Gen 4:8–12: "your brother's blood cries out from the ground"

Says וַיֹּאמֶר קַיִן אֶל־הֶבֶל אָחִיו, "and Cain said to Abel his brother," and in the MT no words follow (see var.Gen.4.8.let-us-go-out). וַיְהִי בִּהְיוֹתָם בַּשָּׂדֶה, "while they were in the field," Cain וַיַּהַרְגֵהוּ, "killed him." "Brother" stands seven times in 4:2–11. The Lord asks אֵי הֶבֶל אָחִיךָ, "where is Abel your brother?", after 3:9, אַיֶּכָּה (note.language.Gen.3.9-Gen.3.13.questions-and-blame). Cain answers הֲשֹׁמֵר אָחִי אָנֹכִי, "am I my brother's keeper?", with the verb of 2:15, וּלְשָׁמְרָהּ (note.language.Gen.2.15.work-and-keep). קוֹל דְּמֵי אָחִיךָ, "the voice of your brother's blood," has a plural noun and a plural participle, צֹעֲקִים, "crying" (OSHB; BDB "blood," "cry, cry out, call"); Exod 3:7 uses the related noun of Israel's cry, וְאֶת־צַעֲקָתָם. Then אָרוּר אָתָּה מִן־הָאֲדָמָה, "cursed are you from the ground," which פָּצְתָה אֶת־פִּיהָ, "opened its mouth," to take the blood; in 3:17 the ground was cursed and the man was not (note.language.Gen.3.17-Gen.3.19.ground-cursed-dust). The ground will not yield, and Cain will be נָע וָנָד (BDB "quiver, wave, waver, tremble, totter"; "move to and fro, wander"). Swete has φωνὴ αἵματος, singular, and στένων καὶ τρέμων.

Implies The narrative ties the bloodshed to the ground: the blood cries from it, it received the blood, and Cain is cursed from it and loses its yield (4:10–12). Num 35:33 says the same of the land: "bloodshed pollutes the land."

Uncertain Whether מִן marks the curse as coming from the ground or as banishment from it (BSB "cursed and banished from the ground"). No lean is taken here.