose the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people. Then the sword comes and takes one of their lives. He is swept away for his iniquity, ¹³  but I will hold the watchman accountable for that person’s death.’ ¹⁴ 

Ezekiel 33:8

33:8 When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you must certainly die,’ ¹⁵  and you do not warn ¹⁶  the wicked about his behavior, ¹⁷  the wicked man will die for his iniquity, but I will hold you accountable for his death. ¹⁸ 

Luke 11:50

11:50 so that this generation may be held accountable ¹⁹  for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning ²⁰  of the world, ²¹ 

[9:5]  ¹ tn Again the text uses apposition to clarify what kind of blood is being discussed: “your blood, [that is] for your life.” See C. L. Dewar, “The Biblical Use of the Term ‘Blood,’” JTS 4 (1953): 204-8.

[9:5]  ² tn The word “punishment” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification. The verb דָּרָשׁ (darash) means “to require, to seek, to ask for, to exact.” Here it means that God will exact punishment for the taking of a life. See R. Mawdsley, “Capital Punishment in Gen. 9:6,” CentBib 18 (1975): 20-25.

[9:5]  ³ tn Heb “from the hand of,” which means “out of the hand of” or “out of the power of” and is nearly identical in sense to the preposition מִן (min) alone.

[9:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “and from the hand of the man.” The article has a generic function, indicating the class, i.e., humankind.

[9:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “of the man.”

[9:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “from the hand of a man, his brother.” The point is that God will require the blood of someone who kills, since the person killed is a relative (“brother”) of the killer. The language reflects Noah’s situation (after the flood everyone would be part of Noah’s extended family), but also supports the concept of the brotherhood of humankind. According to the Genesis account the entire human race descended from Noah.

[31:39]  ⁷ tn The imperfect verbal form indicates that this was a customary or typical action.

[31:39]  ⁸ tn Heb “from my hand you exacted it.” The imperfect verbal form again indicates that this was a customary or typical action. The words “for every missing animal” are supplied in the translation for clarity; the following clause in Hebrew, “stolen by day or stolen by night,” probably means “stolen by wild beasts” and refers to the same animals “torn by wild beasts” in the previous clause, although it may refer to animals stolen by people. The translation used here, “missing,” is ambiguous enough to cover either eventuality.

[3:18]  ⁹ sn Even though the infinitive absolute is used to emphasize the warning, the warning is still implicitly conditional, as the following context makes clear.

[3:18]  ¹⁰ tn Or “in his punishment.” The phrase “in/for [a person’s] iniquity” occurs fourteen times in Ezekiel: here and v. 19; 4:17; 7:13, 16; 18: 17, 18, 19, 20; 24:23; 33:6, 8, 9; 39:23. The Hebrew word for “iniquity” may also mean the “punishment for iniquity.”

[3:18]  ¹¹ tn Heb “his blood I will seek from your hand.” The expression “seek blood from the hand” is equivalent to requiring the death penalty (2 Sam 4:11-12).

[3:20]  ¹² tn Or “stumbling block.” The Hebrew term refers to an obstacle in the road in Lev 19:14.

[33:6]  ¹³ tn Or “in his punishment.” The phrase “in/for [a person’s] iniquity/punishment” occurs fourteen times in Ezekiel: here and in vv. 8 and 9; 3:18, 19; 4:17; 7:13, 16; 18: 17, 18, 19, 20; 24:23; 39:23. The Hebrew word for “iniquity” may also mean the “punishment” for iniquity or “guilt” of iniquity.

[33:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “his blood from the hand of the watchman I will seek.”

[33:8]  ¹⁵ tn The same expression occurs in Gen 2:17.

[33:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and you do not speak to warn.”

[33:8]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “way.”

[33:8]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and his blood from your hand I will seek.”

[11:50]  ¹⁹ tn Or “that this generation may be charged with”; or “the blood of all the prophets… may be required from this generation.” This is a warning of judgment. These people are responsible for the shedding of prophetic blood.

[11:50]  ²⁰ tn Or “foundation.” However, this does not suggest a time to the modern reader.

[11:50]  ²¹ tn The order of the clauses in this complicated sentence has been rearranged to simplify it for the modern reader.