KJV ORIGINAL
And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
And God said, 'What have you done? Your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground.'
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
God is confronting Cain after he murdered his brother Abel, showing that God sees and hears the cry for justice even when no human witnesses are present.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs immediately after Cain killed his brother Abel out of jealousy because God had accepted Abel's sacrifice but not his own. In ancient Near Eastern culture, blood was considered the life force, and spilled blood was believed to cry out for justice. This is the first murder recorded in human history, marking humanity's rapid descent into sin after the fall in Eden.
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