Amplified Bible
Genesis 9:6
6Whoever sheds man’s blood [unlawfully], By man (judicial government) shall his blood be shed, For in the image of God He made man.
Genesis 9:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
- New International Version (NIV)“Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.
Context of Genesis 9:6
4But you shall not eat meat along with its life, that is, its blood. 5For your lifeblood I will most certainly require an accounting; from every animal [that kills a person] I will require it. And from man, from every man’s brother [that is, anyone who murders] I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood [unlawfully], By man (judicial government) shall his blood be shed, For in the image of God He made man. 7As for you, be fruitful and multiply; Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.” 8Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,
Read all of Genesis 9Genesis 9:6 word by word
שֹׁפֵךְ֙ דַּ֣ם הָֽאָדָ֔ם בָּֽאָדָ֖ם דָּמ֣וֹ יִשָּׁפֵ֑ךְ כִּ֚י בְּצֶ֣לֶם אֱלֹהִ֔ים עָשָׂ֖ה אֶת־הָאָדָֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Genesis 9:6
- Exodus 21:12“Whoever strikes a man so that he dies must be put to death.
- Exodus 22:2“If a thief is caught breaking in [after dark] and is struck [by the owner] so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him.
- Leviticus 17:4and has not brought it to the doorway of the Tent of Meeting to offer it as an offering to the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord, that man shall be guilty of bloodshed. He has shed blood and shall be cut off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them].
- Leviticus 24:17‘If a man takes the life of any human being [unlawfully], he shall most certainly be put to death.
- Numbers 35:25The congregation shall rescue the offender from the hand of the blood avenger and return him to his city of refuge, [the place] to which he had escaped; and he shall live there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the sacred oil.
- 1 Kings 2:5Now you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah [my sister] did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether, [both of] whom he murdered; avenging the blood of war in [a time of] peace. And he put the [innocent] blood of war [of Abner and Amasa] on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals on his feet.
- Matthew 26:52Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back in its place; for all those who habitually draw the sword will die by the sword.
- Romans 13:4For he is God’s servant to you for good. But if you do wrong, [you should] be afraid; for he does not carry the [executioner’s] sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an avenger who brings punishment on the wrongdoer.
- Revelation 13:10If anyone is destined for captivity, he will go into captivity; if anyone kills with a sword, he must be killed with a sword. Here is [the call for] the patient endurance and the faithfulness of the saints [which is seen in the response of God’s people to difficult times].
- Genesis 1:26Then God said, “Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.”
- Genesis 5:1This is the book (the written record, the history) of the generations of [the descendants of] Adam. When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness].
- Psalms 51:4Against You, You only, have I sinned And done that which is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak [Your sentence] And faultless in Your judgment.
- James 3:9With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God.
Commentaries on Genesis 9:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood - Hence it appears that whoever kills a man, unless unwittingly, as the Scripture expresses it, shall forfeit his own life. A man is accused of the crime of murder; of this crime he is guilty or he is not: if he be guilty of murder he should die; if not, let him be punished according to the demerit of his crime; but for no offense but murder should he lose his life. Taking away the life of another is the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-7Verses 1-7 - The Blessing of Noah 2. מורא môrā' “fear, reverence, awful deed.” חת chat “dread, breaking of the courage.” Noah is saved from the deluge. His life is twice given to him by God. He had found grace in the sight of the Lord, and now he and his family have been graciously accepted when they approached the Lord with burnt-offerings. In him, therefore, the race of man is to be begun anew. Accordingly, as at the beginning, the Lord proceeds to…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-7Verses 4-7 The main reason of forbidding the eating of blood, doubtless was because the shedding of blood in sacrifices was to keep the worshippers in mind of the great atonement; yet it seems intended also to check cruelty, lest men, being used to shed and feed upon the blood of animals, should grow unfeeling to them, and be less shocked at the idea of shedding human blood. Man must not take away his own life. Our lives are God's, and we must only give…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6for in His own image God has made mankind: God made human beings in his own image. That is why this passage gives a theological reason for the death penalty in the Old Testament. Human beings have a unique place in creation because they bear God’s image (1:26–28). If someone murders another person, that person destroys a life that reflects God in a special way. Because of that, the murderer must receive the highest penalty. See also Exodus 21:23–25. This…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. Whoso sheddeth man's blood ... for in the image of God made he man--It is true that image has been injured by the fall, but it is not lost. In this view, a high value is attached to the life of every man, even the poorest and humblest, and an awful criminality is involved in the destruction of it.Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 9:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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