God Demands an Accounting for Every Drop of Blood

The Midrash of Philo 5:1

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·March 24, 2026

What is the meaning of the expression, "The blood of your souls will I require from every beast, and from the hand of man's brother will I require the life of man?" (Genesis 9:5).

Themes

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The Midrash of PhiloAbel at the Dawn of CreationThe Midrash of Philo grapples with this very point. It’s not about God needing information. It’s about something far deeper: confronting Cain with the enormity The Midrash of PhiloPhilo on Why Cain Was Cursed to Groan and TrembleHe's just murdered his brother Abel, and God confronts him. The earth itself is now cursed because of the spilled blood. And Cain? He gets the specific curse of The Midrash of PhiloMethuselah — Enoch at the Dawn of CreationDoors that can swing wide open into the most incredible stories. Take Enoch, for example. (Genesis 5:22) tells us, "Enoch pleased God after he begat Methuselah,The Midrash of PhiloCovenant of NoahThe Midrash of Philo turns to Covenant of Noah. What does that even mean? A treaty? It sounds like something you sign between nations, not something between God The Midrash of PhiloWhat It Destroyed Every Living Substance Really MeansThe Midrash of Philo turns to What It Destroyed Every Living Substance Really Means. It seems straightforward At first. The Flood wiped out everything. End of s The Midrash of PhiloWhy the Ark Settled on the Seventeenth DayTake Noah's Ark, for example. The familiar story is this: the flood, the animals, the dove with the olive branch. But then you get to (Genesis 8:4), and it hits