English Standard Version
Genesis 9:6
6"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.
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.
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image.
Context of Genesis 9:6
4But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. 7And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it." 8Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him,
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 shall be put to death.
- Exodus 22:2If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him,
- Leviticus 17:4and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord, bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood, and that man shall be cut off from among his people.
- Leviticus 24:17"Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death.
- Numbers 35:25And the congregation shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he had fled, and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.
- 1 Kings 2:5"Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner the son of Ner, and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the sandals on his feet.
- Matthew 26:52Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
- Romans 13:4for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.
- Revelation 13:10If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.
- Genesis 1:26Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
- Genesis 5:1This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.
- Psalms 51:4Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
- James 3:9With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are 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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries