Genesis 4:10

Genesis 4:10 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.
• New International Version (NIV)The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the Lord said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.

Context of Genesis 4:10

8Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 9Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s guardian?” Then he said, “What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! 11So now you are cursed, alienated from the ground that opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood you have shed. 12If you work the ground, it will never again give you its yield. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

Genesis 4:10 word by word

וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מֶ֣ה עָשִׂ֑יתָ ק֚וֹל דְּמֵ֣י אָחִ֔יךָ צֹעֲקִ֥ים אֵלַ֖י מִן־הָֽאֲדָמָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Whatמָהmâh mah mâ ma meh · what?H4100
• hast thou doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• the voiceקוֹלqôl qôl · voiceH6963
• of thy brother’sאָח'âch · brother: male-siblingH251
• bloodדָּםdâm · bloodH1818
• criethצָעַקtsâ‛aq · to cryH6817
• unto me from the groundאֲדָמָה'ădâmâh · land: soilH127

Cross-references for Genesis 4:10

• Genesis 3:13So the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
• Joshua 7:19So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and make a confession to him. I urge you, tell me what you have done. Don’t hide anything from me.”
• Psalms 50:21You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But I will rebuke you and lay out the case before you.
• Genesis 18:20Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is immense, and their sin is extremely serious.
• Exodus 3:7Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors. I know about their sufferings,
• 2 Kings 9:26‘As surely as I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday’ — this is the Lord’s declaration — ‘so will I repay you on this plot of land’ — this is the Lord’s declaration. So now, according to the word of the Lord, pick him up and throw him on the plot of land.”
• Job 16:18Earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry for help find no resting place.
• Job 24:12From the city, men groan; the mortally wounded cry for help, yet God pays no attention to this crime.
• Job 31:38If my land cries out against me and its furrows join in weeping,
• Psalms 9:12For the one who seeks an accounting for bloodshed remembers them; he does not forget the cry of the oppressed.
• Psalms 72:14He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious in his sight.
• Isaiah 5:7For the vineyard of the Lord of Armies is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah, the plant he delighted in. He expected justice but saw injustice; he expected righteousness but heard cries of despair.
• Acts 5:3“Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds of the land?
• Hebrews 11:4By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.
• Hebrews 12:24and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel.
• James 5:4Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers who mowed your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Armies.

Commentaries on Genesis 4:10

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 10The voice of thy brother's blood - It is probable that Cain, having killed his brother, dug a hole and buried him in the earth, hoping thereby to prevent the murder from being known; and that this is what is designed in the words, Thy brother's blood crieth unto me From The Ground - which hath opened her mouth to receive it from thy hand. Some think that by the voice of thy brother's blood the cries of Abel's widow and children are to be understood, as it…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-16Verses 1-16 - Section IV - The Family of Adam - Cain and Abel 1. קין qayı̂n Qain (Cain), “spear-shaft,” and קנה qānah “set up, establish, gain, buy,” contain the biliteral root קן qan “set up, erect, gain.” The relations of root words are not confined to the narrow rules of our common etymology, but really extend to such instinctive usages as the unlettered speaker will invent or employ. A full examination of the Hebrew tongue leads to the conclusion…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-15Verses 8-15 Malice in the heart ends in murder by the hands. Cain slew Abel, his own brother, his own mother's son, whom he ought to have loved; his younger brother, whom he ought to have protected; a good brother, who had never done him any wrong. What fatal effects were these of our first parents' sin, and how must their hearts have been filled with anguish! Observe the pride, unbelief, and impenitence of Cain. He denies the crime, as if he could…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 10What have you done?: This is more an expression of horror and blame than a question seeking answers (see 3:13). Abel’s blood acts as a legal witness that accuses Cain of a crime. from the ground: See study note on 4:11–12.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1010. the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me--Cain, to lull suspicion, had probably been engaging in the solemnities of religion when he was challenged directly from the Shekinah itself.Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 4:10

• Abel
• Cain
• Escape
• Homicide
• Sin
• Types
• Will

In the dictionaries

• Abel
• Adam
• Blood
• Cain
• Call
• Cursed
• Fall
• Fat
• Hurt
• Mark

Commentaries on Genesis 4

• 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