And 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.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God declares He will "require a reckoning" for human life, even from beasts that cause death, and from humans who spill another's blood. The repeated phrase "at the hand of" highlights that God holds someone responsible, whether animal or human, demonstrating that human life is precious enough for divine oversight and justice to be meticulously applied.
And 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.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Immediately after God established his covenant with Noah and all living creatures, promising never to destroy the earth with a flood again, He laid down new laws for humanity. These laws included permission to eat meat, but with a crucial prohibition: not to eat meat with the blood still in it, because the life is in the blood. This leads directly into the sobering reminder that human life is now under God's special protection, with a reckoning for any life unjustly taken.
Why does God call human blood 'the blood of your lives'? It’s more than just a biological fact; it points to a profound truth about what God values.
In this verse, God establishes a solemn principle: human life is sacred, and its blood represents that life. The phrase 'your blood of your lives' highlights this connection. It's not just about the physical substance, but the vital essence of a person. God declares that He will 'require a reckoning' for this lifeblood. This means He holds humanity accountable and will personally seek justice when it is unjustly spilled.
This isn't a suggestion; it's a divine mandate. The blood represents the 'nephesh,' or the life principle, the very soul or personhood of an individual. When that life is taken, God demands an accounting.
God’s demand for accountability extends beyond human-to-human crime. What does it mean that God will require a reckoning from 'every beast'?
God’s establishment of justice here is comprehensive. He declares He will require a reckoning 'from every beast' and 'from man.'
From Every Beast:
This doesn't mean animals have moral culpability like humans. Instead, it underscores the sanctity of human life. If an animal takes a human life, that animal is forfeit. This shows the extreme value God places on human existence – even an animal’s life is taken as a consequence to affirm this.
From Man:
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This is the primary focus: human accountability. The repetition, 'from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning,' emphasizes that no human life can be taken unjustly without consequence. The mention of 'his fellow man' or 'his brother' highlights the deep betrayal when one human violently takes the life of another, especially since all humanity shares a common origin and is, in a sense, brothers and sisters.
Understand the original words
darash · Hebrew Verb
The concept of seeking, requesting, or demanding a legal account; often used in the context of divine justice requiring an answer for actions taken.
~6000 BC
The Great Flood
God unleashes a global flood to cleanse the earth of wickedness, saving only Noah and his family in an ark.
Immediately after the flood
God's Covenant with Noah
God establishes a covenant with Noah and all living creatures, promising never to destroy the earth by flood again, symbolized by the rainbow.
Immediately after the flood
New Mandate for Humanity
God blesses Noah and his sons, commissioning them to be fruitful and multiply, and reasserting humanity's dominion over the earth's creatures.
Immediately after the flood
Prohibition on Eating Blood
God grants permission to eat animal flesh but strictly forbids eating it with the blood (life) still in it.
Immediately after the flood— this verse
Divine Reckoning for Life
God declares that He will hold accountable any creature or person that sheds human blood, establishing the principle of 'life for life'.
This passage highlights God's direct demand for an accounting of life ('Where is Abel your brother?' 'What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground!'). It echoes Genesis 9:5 by showing God's immediate concern for spilled human blood, even before the Noahic covenant.
Exodus 21:12This verse directly states the penalty for murder under the Law: 'Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death.' This provides a legal framework for the reckoning God promises in Genesis 9:5, showing that human life taken unlawfully demands a life in return.
Romans 13:1-4Paul explains that governing authorities are established by God to 'bear the sword' against evildoers. This passage illuminates the 'at the hand of man' aspect of Genesis 9:5, showing how human society is divinely appointed to execute judgment and protect life.
Matthew 26:52Jesus tells Peter, 'Put your sword back into its place... for all who take the sword will be put to the sword.' This speaks to the ultimate accountability for violence, aligning with God's promise to require a reckoning for life, whether by beast or man.
gillGenesis 9:5: "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."
And surely your blood of your lives will I require,.... Or "for surely your blood", &c. (o); and so is a reason of the preceding law, to teach men not to shed human blood; or though, "surely your blood", as Jarchi and Aben Ezra; though God had given them liberty to slay the creatures, and shed…
calvinGenesis 9:1-29: "And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth."
And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
Et timor vester et pavor vester erit super omnem bestiam terrae, et super omne volatile coeli, cum omnibus quae gradiuntur in terra, et omnibus pi…
God declares He will "require a reckoning" for human life, even from beasts that cause death, and from humans who spill another's blood. The repeated phrase "at the hand of" highlights that God holds someone responsible, whether animal or human, demonstrating that human life is precious enough for divine oversight and justice to be meticulously applied.
Immediately after God established his covenant with Noah and all living creatures, promising never to destroy the earth with a flood again, He laid down new laws for humanity. These laws included permission to eat meat, but with a crucial prohibition: not to eat meat with the blood still in it, because the life is in the blood. This leads directly into the sobering reminder that human life is now under God's special protection, with a reckoning for any life unjustly taken.
Immediately after God established his covenant with Noah and all living creatures, promising never to destroy the earth with a flood again, He laid down new laws for humanity. These laws included permission to eat meat, but with a crucial prohibition: not to eat meat with the blood still in it, because the life is in the blood. This leads directly into the sobering reminder that human life is now under God's special protection, with a reckoning for any life unjustly taken.
"And 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." — God declares He will "require a reckoning" for human life, even from beasts that cause death, and from humans who spill another's blood. The repeated phrase "at the hand of" highlights that God holds…
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Last reviewed October 2026