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Genesis 4
- Purpose
- To trace the establishment of God’s plan to overcome sin through his chosen people, Israel
- Author
- Moses, according to tradition
- Date
- Records primeval events and events from the patriarchal period (ca. 2100–1700 BC)
- Setting
- A variety of places in the Middle East, focusing heavily on the patriarchs during their time in Canaan and Egypt
Genesis has 34,844 words: about 2 hours 26 minutes to read, or 3 hours 18 minutes to listen to. Read it from the start or listen from the start.
Outline: the section headings
- Opening…
Headings from the Berean Standard Bible.
The full introduction to Genesis opens beside chapter 1, in the Tyndale commentary.
From the Tyndale Open Study Notes, Tyndale House Publishers, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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1And
2And she
3And in
4And
5But unto
6And the
7
8And
9And the
10And he
11And now art thou
12
13And
14Behold, thou hast driven me
15And the
16And
17And
18And unto
19And
20And
21And his
22And
23And
24
25And
26And to
Footnotes
- a 4:1 Cain: that is, Gotten, or, Acquired
- b 4:2 Abel: Heb. Hebel
- c 4:2 a keeper: Heb. a feeder
- d 4:3 in process…: Heb. at the end of days
- e 4:4 flock: Heb. sheep, or, goats
- f 4:7 be accepted: or, have the excellency
- g 4:7 unto…: or, subject unto thee
- h 4:10 blood: Heb. bloods
- i 4:13 My…: or, Mine iniquity is greater than that it may be forgiven
- j 4:17 Enoch: Heb. Chanoch
- k 4:18 Lamech: Heb. Lemech
- l 4:22 instructer: Heb. whetter
- m 4:23 I have…: or, I would slay a man in my wound, etc.
- n 4:23 to my hurt: or, in my hurt
- o 4:25 Seth: Heb. Sheth: that is Appointed, or, Put
- p 4:26 Enos: Heb. Enosh
- q 4:26 to call…: or, to call themselves by the name of the Lord
Cain and Abel
1And Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain.footnote a
“With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man,” she said.
2Later she gave birth to Cain’s brother Abel.
Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, while Cain was a tiller of the soil. 3So in the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruit of the soil as an offering to the LORD, 4while Abel brought the best portions of the firstborn of his flock.
And the LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5but He had no regard for Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell.
6“Why are you angry,” said the LORD to Cain, “and why has your countenance fallen? 7If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you,footnote b but you must master it.”
8Then Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.”footnote c And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
9And the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I do not know!” he answered. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10“What have you done?” replied the LORD. “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12When you till the ground, it will no longer yield its produce to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”
13But Cain said to the LORD, “My punishmentfootnote d is greater than I can bear. 14Behold, this day You have driven me from the face of the earth, and from Your face I will be hidden; I will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
15“Not so!”footnote e replied the LORD. “If anyone slays Cain, then Cain will be avenged sevenfold.” And the LORD placed a mark on Cain, so that no one who found him would kill him.
16So Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod,footnote f east of Eden.
The Descendants of Cain
17And Cain had relations with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain built a city and named it after his son Enoch.
18Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methusael, and Methusael was the father of Lamech. 19And Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah.
20Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and raise livestock. 21And his brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and flute.
22And Zillah gave birth to Tubal-cain, a forger of every implement of bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
23Then Lamech said to his wives:“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;wives of Lamech, listen to my speech.For I have slain a man for wounding me,a young man for striking me. 24If Cain is avenged sevenfold,then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”footnote g
Seth and Enosh
25And Adam again had relations with his wife, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth,footnote h saying, “God has granted me another seed in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”
26And to Seth also a son was born, and he called him Enosh.
At that time men began to call uponfootnote i the name of the LORD.
Footnotes
- a 4:1 Cain sounds like the Hebrew for acquired or brought forth.
- b 4:7 Or it desires to control you
- c 4:8 SP, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew Then Cain spoke to his brother Abel.
- d 4:13 Or guilt or sin
- e 4:15 LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac; Hebrew “Very well!” or “Therefore:”
- f 4:16 Nod means wandering.
- g 4:24 Hebrew; LXX can be translated as either seventy times seven or seventy-sevenfold; see also Matthew 18:22.
- h 4:25 Seth probably means granted or appointed.
- i 4:26 Or to proclaim; some translators to invoke or to call themselves by or to profane
Opening the translation…
Genesis 4 0:00
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