Genesis 9:6

9:6 “Whoever sheds human blood, ¹ 

by other humans ² 

must his blood be shed;

for in God’s image ³ 

God ⁴  has made humankind.”

Genesis 9:4

9:4 But ⁵  you must not eat meat ⁶  with its life (that is, ⁷  its blood) in it. ⁸ 

Genesis 4:10

4:10 But the Lord said, “What have you done? ⁹  The voice ¹⁰  of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground!

Genesis 37:31

37:31 So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a young goat, ¹¹  and dipped the tunic in the blood.

Genesis 4:11

4:11 So now, you are banished ¹²  from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

Genesis 9:5

9:5 For your lifeblood ¹³  I will surely exact punishment, ¹⁴  from ¹⁵  every living creature I will exact punishment. From each person ¹⁶  I will exact punishment for the life of the individual ¹⁷  since the man was his relative. ¹⁸ 

Genesis 37:26

37:26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?

Genesis 42:22

42:22 Reuben said to them, “Didn’t I say to you, ‘Don’t sin against the boy,’ but you wouldn’t listen? So now we must pay for shedding his blood!” ¹⁹ 

Genesis 49:11

49:11 Binding his foal to the vine,

and his colt to the choicest vine,

he will wash ²⁰  his garments in wine,

his robes in the blood of grapes.

Genesis 37:22

37:22 Reuben continued, ²¹  “Don’t shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” ²²  (Reuben said this ²³  so he could rescue Joseph ²⁴  from them ²⁵  and take him back to his father.)

[9:6]  ¹ tn Heb “the blood of man.”

[9:6]  ² tn Heb “by man,” a generic term here for other human beings.

[9:6]  ³ sn See the notes on the words “humankind” and “likeness” in Gen 1:26, as well as J. Barr, “The Image of God in the Book of Genesis – A Study of Terminology,” BJRL 51 (1968/69): 11-26.

[9:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “only.”

[9:4]  ⁶ tn Or “flesh.”

[9:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “its life, its blood.” The second word is in apposition to the first, explaining what is meant by “its life.” Since the blood is equated with life, meat that had the blood in it was not to be eaten.

[9:4]  ⁸ tn The words “in it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[4:10]  ⁹ sn What have you done? Again the Lord’s question is rhetorical (see Gen 3:13), condemning Cain for his sin.

[4:10]  ¹⁰ tn The word “voice” is a personification; the evidence of Abel’s shed blood condemns Cain, just as a human eyewitness would testify in court. For helpful insights, see G. von Rad, Biblical Interpretations in Preaching; and L. Morris, “The Biblical Use of the Term ‘Blood,’” JTS 6 (1955/56): 77-82.

[37:31]  ¹³ sn It was with two young goats that Jacob deceived his father (Gen 27:9); now with a young goat his sons continue the deception that dominates this family.

[4:11]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “cursed are you from the ground.” As in Gen 3:14, the word “cursed,” a passive participle from אָרָר (’arar), either means “punished” or “banished,” depending on how one interprets the following preposition. If the preposition is taken as indicating source, then the idea is “cursed (i.e., punished) are you from [i.e., “through the agency of”] the ground” (see v. 12a). If the preposition is taken as separative, then the idea is “cursed and banished from the ground.” In this case the ground rejects Cain’s efforts in such a way that he is banished from the ground and forced to become a fugitive out in the earth (see vv. 12b, 14).

[9:5]  ²¹ 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]  ²² 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]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and from the hand of the man.” The article has a generic function, indicating the class, i.e., humankind.

[9:5]  ²⁵ tn Heb “of the man.”

[9:5]  ²⁶ 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.

[42:22]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and also his blood, look, it is required.” God requires compensation, as it were, from those who shed innocent blood (see Gen 9:6). In other words, God exacts punishment for the crime of murder.

[49:11]  ²⁹ tn The perfect verbal form is used rhetorically, describing coming events as though they have already taken place.

[37:22]  ³³ tn Heb “and Reuben said to them.”

[37:22]  ³⁴ sn The verbs translated shed, throw, and lay sound alike in Hebrew; the repetition of similar sounds draws attention to Reuben’s words.

[37:22]  ³⁵ tn The words “Reuben said this” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[37:22]  ³⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:22]  ³⁷ tn Heb “from their hands” (cf. v. 21). This expression has been translated as “them” here for stylistic reasons.