And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.

GENESIS 9:5KJV
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Genesis 9:5 (KJV)

What does Genesis 9:5 mean?

Genesis 9:5 says that God will hold both animals and humans accountable if they take a human life, making it clear that human life is valuable and protected. The verse states that God will "require" a reckoning for the shedding of human blood, whether by an animal or another person.

In this verse, God is speaking to Noah and his sons after the flood, laying out new expectations for life in the renewed world. The verse emphasizes the seriousness of taking a human life and introduces the idea that there will be consequences for both animals and humans who kill a person. This sets a foundation for the sacredness of human life in the biblical story.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 9:5

  • The word "blood" (דָּם, dam) refers specifically to the physical life of a person, highlighting the seriousness of violence that ends a human life.
  • The word "require" (דָּרַשׁ, darash) means to seek out or demand, showing that God is not passive but will actively seek justice for lost human life.
  • The word "life/lives" (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) is often used for "soul" or "life," reinforcing that what is at stake is not just physical existence but the whole person.
  • The word "hand" (יָד, yad) is used several times, pointing to responsibility—whether it is an animal or another person, the one who causes death is held accountable.

Why Genesis 9:5 matters

  • This verse clarifies that all human life is under God's protection, and no one—animal or human—has the right to take it without consequence.
  • Genesis 9:5 introduces the principle of accountability for bloodshed, which becomes a foundation for later biblical laws about justice and punishment.
  • The verse connects to the wider passage where God is establishing a new covenant with Noah, marking a turning point in how humans are to live with each other and with creation after the flood.

Where else these words appear

“surely” Hebrew H389 · used in 22 verses

  • Genesis 7:23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
  • Exodus 12:16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
  • Judges 7:19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.