Genesis 4:17

The Beginning of Civilization

4:17 Cain had marital relations ¹  with his wife, and she became pregnant ²  and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was building a city, and he named the city after ³  his son Enoch.

Genesis 4:1

The Story of Cain and Abel

4:1 Now ⁴  the man had marital relations with ⁵  his wife Eve, and she became pregnant ⁶  and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, “I have created ⁷  a man just as the Lord did!” ⁸ 

Genesis 1:3

1:3 God said, ⁹  “Let there be ¹⁰  light.” ¹¹  And there was light!

¹ tn Heb “knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.

² tn Or “she conceived.”

³ tn Heb “according to the name of.”

⁴ tn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new episode in the ongoing narrative.

⁵ tn Heb “the man knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.

⁶ tn Or “she conceived.”

⁷ tn Here is another sound play (paronomasia) on a name. The sound of the verb קָנִיתִי (qaniti, “I have created”) reflects the sound of the name Cain in Hebrew (קַיִן, qayin) and gives meaning to it. The saying uses the Qal perfect of קָנָה (qanah). There are two homonymic verbs with this spelling, one meaning “obtain, acquire” and the other meaning “create” (see Gen 14:19, 22; Deut 32:6; Ps 139:13; Prov 8:22). The latter fits this context very well. Eve has created a man.

⁸ tn Heb “with the Lord.” The particle אֶת־ (’et) is not the accusative/object sign, but the preposition “with” as the ancient versions attest. Some take the preposition in the sense of “with the help of” (see BDB 85 s.v. אֵת; cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV), while others prefer “along with” in the sense of “like, equally with, in common with” (see Lev 26:39; Isa 45:9; Jer 23:28). Either works well in this context; the latter is reflected in the present translation. Some understand אֶת־ as the accusative/object sign and translate, “I have acquired a man – the Lord.” They suggest that the woman thought (mistakenly) that she had given birth to the incarnate Lord, the Messiah who would bruise the Serpent’s head. This fanciful suggestion is based on a questionable allegorical interpretation of Gen 3:15 (see the note there on the word “heel”).

⁹ tn The prefixed verb form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the narrative sequence. Ten times in the chapter the decree of God in creation will be so expressed. For the power of the divine word in creation, see Ps 33:9, John 1:1-3, 1 Cor 8:6, and Col 1:16.

¹⁰ tn “Let there be” is the short jussive form of the verb “to be”; the following expression “and there was” is the short preterite form of the same verb. As such, יְהִי (yÿhi) and וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) form a profound wordplay to express both the calling into existence and the complete fulfillment of the divine word.

¹¹ sn Light. The Hebrew word simply means “light,” but it is used often in scripture to convey the ideas of salvation, joy, knowledge, righteousness, and life. In this context one cannot ignore those connotations, for it is the antithesis of the darkness. The first thing God does is correct the darkness; without the light there is only chaos.