Passage

Genesis 4

Genesis 4 is the post-Eden chapter: the first family outside the garden, the first worship, the first murder, the first city, the first lineage of arts and metallurgy, and the first replacement-line that runs through Seth toward Noah. The chapter answers the question Genesis 3 raises (what does humanity look like after the fall) with a long, sober portrait of sin spreading from the heart of one brother into the structure of civilization, and grace continuing anyway through a chosen line.

Book: Genesis · NASB95

Key verses

Genesis 4:7, "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." The chapter's moral hinge and the OT's first explicit doctrine of sin as a personified, predatory power.
Genesis 4:8, "And Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him." The first murder.
Genesis 4:10, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground." Bloodshed as something the earth itself testifies to before God; cf. Hebrews 12.24.
Genesis 4:15, "Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him." The mark as protective grace, not as curse.
Genesis 4:17, "Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived." The verse that generates the perennial "where did Cain's wife come from?" objection.
Genesis 4:26, "Then men began to call upon the name of the LORD." The Sethite line as the carrier of formal worship; the godly remnant motif begins here.

Immediate context (4 PD translations)

ASV (ASV)

"1. And the man knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man with the help of Jehovah. 2. And again she bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto Jehovah. 4. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And Jehovah had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5. but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6. And Jehovah said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7. If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door; and unto thee shall be its desire; but do thou rule over it. 8. And Cain told Abel his brother. And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. 9. And Jehovah said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: am I my brother's keeper? 10. And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11. And now cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened its mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 12. when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee its strength; a fugitive and a wanderer shalt thou be in the earth. 13. And Cain said unto Jehovah, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the ground; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth; and it will come to pass, that whosoever findeth me will slay me. 15. And Jehovah said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And Jehovah appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him. 16. And Cain went out from the presence of Jehovah, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. 17. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. 18. And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael; and Mehujael begat Methushael; and Methushael begat Lamech. 19. And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20. And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents and have cattle. 21. And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and pipe. 22. And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, the forger of every cutting instrument of brass and iron: and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. 23. And Lamech said unto his wives: Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: For I have slain a man for wounding me, And a young man for bruising me: 24. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold. 25. And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For, said she, God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel; for Cain slew him. 26. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh. Then began men to call upon the name of Jehovah." (Genesis 4:1-26, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"1. The man knew Eve his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Cain, and said, “I have gotten a man with Yahweh’s help.” 2. Again she gave birth, to Cain’s brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3. As time passed, Cain brought an offering to Yahweh from the fruit of the ground. 4. Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and of its fat. Yahweh respected Abel and his offering, 5. but he didn’t respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell. 6. Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen? 7. If you do well, won’t it be lifted up? If you don’t do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it.” 8. Cain said to Abel, his brother, “Let’s go into the field.” While they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him. 9. Yahweh said to Cain, “Where is Abel, your brother?” He said, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10. Yahweh said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground. 11. Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12. From now on, when you till the ground, it won’t yield its strength to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth.” 13. Cain said to Yahweh, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14. Behold, you have driven me out today from the surface of the ground. I will be hidden from your face, and I will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth. Whoever finds me will kill me.” 15. Yahweh said to him, “Therefore whoever slays Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” Yahweh appointed a sign for Cain, so that anyone finding him would not strike him. 16. Cain left Yahweh’s presence, and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 17. Cain knew his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Enoch. He built a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. 18. To Enoch was born Irad. Irad became the father of Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of Methushael. Methushael became the father of Lamech. 19. Lamech took two wives: the name of the first one was Adah, and the name of the second one was Zillah. 20. Adah gave birth to Jabal, who was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21. His brother’s name was Jubal, who was the father of all who handle the harp and pipe. 22. Zillah also gave birth to Tubal Cain, the forger of every cutting instrument of brass and iron. Tubal Cain’s sister was Naamah. 23. Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice. You wives of Lamech, listen to my speech, for I have slain a man for wounding me, a young man for bruising me. 24. If Cain will be avenged seven times, truly Lamech seventy-seven times.” 25. Adam knew his wife again. She gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, saying, “for God has given me another child instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26. A son was also born to Seth, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on Yahweh’s name." (Genesis 4:1-26, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"1. And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. ^{Cain: that is, Gotten, or, Acquired} 2. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. ^{Abel: Heb. Hebel} ^{a keeper: Heb. a feeder} 3. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. ^{in process: Heb. at the end of days} 4. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: ^{flock: Heb. sheep, or, goats} 5. But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6. And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7. If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. ^{be accepted: or, have the excellency} ^{unto: or, subject unto thee} 8. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. 9. And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? 10. And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. ^{blood: Heb. bloods} 11. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 12. When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. 13. And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. ^{My: or, Mine iniquity is greater than that it may be forgiven} 14. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. 15. And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. 16. And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. 17. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. ^{Enoch: Heb. Chanoch} 18. And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech. ^{Lamech: Heb. Lemech} 19. And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20. And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. 21. And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. 22. And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. ^{instructer: Heb. whetter} 23. And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. ^{I have: or, I would slay a man in my wound, etc} ^{to my hurt: or, in my hurt} 24. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold. 25. And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. ^{Seth: Heb. Sheth: that is Appointed, or, Put} 26. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. ^{Enos: Heb. Enosh} ^{to call: or, to call themselves by the name of the Lord}" (Genesis 4:1-26, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"1. And the man knew Eve his wife, and she conceiveth and beareth Cain, and saith, 'I have gotten a man by Jehovah;' 2. and she addeth to bear his brother, even Abel. And Abel is feeding a flock, and Cain hath been servant of the ground. 3. And it cometh to pass at the end of days that Cain bringeth from the fruit of the ground a present to Jehovah; 4. and Abel, he hath brought, he also, from the female firstlings of his flock, even from their fat ones; and Jehovah looketh unto Abel and unto his present, 5. and unto Cain and unto his present He hath not looked; and it is very displeasing to Cain, and his countenance is fallen. 6. And Jehovah saith unto Cain, 'Why hast thou displeasure? and why hath thy countenance fallen? 7. Is there not, if thou dost well, acceptance? and if thou dost not well, at the opening a sin-offering is crouching, and unto thee its desire, and thou rulest over it.' 8. And Cain saith unto Abel his brother, ['Let us go into the field;'] and it cometh to pass in their being in the field, that Cain riseth up against Abel his brother, and slayeth him. 9. And Jehovah saith unto Cain, 'Where [is] Abel thy brother?' and he saith, 'I have not known; my brother's keeper, I?' 10. And He saith, 'What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood is crying unto Me from the ground; 11. and now, cursed [art] thou from the ground, which hath opened her mouth to receive the blood of thy brother from thy hand; 12. when thou tillest the ground, it doth not add to give its strength to thee, a wanderer, even a trembling one, thou art in the earth.' 13. And Cain saith unto Jehovah, 'Greater is my punishment than to be borne; 14. lo, Thou hast driven me to-day from off the face of the ground, and from Thy face I am hid; and I have been a wanderer, even a trembling one, in the earth, and it hath been, every one finding me doth slay me.' 15. And Jehovah saith to him, 'Therefore, of any slayer of Cain sevenfold it is required;' and Jehovah setteth to Cain a token that none finding him doth slay him. 16. And Cain goeth out from before Jehovah, and dwelleth in the land, moving about east of Eden; 17. and Cain knoweth his wife, and she conceiveth, and beareth Enoch; and he is building a city, and he calleth the name of the city, according to the name of his son, Enoch. 18. And born to Enoch is Irad; and Irad hath begotten Mehujael; and Mehujael hath begotten Methusael; and Methusael hath begotten Lamech. 19. And Lamech taketh to himself two wives, the name of the one Adah, and the name of the second Zillah. 20. And Adah beareth Jabal, he hath been father of those inhabiting tents and purchased possessions; 21. and the name of his brother [is] Jubal, he hath been father of every one handling harp and organ. 22. And Zillah she also bare Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron; and a sister of Tubal-Cain [is] Naamah. 23. And Lamech saith to his wives:, 'Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, give ear [to] my saying: For a man I have slain for my wound, Even a young man for my hurt; 24. For sevenfold is required for Cain, And for Lamech seventy and sevenfold.' 25. And Adam again knoweth his wife, and she beareth a son, and calleth his name Seth, 'for God hath appointed for me another seed instead of Abel:' for Cain had slain him. 26. And to Seth, to him also a son hath been born, and he calleth his name Enos; then a beginning was made of preaching in the name of Jehovah." (Genesis 4:1-26, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: the Genesis narrator (traditionally Moses, per Mosaic-authorship view); divine speech is attributed to the LORD (Yahweh) in dialogue with Cain.
Audience: Israel at Sinai (Mosaic-authorship setting) and the post-exilic redacted readership.
Location: "east of Eden," the land of Nod (v. 16), proto-Mesopotamian geography; the first named city is here.
Time period: narrative time, the first generation outside Eden; literary setting, the primeval-history block of Genesis 1-11.

Theological reading

The chapter has been read in three layered registers since the patristic era. First, as moral psychology: Cain's offering is rejected not because vegetable produce is intrinsically inferior to animal sacrifice but because (per Hebrews 11:4) Abel offered "by faith" and Cain did not. The chapter's hinge is v. 7, the LORD's pastoral diagnostic: anger and fallen countenance are not the disease but the symptom; the disease is sin already crouching, and the cure is to "master it." Cain refuses the diagnosis and chooses to master his brother instead.

Second, as the doctrine of sin's expansion. Genesis 3 introduces sin into the human heart; Genesis 4 shows it spilling outward: into worship (corrupted offering), into the family (fratricide), into speech ("am I my brother's keeper?"), into civilization (the Cainite line builds the first city and develops the first metallurgy and music). Lamech's brag in v. 23-24 then exhibits sin compounded: where God's protection of Cain was sevenfold, Lamech avenges himself seventy-sevenfold. The verbal echo is reversed in Matthew 18.21-22 where Jesus tells Peter to forgive not seven times but seventy-seven times, undoing the Lamech math.

Third, as the seed promise of Genesis 3.15 carried forward through the line of Seth. The chapter closes (v. 25-26) not with the murderous line but with the "appointed" replacement: "God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him." Seth's name (Shet, "appointed") signals continuity of the elect line; v. 26 ("then men began to call on the name of the LORD") locates the origin of formal worship outside the Cainite city, in the family of the appointed seed. The chapter ends with grace winning the longer game.

Apologetic angles

"Where did Cain's wife come from?" The standard skeptical question (see Cains Wife Objection Defeater). The text's own answer is sister-marriage from the descendants of Adam and Eve, who per Genesis 5.4 had "other sons and daughters." Sister-marriage was not yet under the Mosaic incest prohibition (Lev. 18, 20), which is dated to Sinai some 2,500 years later. The genetic-load problem (the secular reason cousin/sibling marriage is dangerous today) is a function of accumulated deleterious mutations; in the immediate post-creation population the load was minimal.
Where did the people Cain feared come from? Same answer: other descendants of Adam and Eve already alive by the time Cain was exiled. The genealogies of Genesis 4-5 are summary, not exhaustive.
The mark of Cain. Often misread as a curse; the text reads it as a protective sign ("so that no one finding him would slay him," v. 15). Speculative racialized readings of "the mark" as black skin are post-biblical, theologically illegitimate, and have been used historically to justify race-based slavery; the text supplies no such content.
Cain's offering of "the fruit of the ground." Rejection is not about vegetarianism but about heart-disposition (per Hebrews 11:4); the LORD does not require animal sacrifice in v. 3-5 (cf. the grain offering in Lev. 2 which is accepted), the issue is the offerer.

Key words

chatat, chatta't, "sin / sin-offering." In v. 7 the word can be read either way; YLT renders "a sin-offering is crouching," suggesting the cure (an available sacrifice) is at the door alongside the disease. Most modern translations read simply "sin is crouching."
H0120 - adam, adam, "man, human." The chapter uses both Adam (the named individual) and ha-adam (humanity generally) in tension.
H1818 - dam, dam, "blood." Abel's blood "cries" from the ground (v. 10); the OT begins its long theology of bloodshed and atonement here.
qayin, Qayin / Cain, by folk etymology "gotten / acquired" (cf. Eve's word-play in v. 1).

Theological themes

Sin as predatory power. v. 7's "crouching at the door" personifies sin as an animal threat that humans are called to master, not negotiate with.
Worship rejected vs accepted. The chapter is the OT's first contrast between true and false worship; the heart-orientation of the worshipper, not the substance of the offering alone, determines acceptance (cf. 1 Samuel 15.22).
Bloodshed and the ground. Abel's blood "cries out", the OT's first hint that human life is sacred in a way that creation registers (cf. Hebrews 12.24 where Christ's blood "speaks better than the blood of Abel").
Grace toward the murderer. The mark protects Cain rather than condemning him; divine justice in this chapter does not equal extermination of the offender. Pattern for the rest of Genesis.
The seed of the woman. The Sethite line preserves the messianic genealogy (Gen. 5) that runs through Noah, Abraham, David, to Christ.

Cross-references

Genesis 3, the fall, immediate antecedent; sin spreads from heart to action in Gen. 4.
Genesis 5.4, "and he had other sons and daughters," textual basis for Cain's wife and the larger early population.
Hebrews 11:4, "by faith Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain."
Hebrews 12.24, Christ's blood "speaks better than the blood of Abel," NT antitype of v. 10.
1 John 3:12, Cain "was of the evil one"; pastoral exhortation reading Gen. 4 as cautionary tale.
Jude 11, "the way of Cain"; OT pattern of false-worship plus jealousy.
Matthew 23.35, "from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah"; Abel as first martyr.
Matthew 18.21-22, Jesus's seventy-seven reverses Lamech's vengeance math.
Romans 5.12, sin and death entering through one man; Cain is the first downstream illustration.

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.