Verses 11 and 12 take up the punishment of Cain. And now marks a consequence of Cain’s action.
You are cursed from the ground: the opening words in Hebrew are in the form of the recognized formula seen in 3.17 for the beginning of a curse against someone. In Adam’s case the ground was cursed, although the effect of the curse was directed against Adam himself; however, in this case it is Cain who is cursed directly. Many languages have curse formulas that are equivalent to the Hebrew “cursed [are] you” and which are suitable here. From the ground means that the soil will not produce crops for Cain. Good News Translation has made this thought clear by saying “You are placed under a curse and can no longer farm the soil.” It is also possible to interpret from the as meaning “more than,” and so the expression can mean “You are cursed more than the ground was cursed.” However, the first part of verse 12, as well as verse 14, makes it probable that the first interpretation is to be preferred. This whole clause may also be translated “I curse you, and nothing you plant in the soil will grow” or “I put a curse on you so that the soil will produce no more food for you.”
Which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood: its mouth refers to the mouth of the ground. This poetic figure is also used of Sheol in Isa 5.14. Good News Translation translates “soaked up you brother’s blood” and then adds a simile, “as if it had opened its mouth to receive it.” In some languages it may be better to translate this clause as a separate sentence; for example, “This is the soil that has soaked up your dead brother’s blood.” In some languages it may be possible to retain the force of the metaphor by saying, as in Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, “that has drunk the blood of the brother you killed.” If such expressions are not possible, it may be adequate to translate, for example, “It is the ground on which your brother’s blood has fallen” or “… which was wet with your brother’s blood.”
From your hand refers to the hand of Cain used to murder his brother and cause him to bleed. This expression is one in which a part of the body actually stands for the whole person, and it emphasizes Cain’s responsibility for his brother’s death: “You did it!” This is well translated by Good News Translation “… you killed him,” and New English Bible “… blood which you have shed.”
This verse may need to be restructured in some languages. The reason or basis for the curse on Cain is hidden away at the end in the expression your brother’s blood from your hand; but this may come more naturally at the beginning, or immediately following the opening curse formula. Examples from two translations are: “Because you killed your brother and his blood flowed down onto the ground, big trouble will take hold of you:…” and “This is the strong word I have for you: you killed your brother and made the ground drink his blood; so now I am putting a taboo on the ground against you….”
Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .