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Genesis 4:1-26

Context
The Story of Cain and Abel

4:1 Now 1  the man had marital relations with 2  his wife Eve, and she became pregnant 3  and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, “I have created 4  a man just as the Lord did!” 5  4:2 Then she gave birth 6  to his brother Abel. 7  Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground. 8 

4:3 At the designated time 9  Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for an offering 10  to the Lord. 4:4 But Abel brought 11  some of the firstborn of his flock – even the fattest 12  of them. And the Lord was pleased with 13  Abel and his offering, 4:5 but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased. 14  So Cain became very angry, 15  and his expression was downcast. 16 

4:6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why is your expression downcast? 4:7 Is it not true 17  that if you do what is right, you will be fine? 18  But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching 19  at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it.” 20 

4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” 21  While they were in the field, Cain attacked 22  his brother 23  Abel and killed him.

4:9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” 24  And he replied, “I don’t know! Am I my brother’s guardian?” 25  4:10 But the Lord said, “What have you done? 26  The voice 27  of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! 4:11 So now, you are banished 28  from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 4:12 When you try to cultivate 29  the

ground it will no longer yield 30  its best 31  for you. You will be a homeless wanderer 32  on the earth.” 4:13 Then Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment 33  is too great to endure! 34  4:14 Look! You are driving me off the land 35  today, and I must hide from your presence. 36  I will be a homeless wanderer on the earth; whoever finds me will kill me.” 4:15 But the Lord said to him, “All right then, 37  if anyone kills Cain, Cain will be avenged seven times as much.” 38  Then the Lord put a special mark 39  on Cain so that no one who found him would strike him down. 40  4:16 So Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and lived in the land of Nod, 41  east of Eden.

The Beginning of Civilization

4:17 Cain had marital relations 42  with his wife, and she became pregnant 43  and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was building a city, and he named the city after 44  his son Enoch. 4:18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father 45  of Mehujael. Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.

4:19 Lamech took two wives for himself; the name of the first was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. 4:20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the first 46  of those who live in tents and keep 47  livestock. 4:21 The name of his brother was Jubal; he was the first of all who play the harp and the flute. 4:22 Now Zillah also gave birth to Tubal-Cain, who heated metal and shaped 48  all kinds of tools made of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.

4:23 Lamech said to his wives,

“Adah and Zillah! Listen to me!

You wives of Lamech, hear my words!

I have killed a man for wounding me,

a young man 49  for hurting me.

4:24 If Cain is to be avenged seven times as much,

then Lamech seventy-seven times!” 50 

4:25 And Adam had marital relations 51  with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Seth, saying, “God has given 52  me another child 53  in place of Abel because Cain killed him.” 4:26 And a son was also born to Seth, whom he named Enosh. At that time people 54  began to worship 55  the Lord.

Genesis 23:1-2

Context
The Death of Sarah

23:1 Sarah lived 127 years. 56  23:2 Then she 57  died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 58 

Genesis 7:13

Context

7:13 On that very day Noah entered the ark, accompanied by his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, along with his wife and his sons’ three wives. 59 

Genesis 7:1

Context

7:1 The Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, for I consider you godly among this generation. 60 

Genesis 8:1

Context

8:1 But God remembered 61  Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over 62  the earth and the waters receded.

Genesis 8:1

Context

8:1 But God remembered 63  Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over 64  the earth and the waters receded.

Genesis 9:3

Context
9:3 You may eat any moving thing that lives. 65  As I gave you 66  the green plants, I now give 67  you everything.

Genesis 9:7

Context

9:7 But as for you, 68  be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it.”

Genesis 9:2

Context
9:2 Every living creature of the earth and every bird of the sky will be terrified of you. 69  Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority. 70 

Genesis 7:12

Context
7:12 And the rain fell 71  on the earth forty days and forty nights.

Genesis 7:16

Context
7:16 Those that entered were male and female, 72  just as God commanded him. Then the Lord shut him in.

Genesis 7:20

Context
7:20 The waters rose more than twenty feet 73  above the mountains. 74 

Nehemiah 1:9

Context
1:9 But if you repent 75  and obey 76  my commandments and do them, then even if your dispersed people are in the most remote location, 77  I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen for my name to reside.’

Psalms 74:2

Context

74:2 Remember your people 78  whom you acquired in ancient times,

whom you rescued 79  so they could be your very own nation, 80 

as well as Mount Zion, where you dwell!

Psalms 78:68-69

Context

78:68 He chose the tribe of Judah,

and Mount Zion, which he loves.

78:69 He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens above; 81 

as secure as the earth, which he established permanently. 82 

Psalms 132:13-14

Context

132:13 Certainly 83  the Lord has chosen Zion;

he decided to make it his home. 84 

132:14 He said, 85  “This will be my resting place forever;

I will live here, for I have chosen it. 86 

Jeremiah 32:34

Context
32:34 They set up their disgusting idols in the temple which I have claimed for my own 87  and defiled it.
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[4:1]  1 tn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new episode in the ongoing narrative.

[4:1]  2 tn Heb “the man knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.

[4:1]  3 tn Or “she conceived.”

[4:1]  4 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.

[4:1]  5 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”).

[4:2]  6 tn Heb “And she again gave birth.”

[4:2]  7 sn The name Abel is not defined here in the text, but the tone is ominous. Abel’s name, the Hebrew word הֶבֶל (hevel), means “breath, vapor, vanity,” foreshadowing Abel’s untimely and premature death.

[4:2]  8 tn Heb “and Abel was a shepherd of the flock, and Cain was a worker of the ground.” The designations of the two occupations are expressed with active participles, רֹעֵה (roeh, “shepherd”) and עֹבֵד (’oved, “worker”). Abel is occupied with sheep, whereas Cain is living under the curse, cultivating the ground.

[4:3]  9 tn Heb “And it happened at the end of days.” The clause indicates the passing of a set period of time leading up to offering sacrifices.

[4:3]  10 tn The Hebrew term מִנְחָה (minkhah, “offering”) is a general word for tribute, a gift, or an offering. It is the main word used in Lev 2 for the dedication offering. This type of offering could be comprised of vegetables. The content of the offering (vegetables, as opposed to animals) was not the critical issue, but rather the attitude of the offerer.

[4:4]  11 tn Heb “But Abel brought, also he….” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) stresses the contrast between Cain’s offering and Abel’s.

[4:4]  12 tn Two prepositional phrases are used to qualify the kind of sacrifice that Abel brought: “from the firstborn” and “from the fattest of them.” These also could be interpreted as a hendiadys: “from the fattest of the firstborn of the flock.” Another option is to understand the second prepositional phrase as referring to the fat portions of the sacrificial sheep. In this case one may translate, “some of the firstborn of his flock, even some of their fat portions” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).

[4:4]  13 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁעָה (shaah) simply means “to gaze at, to have regard for, to look on with favor [or “with devotion”].” The text does not indicate how this was communicated, but it indicates that Cain and Abel knew immediately. Either there was some manifestation of divine pleasure given to Abel and withheld from Cain (fire consuming the sacrifice?), or there was an inner awareness of divine response.

[4:5]  14 sn The Letter to the Hebrews explains the difference between the brothers as one of faith – Abel by faith offered a better sacrifice. Cain’s offering as well as his reaction to God’s displeasure did not reflect faith. See further B. K. Waltke, “Cain and His Offering,” WTJ 48 (1986): 363-72.

[4:5]  15 tn Heb “and it was hot to Cain.” This Hebrew idiom means that Cain “burned” with anger.

[4:5]  16 tn Heb “And his face fell.” The idiom means that the inner anger is reflected in Cain’s facial expression. The fallen or downcast face expresses anger, dejection, or depression. Conversely, in Num 6 the high priestly blessing speaks of the Lord lifting up his face and giving peace.

[4:7]  17 tn The introduction of the conditional clause with an interrogative particle prods the answer from Cain, as if he should have known this. It is not a condemnation, but an encouragement to do what is right.

[4:7]  18 tn The Hebrew text is difficult, because only one word occurs, שְׂאֵת (sÿet), which appears to be the infinitive construct from the verb “to lift up” (נָאָשׂ, naas). The sentence reads: “If you do well, uplifting.” On the surface it seems to be the opposite of the fallen face. Everything will be changed if he does well. God will show him favor, he will not be angry, and his face will reflect that. But more may be intended since the second half of the verse forms the contrast: “If you do not do well, sin is crouching….” Not doing well leads to sinful attack; doing well leads to victory and God’s blessing.

[4:7]  19 tn The Hebrew term translated “crouching” (רֹבֵץ, rovets) is an active participle. Sin is portrayed with animal imagery here as a beast crouching and ready to pounce (a figure of speech known as zoomorphism). An Akkadian cognate refers to a type of demon; in this case perhaps one could translate, “Sin is the demon at the door” (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 29, 32-33).

[4:7]  20 tn Heb “and toward you [is] its desire, but you must rule over it.” As in Gen 3:16, the Hebrew noun “desire” refers to an urge to control or dominate. Here the desire is that which sin has for Cain, a desire to control for the sake of evil, but Cain must have mastery over it. The imperfect is understood as having an obligatory sense. Another option is to understand it as expressing potential (“you can have [or “are capable of having”] mastery over it.”). It will be a struggle, but sin can be defeated by righteousness. In addition to this connection to Gen 3, other linguistic and thematic links between chaps. 3 and 4 are discussed by A. J. Hauser, “Linguistic and Thematic Links Between Genesis 4:1-6 and Genesis 2–3,” JETS 23 (1980): 297-306.

[4:8]  21 tc The MT has simply “and Cain said to Abel his brother,” omitting Cain’s words to Abel. It is possible that the elliptical text is original. Perhaps the author uses the technique of aposiopesis, “a sudden silence” to create tension. In the midst of the story the narrator suddenly rushes ahead to what happened in the field. It is more likely that the ancient versions (Samaritan Pentateuch, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac), which include Cain’s words, “Let’s go out to the field,” preserve the original reading here. After writing אָחִיו (’akhiyv, “his brother”), a scribe’s eye may have jumped to the end of the form בַּשָּׂדֶה (basadeh, “to the field”) and accidentally omitted the quotation. This would be an error of virtual homoioteleuton. In older phases of the Hebrew script the sequence יו (yod-vav) on אָחִיו is graphically similar to the final ה (he) on בַּשָּׂדֶה.

[4:8]  22 tn Heb “arose against” (in a hostile sense).

[4:8]  23 sn The word “brother” appears six times in vv. 8-11, stressing the shocking nature of Cain’s fratricide (see 1 John 3:12).

[4:9]  24 sn Where is Abel your brother? Again the Lord confronts a guilty sinner with a rhetorical question (see Gen 3:9-13), asking for an explanation of what has happened.

[4:9]  25 tn Heb “The one guarding my brother [am] I?”

[4:10]  26 sn What have you done? Again the Lord’s question is rhetorical (see Gen 3:13), condemning Cain for his sin.

[4:10]  27 tn The word “voice” is a personification; the evidence of Abel’s shed blood condemns Cain, just as a human eyewitness would testify in court. For helpful insights, see G. von Rad, Biblical Interpretations in Preaching; and L. Morris, “The Biblical Use of the Term ‘Blood,’” JTS 6 (1955/56): 77-82.

[4:11]  28 tn Heb “cursed are you from the ground.” As in Gen 3:14, the word “cursed,” a passive participle from אָרָר (’arar), either means “punished” or “banished,” depending on how one interprets the following preposition. If the preposition is taken as indicating source, then the idea is “cursed (i.e., punished) are you from [i.e., “through the agency of”] the ground” (see v. 12a). If the preposition is taken as separative, then the idea is “cursed and banished from the ground.” In this case the ground rejects Cain’s efforts in such a way that he is banished from the ground and forced to become a fugitive out in the earth (see vv. 12b, 14).

[4:12]  29 tn Heb “work.”

[4:12]  30 tn Heb “it will not again (תֹסֵף, tosef) give (תֵּת, tet),” meaning the ground will no longer yield. In translation the infinitive becomes the main verb, and the imperfect verb form becomes adverbial.

[4:12]  31 tn Heb “its strength.”

[4:12]  32 tn Two similar sounding synonyms are used here: נָע וָנָד (navanad, “a wanderer and a fugitive”). This juxtaposition of synonyms emphasizes the single idea. In translation one can serve as the main description, the other as a modifier. Other translation options include “a wandering fugitive” and a “ceaseless wanderer” (cf. NIV).

[4:13]  33 tn The primary meaning of the Hebrew word עָוֹן (’avon) is “sin, iniquity.” But by metonymy it can refer to the “guilt” of sin, or to “punishment” for sin. The third meaning applies here. Just before this the Lord announces the punishment for Cain’s actions, and right after this statement Cain complains of the severity of the punishment. Cain is not portrayed as repenting of his sin.

[4:13]  34 tn Heb “great is my punishment from bearing.” The preposition מִן (min, “from”) is used here in a comparative sense.

[4:14]  35 tn Heb “from upon the surface of the ground.”

[4:14]  36 sn I must hide from your presence. The motif of hiding from the Lord as a result of sin also appears in Gen 3:8-10.

[4:15]  37 tn The Hebrew term לָכֵן (lakhen, “therefore”) in this context carries the sense of “Okay,” or “in that case then I will do this.”

[4:15]  38 sn The symbolic number seven is used here to emphasize that the offender will receive severe punishment. For other rhetorical and hyperbolic uses of the expression “seven times over,” see Pss 12:6; 79:12; Prov 6:31; Isa 30:26.

[4:15]  39 tn Heb “sign”; “reminder.” The term “sign” is not used in the translation because it might imply to an English reader that God hung a sign on Cain. The text does not identify what the “sign” was. It must have been some outward, visual reminder of Cain’s special protected status.

[4:15]  40 sn God becomes Cain’s protector. Here is common grace – Cain and his community will live on under God’s care, but without salvation.

[4:16]  41 sn The name Nod means “wandering” in Hebrew (see vv. 12, 14).

[4:17]  42 tn Heb “knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.

[4:17]  43 tn Or “she conceived.”

[4:17]  44 tn Heb “according to the name of.”

[4:18]  45 tn Heb “and Irad fathered.”

[4:20]  46 tn Heb “father.” In this passage the word “father” means “founder,” referring to the first to establish such lifestyles and occupations.

[4:20]  47 tn The word “keep” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation. Other words that might be supplied instead are “tend,” “raise” (NIV), or “have” (NRSV).

[4:22]  48 tn The traditional rendering here, “who forged” (or “a forger of”) is now more commonly associated with counterfeit or fraud (e.g., “forged copies” or “forged checks”) than with the forging of metal. The phrase “heated metal and shaped [it]” has been used in the translation instead.

[4:23]  49 tn The Hebrew term יֶלֶד (yeled) probably refers to a youthful warrior here, not a child.

[4:24]  50 sn Seventy-seven times. Lamech seems to reason this way: If Cain, a murderer, is to be avenged seven times (see v. 15), then how much more one who has been unjustly wronged! Lamech misses the point of God’s merciful treatment of Cain. God was not establishing a principle of justice when he warned he would avenge Cain’s murder. In fact he was trying to limit the shedding of blood, something Lamech wants to multiply instead. The use of “seventy-seven,” a multiple of seven, is hyperbolic, emphasizing the extreme severity of the vengeance envisioned by Lamech.

[4:25]  51 tn Heb “knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.

[4:25]  52 sn The name Seth probably means something like “placed”; “appointed”; “set”; “granted,” assuming it is actually related to the verb that is used in the sentiment. At any rate, the name שֵׁת (shet) and the verb שָׁת (shat, “to place, to appoint, to set, to grant”) form a wordplay (paronomasia).

[4:25]  53 tn Heb “offspring.”

[4:26]  54 tn The word “people” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation. The construction uses a passive verb without an expressed subject. “To call was begun” can be interpreted to mean that people began to call.

[4:26]  55 tn Heb “call in the name.” The expression refers to worshiping the Lord through prayer and sacrifice (see Gen 12:8; 13:4; 21:33; 26:25). See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:116.

[23:1]  56 tn Heb “And the years of Sarah were one hundred years and twenty years and seven years, the years of the life of Sarah.”

[23:2]  57 tn Heb “Sarah.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“she”) for stylistic reasons.

[23:2]  58 sn Mourn…weep. The description here is of standard mourning rites (see K. A. Kitchen, NBD3 149-50). They would have been carried out in the presence of the corpse, probably in Sarah’s tent. So Abraham came in to mourn; then he rose up to go and bury his dead (v. 3).

[7:13]  59 tn Heb “On that very day Noah entered, and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and the wife of Noah, and the three wives of his sons with him into the ark.”

[7:1]  60 tn Heb “for you I see [as] godly before me in this generation.” The direct object (“you”) is placed first in the clause to give it prominence. The verb “to see” here signifies God’s evaluative discernment.

[8:1]  61 tn The Hebrew word translated “remembered” often carries the sense of acting in accordance with what is remembered, i.e., fulfilling covenant promises (see B. S. Childs, Memory and Tradition in Israel [SBT], especially p. 34).

[8:1]  62 tn Heb “to pass over.”

[8:1]  63 tn The Hebrew word translated “remembered” often carries the sense of acting in accordance with what is remembered, i.e., fulfilling covenant promises (see B. S. Childs, Memory and Tradition in Israel [SBT], especially p. 34).

[8:1]  64 tn Heb “to pass over.”

[9:3]  65 tn Heb “every moving thing that lives for you will be for food.”

[9:3]  66 tn The words “I gave you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[9:3]  67 tn The perfect verb form describes the action that accompanies the declaration.

[9:7]  68 sn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + pronominal subject + verb) here indicates a strong contrast to what has preceded. Against the backdrop of the warnings about taking life, God now instructs the people to produce life, using terms reminiscent of the mandate given to Adam (Gen 1:28).

[9:2]  69 tn Heb “and fear of you and dread of you will be upon every living creature of the earth and upon every bird of the sky.” The suffixes on the nouns “fear” and “dread” are objective genitives. The animals will fear humans from this time forward.

[9:2]  70 tn Heb “into your hand are given.” The “hand” signifies power. To say the animals have been given into the hands of humans means humans have been given authority over them.

[7:12]  71 tn Heb “was.”

[7:16]  72 tn Heb “Those that went in, male and female from all flesh they went in.”

[7:20]  73 tn Heb “rose fifteen cubits.” Since a cubit is considered by most authorities to be about eighteen inches, this would make the depth 22.5 feet. This figure might give the modern reader a false impression of exactness, however, so in the translation the phrase “fifteen cubits” has been rendered “more than twenty feet.”

[7:20]  74 tn Heb “the waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward and they covered the mountains.” Obviously, a flood of twenty feet did not cover the mountains; the statement must mean the flood rose about twenty feet above the highest mountain.

[1:9]  75 tn Heb “turn to me.”

[1:9]  76 tn Heb “keep.” See the note on the word “obey” in Neh 1:5.

[1:9]  77 tn Heb “at the end of the heavens.”

[74:2]  78 tn Heb “your assembly,” which pictures God’s people as an assembled community.

[74:2]  79 tn Heb “redeemed.” The verb “redeem” casts God in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Ps 19:14).

[74:2]  80 tn Heb “the tribe of your inheritance” (see Jer 10:16; 51:19).

[78:69]  81 tc Heb “and he built like the exalting [ones] his sanctuary.” The phrase כְּמוֹ־רָמִים (kÿmo-ramim, “like the exalting [ones]”) is a poetic form of the comparative preposition followed by a participial form of the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”). The text should be emended to כִּמְרֹמִים (kimromim, “like the [heavenly] heights”). See Ps 148:1, where “heights” refers to the heavens above.

[78:69]  82 tn Heb “like the earth, [which] he established permanently.” The feminine singular suffix on the Hebrew verb יָסַד (yasad, “to establish”) refers to the grammatically feminine noun “earth.”

[132:13]  83 tn Or “for.”

[132:13]  84 tn Heb “he desired it for his dwelling place.”

[132:14]  85 tn The words “he said” are added in the translation to clarify that what follows are the Lord’s words.

[132:14]  86 tn Heb “for I desired it.”

[32:34]  87 tn Heb “the house which is called by my name.” Cf. 7:10, 11, 14 and see the translator’s note on 7:10 for the explanation for this rendering.



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