Genesis 4:11 kjv
And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
Genesis 4:11 nkjv
So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
Genesis 4:11 niv
Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
Genesis 4:11 esv
And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
Genesis 4:11 nlt
Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother's blood.
Genesis 4 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 3:17 | "Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it..." | First curse on the ground due to sin. |
| Num 35:33 | "So you shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land..." | Land defiled by innocent blood. |
| Deut 27:15 | "Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image..." | General declaration of a curse. |
| Deut 28:15-19 | "But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God... cursed shall you be..." | Consequences of disobedience, curses from the land. |
| Job 31:38-40 | "If my land has cried out against me, and its furrows have wept together... then let thorns grow..." | Land's protest against unrighteousness. |
| Isa 24:5 | "The earth is polluted by its inhabitants, for they have transgressed laws..." | Earth defiled by human sin. |
| Hos 8:7 | "For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind." | Reaping consequences of actions. |
| Prov 3:33 | "The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked..." | God's curse upon wickedness. |
| Jer 22:28-30 | "Is this man Coniah a despised, broken pot... throw him far away into a land that he knows not." | Banishment and rejection. |
| Lam 3:65 | "Give them a stubborn heart; your curse be on them!" | Invocation of divine curse. |
| Lk 11:50-51 | "...the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world... from the blood of Abel..." | Abel's blood as foundational injustice. |
| Heb 11:4 | "By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain..." | Contrasts Abel's righteousness with Cain's sin. |
| Heb 12:24 | "and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel." | Christ's blood provides forgiveness, not vengeance like Abel's. |
| Rom 1:18 | "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness..." | God's active wrath against sin. |
| Rom 2:6 | "He will render to each one according to his works." | Divine judgment based on actions. |
| Gal 6:7 | "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap." | Principle of sowing and reaping applied. |
| Ps 59:11 | "Slay them not, lest my people forget; scatter them by your might and bring them down..." | Divine scattering and wandering. |
| Matt 27:24-25 | "...His blood be on us and on our children!" | Invocation of bloodguilt. |
| Rev 16:6 | "for they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink..." | Retribution for shedding innocent blood. |
| Prov 28:17 | "If a man is burdened with the blood of another, let him be a fugitive until death..." | Consequence for shedding blood, parallels Cain's curse. |
| Num 35:30 | "A single witness shall not suffice to bring about the death of a person..." | Justice regarding murder requiring evidence. |
Genesis 4 verses
Genesis 4 11 Meaning
Genesis 4:11 declares a divine curse upon Cain, stating that he is cursed from the ground. This curse is specifically linked to the earth having opened its mouth to receive his brother Abel's blood, which Cain shed with his own hand. The verse highlights God's righteous judgment against the first murder, signifying that the ground itself would no longer yield its strength to Cain, thus directly impacting his livelihood and very existence as an agriculturist.Genesis 4 11 Context
Genesis chapter 4 details the early history of humanity following the expulsion from Eden. It immediately presents the divergent paths of Cain, an agriculturalist, and Abel, a shepherd, and their sacrifices to the Lord. When God accepted Abel's offering but rejected Cain's, Cain became enraged and, fueled by jealousy and sin, murdered his brother Abel in the field. This verse follows God's confrontation with Cain, where God asks Cain about Abel's whereabouts and states that Abel's blood "cries out from the ground." The historical and cultural context includes a direct divine interaction with humanity, the severe consequence of sin, and the ancient understanding that bloodshed, especially fraternal murder, defiled the land and warranted a deep, intrinsic punishment related to one's very existence and source of life, in Cain's case, the earth from which he drew his livelihood. The land itself, having "swallowed" the innocent blood, becomes an instrument of God's curse against the one who shed it.Genesis 4 11 Word analysis
- And now (וְעַתָּה, v'attah): This Hebrew conjunction often introduces a new, significant divine declaration or command, often as a direct consequence of preceding events. Here, it marks the shift from questioning Cain to pronouncing God's judgment. It emphasizes the immediacy and directness of the curse.
- you are cursed (אָרוּר, arur): This is a strong declaration of divine judgment. It means to be set apart for exclusion, detriment, and difficulty. It implies a binding, unbreakable, and lasting consequence decreed by God, leading to futility and a lack of prosperity. Unlike a human curse, a divine curse always has its effect. This term is also used in Gen 3:17 regarding the ground itself.
- from the ground (מִן הָאֲדָמָה, min ha'adamah): The Hebrew adamah refers specifically to fertile, cultivated land. The preposition min ("from") indicates the origin or source of the curse, emphasizing that the very medium Cain relied upon for his sustenance, the earth he was meant to cultivate, is now working against him. This is particularly potent as Cain's occupation was a "tiller of the ground."
- which has opened (אֲשֶׁר פָּצְתָה, asher patstah): The verb patstah implies a forceful or wide opening, a gash or fissure. This vivid personification attributes an action and an awareness to the inanimate ground, suggesting it willingly received Abel's blood but now reacts with abhorrence to Cain.
- its mouth (פִּיהָ, piha): Reinforces the personification of the ground. Just as a mouth consumes, the ground "consumed" the blood. This imagery amplifies the horror of the deed and the deep defilement that occurred. The blood, life force, became a silent accusation swallowed by the earth.
- to receive (לָקַחַת, lakachat): The root lakach means "to take, seize, or receive." Here, it denotes the ground's passive, yet effective, reception of the blood, highlighting that the evidence of Cain's crime has been taken into the very fabric of the earth.
- your brother's blood (דְּמֵי אָחִיךָ, demei achicha): The plural form demei ("blood") can represent either a literal outpouring of blood, indicating much life was spilt, or it can be an intensive plural, emphasizing the sacredness and value of the life taken. It is the core of the accusation.
- from your hand (מִיָּדְךָ, miyadka): The Hebrew yad (hand) represents agency, power, and direct action. This phrase directly attributes responsibility to Cain, indicating he committed the act personally and willingly. It underscores his guilt and removes any possibility of external blame.
Words-group Analysis:
- "you are cursed from the ground": This phrase binds Cain's punishment directly to his livelihood and relationship with creation. As an agriculturalist, his primary source of sustenance and purpose derived from the ground. Now, that very source turns against him, rendering his toil futile. The curse is not just upon him, but from the ground, making the land itself an agent of divine judgment.
- "which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand": This powerfully evocative passage highlights several critical points. Firstly, the ground is personified as an active witness and participant, "swallowing" the evidence of the crime. This signifies that the defilement of murder runs so deep it impacts the very natural order. Secondly, it explicitly links the act of murder ("your brother's blood from your hand") to the divine consequence, emphasizing God's omniscient justice and Cain's direct culpability. The ground's action confirms God's earlier statement that Abel's blood cries out.