Genesis 4:11 Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

◄ Genesis 4:11 ►

New International Version
Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

New Living Translation
Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s blood.

English Standard Version
And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

Berean Standard Bible
Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

King James Bible
And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;

New King James Version
So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

New American Standard Bible
Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

NASB 1995
“Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

NASB 1977
“And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

Legacy Standard Bible
And now, cursed are you from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

Amplified Bible
And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s [shed] blood from your hand.

Christian Standard Bible
So now you are cursed, alienated from the ground that opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood you have shed.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So now you are cursed, alienated, from the ground that opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood you have shed.

American Standard Version
And now cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened its mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;

Contemporary English Version
And so, I'll put you under a curse. Because you killed Abel and made his blood run out on the ground, you will never be able to farm it again.

English Revised Version
And now cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So now you are cursed from the ground, which has received the blood of your brother whom you killed.

Good News Translation
You are placed under a curse and can no longer farm the soil. It has soaked up your brother's blood as if it had opened its mouth to receive it when you killed him.

International Standard Version
Now you're more cursed than the ground, which has opened to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

Majority Standard Bible
Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother?s blood from your hand.

NET Bible
So now, you are banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

New Heart English Bible
Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

Webster's Bible Translation
And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;

World English Bible
Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
and now, cursed [are] you from the ground, which has opened her mouth to receive the blood of your brother from your hand;

Young's Literal Translation
and now, cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened her mouth to receive the blood of thy brother from thy hand;

Smith's Literal Translation
And now cursed art thou, from the earth, which opened her mouth to take thy brother's bloods from thy hand.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
Now, therefore, cursed shalt thou be upon the earth, which hath opened her mouth and received the blood of thy brother at thy hand,

Catholic Public Domain Version
Now, therefore, you will be cursed upon the land, which opened its mouth and received the blood of your brother at your hand.

New American Bible
Now you are banned from the ground that opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

New Revised Standard Version
And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And from henceforth, you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Therefore, you are cursed from the Earth that has opened her mouth and she has received the blood of your brother from your hands

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
And now cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And now thou art cursed from the earth which has opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

Cain Murders Abel
…10“What have you done?” replied the LORD. “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12When you till the ground, it will no longer yield its produce to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Hebrews 11:4
By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous when God gave approval to his gifts. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

Matthew 23:35
And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

1 John 3:12
Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous.

Jude 1:11
Woe to them! They have traveled the path of Cain; they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam; they have perished in Korah’s rebellion.

Luke 11:51
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, all of it will be charged to this generation.

Revelation 6:9-10
And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld. / And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge those who dwell upon the earth and avenge our blood?”

Hebrews 12:24
to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Romans 8:20-22
For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope / that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. / We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time.

James 5:4
Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.

Numbers 35:33
Do not pollute the land where you live, for bloodshed pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land on which the blood is shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.

Isaiah 26:21
For behold, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer conceal her slain.

Job 16:18
O earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry for help never be laid to rest.

Deuteronomy 27:24
‘Cursed is he who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

Jeremiah 47:6-7
‘Alas, O sword of the LORD, how long until you rest? Return to your sheath; cease and be still!’ / How can it rest when the LORD has commanded it? He has appointed it against Ashkelon and the shore of its coastland.”

Ezekiel 24:7-8
For the blood she shed is still within her; she poured it out on the bare rock; she did not pour it on the ground to cover it with dust. / In order to stir up wrath and take vengeance, I have placed her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered.’

Treasury of Scripture

And now are you cursed from the earth, which has opened her mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand;

Genesis 4:14
Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

Genesis 3:14
And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

Deuteronomy 27:16-26
Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen…

opened.

Job 16:18
O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place.

Job 31:38-40
If my land cry against me, or that the furrows likewise thereof complain; …

Isaiah 26:21
For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

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Genesis 4

1. The birth, occupation, and offerings of Cain and Abel.
8. Cain murders his brother Abel.
11. The curse of Cain.
17. Has a son called Enoch, and builds a city, which he calls after his name.
18. His descendants, with Lamech and his two wives.
25. The birth of Seth,
26. and Enos.

Berean Study Bible

Now you are cursed
The phrase "cursed" in Hebrew is "אָרוּר" (arur), which signifies being under a divine curse or ban. This is a significant moment in the biblical narrative, as it marks the first time a human is directly cursed by God. The curse is a direct consequence of Cain's actions, highlighting the seriousness of sin and its repercussions. In the broader scriptural context, this curse echoes the curse placed upon the serpent in Genesis 3:14, emphasizing the theme of divine justice and the moral order established by God.

and banished from the ground
The Hebrew word for "banished" is "נָע וָנָד" (na va-nad), meaning to wander or be a fugitive. This reflects the loss of stability and security that Cain will experience as a result of his sin. The ground, "אֲדָמָה" (adamah), is significant as it was the source of sustenance and life, and now it becomes a symbol of alienation. This banishment underscores the broken relationship between humanity and creation due to sin, a theme that resonates throughout the Bible.

which has opened its mouth
The imagery of the ground opening its mouth is vivid and personifies the earth as a witness to the crime. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, the earth was often seen as a living entity that could respond to human actions. This phrase suggests that the earth itself is reacting to the injustice of Abel's murder, reinforcing the idea that sin disrupts the natural order and harmony of creation.

to receive your brother’s blood
The word "blood" in Hebrew is "דָּם" (dam), which is often associated with life and the sacredness of life. The shedding of innocent blood is a grave sin, and Abel's blood cries out for justice. This concept is foundational in biblical theology, where life is sacred and protected by God's law. The blood of Abel becomes a powerful symbol of injustice and the need for divine retribution, a theme that is echoed in the New Testament with the blood of Christ speaking a better word than the blood of Abel (Hebrews 12:24).

from your hand
The phrase "from your hand" indicates personal responsibility and culpability. In biblical terms, the hand is often symbolic of action and agency. Cain's hand, which should have been used for good, has instead committed evil. This highlights the moral responsibility each individual bears for their actions and the consequences that follow. It serves as a sobering reminder of the personal nature of sin and the need for repentance and reconciliation with God.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(11, 12) And now (because of thy crime) art thou cursed from the earth.--Heb., from the adamah, or cultivated ground. Cain was the first human being on whom a curse was inflicted, and it was to rise up from the ground, the portion of the earth won and subdued by man, to punish him. He had polluted man's habitation, and now, when he tilled the soil, it would resist him as an enemy, by refusing "to yield unto him her strength." He had been an unsuccessful man before, and outstripped in the race of life by the younger son; for the future his struggle with the conditions of life will be still harder. The reason for this follows: "a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth." Restless and uneasy, and haunted by the remembrance of his crime, he shall become a wanderer, not merely in the adamah, his native soil, but in the earth. Poverty must necessarily be the lot of one thus roaming, not in search of a better lot, but under the compulsion of an evil conscience. Finally, however, we find that Cain's feelings grew more calm, and being comforted by the presence of a wife and children, "he builded a city," and had at last a home.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 11, 12. - Convicted, if not humbled, the culprit is speechless, and can only listen in consternation to the threefold judgment which pronounced him "cursed in his soul, vagabond in his body, and unprosperous in his labors" (Willet). And now - either at this time, already (cf. Joshua 14:11; Hosea 2:10), or for this cause, because thou hast done this (Genesis 3:14; cf. Genesis 19:9; Exodus 18:19) - art thou cursed. The first curse pronounced against a human being. Adam and Eve were not cursed, though the serpent and the devil were. If we may not conclude that Cain was thereby for ever excluded from the hope of salvation if he should repent, still less must we explain the Divine judgment down to a simple sentence of banishment from Eden. The fratricide was henceforth to bear the displeasure and indignation of his Maker, whose image in Abel he had slain; of which indignation and displeasure his expatriation was to be a symbol. Different explanations have been offered of the clause, from the earth, or ground, Ad-hamah, which, however, cannot mean more than the ground, which already had been cursed (Genesis 3:17; Lunge), since "the curse of the soil and the misery of man cannot well be compared with each other" (Kalisch); or simply away from the district, the scene of his crime (Kalisch, Speaker's, Rosenmüller, Tuch, Gerlach, Delitzsch), as if all that the sentence implied was banishment from Eden; but must involve in addition the idea that the curse was to leap upon him from the earth, or ground, in general (Aben Ezra, Kimchi, Knobel, Alford, Murphy). Which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand. The terrible significance of this curse is further opened in the words which follow. The earth was to be against him -

1. In refusing him its substance. When thou tillest (literally, shalt till) the ground, it shall not henceforth yield (literally, add to give) unto thee her strength. Neither a double curse upon the entire earth for man's sake (Alford), nor a doom of sterility inflicted only on the district of Eden (Kalisch); but a judgment on Cain and his descendants with respect to their labors. Their tillage of the ground was not to prosper, which ultimately, Bonar thinks, drove the Cainites to city-building and mechanical invention.

2. In denying him a home. A fugitive and a vagabond - literally, moving and wandering; "groaning and trembling" (LXX., erroneously), "banished and homeless" (Keil) - shalt thou be in the earth. "As robbers are wont to be who have no quiet and secure resting-place" (Calvin); driven on by the agonizing tortures of a remorseful and alarmed conscience, and not simply by "the earth denying to him the expected fruits of his labor" (Delitzsch). The ban of wandering, which David pronounced upon his enemies (Psalm 59:12; Psalm 109:10), in later years fell upon the Jews, who "for shedding the blood of Christ, the most innocent Lamb of God, are vagabonds to this day over the face of the earth" (Willet). Thus the earth was made the minister of God's curse, not a partaker of it, as some have strangely imagined, as if by drinking up the blood of Abel it had become a participant of Cain's crime (Delitzsch).

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

Now
וְעַתָּ֖ה (wə·‘at·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 6258: At this time

you
אָ֑תָּה (’āt·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

[are] cursed and banished
אָר֣וּר (’ā·rūr)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular
Strong's 779: To execrate

from
מִן־ (min-)
Preposition
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

the ground,
הָֽאֲדָמָה֙ (hā·’ă·ḏā·māh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 127: Ground, land

which
אֲשֶׁ֣ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

has opened
פָּצְתָ֣ה (pā·ṣə·ṯāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 6475: To rend, open

its mouth
פִּ֔יהָ (pî·hā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 6310: The mouth, edge, portion, side, according to

to receive
לָקַ֛חַת (lā·qa·ḥaṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 3947: To take

your brother’s
אָחִ֖יךָ (’ā·ḥî·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )

blood
דְּמֵ֥י (də·mê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1818: Blood, of man, an animal, the juice of the grape, bloodshed

from your hand.
מִיָּדֶֽךָ׃ (mî·yā·ḏe·ḵā)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3027: A hand

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OT Law: Genesis 4:11 Now you are cursed because (Gen. Ge Gn)