This should be the most extensive examination of Gen. 4 available, where you will be able to see every word of the original text.

Outline of Chapter 4:

Introduction

         vv.     1–2           The Births of Cain and Abel

         vv.     3–7           The Offerings of Cain and Abel

         vv.     8–9           Cain Kills Abel

         vv.    10–12         God Judges Cain

         vv.    13–14         Cain Complains About His Sentence

         vv.    15–16         God’s Protection/Cain’s Isolation

         vv.    17–24         The Line of Cain

         vv.    25–26         The Birth of Seth

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         v.       3              The Concept of Religion Comes from Cain

         v.       5              Cain is not the Subject of Genesis 4:5b

         v.       5              Joe Griffin’s Doctrine of Anthropopathisms

         v.       5              Genesis 4:4–5

         v.       5              How to Distinguish Between Christianity and Christian Cults

         v.       7              Jesus Christ is the Only Way to God

         v.       7              The Structure of Gen. 4:6–7

         v.       7              An Alternate Translation and Understanding of Genesis 4:7

         v.       8              Ancient Translations of the Bible

         v.       8              Abel was a type of Christ

         v.      15              Cainian Parallels

         v.      17              What is the Cainian Population in 100 Years?

         v.      22              Why I Believe that Man Had Tools Early On

         v.      25              What Eve’s Words Tell Us

         v.      26              The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time

         Addendum          Edersheim Summarizes Genesis 4

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Genesis 4

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An Introduction to Genesis 4

I ntroduction: Genesis chapter 4 tells us the familiar story of Cain and Abel. We learn some things about sin that we did not realize in this chapter and about God's judgement of sin. We also see the first animal rights activist and the first religion of man.

Gen. 4 deals with the 3 male children of Adam and Eve: Cain, Abel and Seth. Cain becomes a farmer, like his father Adam; and Abel domesticates animals. They both bring sacrifices to God. Now, God’s instructions have been that these sacrifices be an animal without spot or blemish which are then slaughtered before God. Although the Bible nowhere states this explicitly, it is implied in this chapter.

Cain, at some point in time, chooses to bring his finest vegetables to God. They were produced by the earth, they required a great deal of work, and they look lovely. Abel brings an animal to be slaughtered. God has respect for Abel’s offering, because it represents the work of Jesus Christ on the cross; God ignores Cain’s offering, because it represents the work of man’s hands (in other words, religion).

Cain will rise up against his brother and kill him. So we have man’s first act of religion being closely associated with both jealousy and man’s first act of murder.

From here, we follow Cain’s line and then we return to Adam and the woman, and their third son, Seth.

Adam and the woman fell into sin by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This was the only way in which they could sin against God and both of them chose to commit this sin.

God judged the serpent, Adam and the woman—which involved a promise concerning the Seed of the Woman—and then banished Adam and the woman from the garden.

As usual, there are a great many details left out, with a great deal of subtlety. The Garden of Eden was a fully grown forest which perhaps covered hundreds of square miles; outside of the Garden of Eden, the land was somewhat barren. Therefore, in order for God to hide the Garden from Adam and the woman, there had to be some sort of mystical quality in its being hid. However, other than this being hinted at, we know little else.

We still do not know if Adam had tools or what sort of tools he had or whether God gave them to Adam or whether he made the tools himself (although I will discuss this later in more detail). Along the same lines, Adam and the woman are now outside of the garden, and God told Adam that he would be able to eat only by the sweat of his brow, so we know that Adam is now a farmer for his subsistence. However, we are given no information about this, apart from God’s judgment of Adam.

There are two places in Gen. 4 where the Hebrew has been ignored and a general interpretation has been given to the passage and accepted by many throughout human history. Cain will bring the wrong sacrifice, and God will not give him any respect for this sacrifice. Mostly translations suggest that God asks Cain, “What are you angry?” But the verse does not say this. Secondly, in the same passage, we have sin crouching at Cain’s door and it appears as though God is saying, “You need to have dominion over it [that is, over sin].” But it does not say that either. These problems will be sorted when we come to them.

Also, there are several problems with the Masoretic text (the Hebrew) of Gen. 4. The alternate readings and the reason we might accept some of those readings is also discussed.

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The Births of Cain and Abel

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

The Targum of Onkelos is actually the Pentateuchal Targumim, which are The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel. On the Pentateuch With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. Take from http://targum.info/targumic-texts/pentateuchal-targumim/ and first published in 1862.

Targum of Onkelos                And Adam knew Hava his wife, who had desired the Angel; and she conceived, and bare Kain; and she said, I have acquired a man, the Angel of the Lord.

Latin Vulgate                          And Adam knew Eve his wife; who conceived and brought forth Cain, saying: I have gotten a man through God.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And the man knew Eve, his wife and so she conceives and so she gives birth to Cain. And so she says, “I have acquired a man with Y^ehowah.”

Peshitta (Syriac)                    AND Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bore Cain, and said, I have gotten a man for the LORD.

Septuagint (Greek)                And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and brought forth Cain and said, I have gained a man through God.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           Cain and Abel

The man Adam knew his wife Eve intimately. She became pregnant and gave birth to Cain, and said, "I have given life to[a] a man with the Lord's help."

Contemporary English V.       Adam and Eve had a son. Then Eve said, "I'll name him Cain because I got him with the help of the LORD."

asy-to-Read Version              Adam and his wife Eve had sexual relations and Eve gave birth to a baby. The baby was named Cain [Cain This is like the Hebrew word meaning "make" or "get."]. Eve said, “With the Lord’s help, I have made a man!”

Good News Bible (TEV)         Then Adam had intercourse with his wife, and she became pregnant. She bore a son and said, "By the LORD's help I have gotten a son." So she named him Cain.

The Message                         Adam slept with Eve his wife. She conceived and had Cain. She said, "I've gotten a man, with GOD's help!"

New Life Bible                        Cain Kills Abel

The man lay with his wife Eve and she was going to have a child and she gave birth to Cain. She said, "I have given birth to a man with the help of the Lord."

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Adam had [sexual relations] with Eue, his woman, so she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. And she said, 'I have gained a man through God.'

Ancient Roots Translinear      Adam knew Eve his woman. She conceived and begot Cain and said, "Yahweh constructed a man for me!"

Beck’s American Translation Cain and Abel

The man had sex relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and had a child by the name of Cain; and she said, “I have gotten a man, the LORD.”

God’s Word™                         Adam made love to his wife Eve. She became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "I have gotten the man that the LORD promised."

New American Bible              The man had intercourse with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, saying, "I have produced a male child with the help of the LORD." The Hebrew name qayin ("Cain") and the term qaniti ("I have produced") present a wordplay that refers to metalworking; such wordplays are frequent in Genesis.

NIRV                                      Cain and Abel

Adam made love to his wife Eve. She became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the Lord's help I have had a baby boy."

New Jerusalem Bible             The man had intercourse with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. 'I have acquired a man with the help of Yahweh,' she said.

New Simplified Bible              Adam had sexual intercourse with his wife Eve. She became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said: »With the help of Jehovah I have brought forth a man.«

Revised English Bible            The man lay with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, ‘With the help of the Lord I have brought into being a male child.’

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             And the man had connection with Eve his wife, and she became with child and gave birth to Cain, and said, I have got a man from the Lord.

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 The First Man-Child—Births of Cain and Abel

The man afterwards knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and said, “I have been given a man from the Ever-living.”

HCSB                                     Adam knew his wife Eve intimately, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, "I have had a male child with the LORD's help."

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               Now the man knew [Heb. yadaʿ, often in a sexual sense] his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gained [Heb. qanithi, connected with “Cain.”] a male child with the help of the Lord.”

NET Bible®                             The Story of Cain and Abel

Now [The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new episode in the ongoing narrative.] the man had marital relations with [Heb "the man knew," a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.] his wife Eve, and she became pregnant [Or "she conceived."] and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, "I have created [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; Gen_14:22; Deu_32:6; Psa_139:13; Pro_8:22). The latter fits this context very well. Eve has created a man.] a man just as the LORD did!" 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"). Since Exo_6:3 seems to indicate that the name Yahweh (יְהוָה, yehvah, translated LORD) was first revealed to Moses (see also Exo_3:14), it is odd to see it used in quotations in Genesis by people who lived long before Moses. This problem has been resolved in various ways: (1) Source critics propose that Exo_6:3 is part of the "P" (or priestly) tradition, which is at odds with the "J" (or Yahwistic) tradition. (2) Many propose that "name" in Exo_6:3 does not refer to the divine name per se, but to the character suggested by the name. God appeared to the patriarchs primarily in the role of El Shaddai, the giver of fertility, not as Yahweh, the one who fulfills his promises. In this case the patriarchs knew the name Yahweh, but had not experienced the full significance of the name. In this regard it is possible that Exo_6:3 (i.e., Exodus 6:3b) should not be translated as a statement of denial, but as an affirmation followed by a rhetorical question implying that the patriarchs did indeed know God by the name of Yahweh, just as they knew him as El Shaddai. D. A. Garrett, following the lead of F. Andersen, sees Exo_6:2-3 as displaying a paneled A/B parallelism and translates them as follows: (A) "I am Yahweh." (B) "And I made myself known to Abraham...as El Shaddai." (A') "And my name is Yahweh"; (B') "Did I not make myself known to them?" (D. A. Garrett, Rethinking Genesis, 21). However, even if one translates the text this way, the LORD's words do not necessarily mean that he made the name Yahweh known to the fathers. God is simply affirming that he now wants to be called Yahweh (see Exo_3:14-16) and that he revealed himself in prior times as El Shaddai. If we stress the parallelism with B, the implied answer to the concluding question might be: "Yes, you did make yourself known to them — as El Shaddai!" The main point of the verse would be that El Shaddai, the God of the fathers, and the God who has just revealed himself to Moses as Yahweh are one and the same. (3) G. J. Wenham suggests that pre-Mosaic references to Yahweh are the product of the author/editor of Genesis, who wanted to be sure that Yahweh was identified with the God of the fathers. In this regard, note how Yahweh is joined with another divine name or title in Gen_9:26-27; Gen_14:22; Gen_15:2; Gen_15:8; Gen_24:3; Gen_4:7; Gen_4:12; Gen_4:27; Gen_4:42; Gen_4:48; Gen_27:20; Gen_32:9. The angel uses the name Yahweh when instructing Hagar concerning her child's name, but the actual name (Ishma-el, "El hears") suggests that El, not Yahweh, originally appeared in the angel's statement (Gen_16:11). In her response to the angel Hagar calls God El, not Yahweh (Gen_16:13). In Gen_22:14 Abraham names the place of sacrifice "Yahweh Will Provide" (cf. Gen_4:16), but in Gen_4:8 he declares, "God will provide." God uses the name Yahweh when speaking to Jacob at Bethel (Act_28:13) and Jacob also uses the name when he awakens from the dream (Gen_28:16). Nevertheless he names the place Beth-el ("house of El"). In Gen_31:49 Laban prays, "May Yahweh keep watch," but in Gen_4:50 he declares, "God is a witness between you and me." Yahweh's use of the name in Gen_15:7 and Gen_18:14 may reflect theological idiom, while the use in Gen_18:19 is within a soliloquy. (Other uses of Yahweh in quotations occur in Gen_16:2; Gen_16:5; Gen_24:31; Gen_24:35; Gen_24:40; Gen_24:42; Gen_24:44; Gen_24:48; Gen_4:50; Gen_4:51; Gen_4:56; Gen_26:22; Gen_26:28-29; Gen_27:7; Gen_27:27; Gen_29:32-35; Gen_30:24; Gen_30:30; Gen_49:18. In these cases there is no contextual indication that a different name was originally used.) For a fuller discussion of this proposal, see G. J. Wenham, "The Religion of the Patriarchs," Essays on the Patriarchal Narratives, 189-93. When it comes to making an actual material change to the text, the NET Bible® is pretty good about indicating this. Since most of these corrections will be clear in the more literal translations below and within the Hebrew exegesis itself, I will not continue to list every NET Bible® footnote.

NIV – UK                                Cain and Abel

Adam [Or The man] made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain [Cain sounds like the Hebrew for brought forth or acquired.]. She said, `With the help of the Lord I have brought forth [Or have acquired] a man.'

The Scriptures 1998              And Ad?am knew Ḥawwah his wife, and she conceived and bore Qayin, and said, “I have gained a man from יהוה.”

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

International Standard V        .

Catholic Bibles (those having the Imprimatur):

The Heritage Bible                 .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Kaplan Translation                 .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                And Adam knew Eve as his wife, and she became pregnant and bore Cain; and she said, I have gotten and gained a man with the help of the Lord.

Concordant Literal Version    And the human knows Eve, his wife, and pregnant is she and is bearing Cain. And saying is she, "I acquire a man, Yahweh!"

Context Group Version          And the man knew { had sex with } his woman { or wife } Eve; and she became pregnant, and gave birth to Cain, and said, I have acquired a man with [the help of] YHWH.

The Emphasized Bible           Now, the man, having come to know Eve his wife,—she conceived and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a Man, even Yahweh!.

English Standard Version      Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, "I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD."

Hebrew Names Version         The man knew Chavah his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Kayin, and said, "I have gotten a man with the LORD's help."

Heritage Bible                        And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bore Cain, and said, I have erected [erected a man, qanah, to set upright, to erect, to found or begin, reflexive - to set up for oneself as in producing offspring, or material products, or a purchase.] a man by help from Jehovah.

New RSV                               Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, `I have produced [The verb in Heb resembles the word for Cain] a man with the help of the Lord.'

Syndein/Thieme                     {Verses 1-24: History of the Man - Soul Development - For or Against God} {Optimism without Doctrine}

Now the man {Adam} had sex with his wife - Eve {'Ishah}; and consequently she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain, and said, "I have acquired a 'male child'/man {'iysh} from Jehovah/God {the Manifest God - Jesus Christ}". {Note: Not the first time Eve was wrong. Though technically true, Cain did not live up to this lofty title.}.

Young’s Updated LT             And the man knew Eve his wife, and she conceives and bears Cain, and says, “I have gotten a man by Jehovah.

The gist of this verse:          The man and the woman produce their first child, Cain; the woman appears to assume that this is the promised one.

Translation: And the man knew Eve, his wife [intimately]... We have the common verb to know here and it is used many times to speak of the acquiring of Bible doctrine in the soul of the believer. However, this is clearly not what is meant by yâdaʿ (יָדַע) [pronounced yaw-DAHĢ]. This is a word used euphemistically for sex, generally between a man and his wife. The Qal perfect means a completed action which yields results.

I remember a letter in the Straight Dope of someone asking Cecil Adams at what point in time did man realize that copulation would result in having a child. Here is the answer to that question. The first parents understood that there was a relationship between sex and having children.

Translation: ...so she conceived...... We would consider this a natural result in many cases; the woman has intimate relations with her husband, and, therefore, she conceives.

Translation: ...and then gave birth to Cain. What follows, 9 months after conception (assuming that there were no unusual changes between men and women before and after the flood), she gives birth to Cain.

The name Cain means acquired; and it is a reference to Eve acquiring this child from the Lord.

The name Cain was likely a play on words, for which Adam and Eve were both known. Cain is Qayin (קַיִן) [pronounced KAH-yin] and she says that I have gotten; qânâh (קָנָה) [pronounced kaw-NAWH] and means to purchase, to redeem, to buy, to get, to acquire. In Gen. 1:19, when God is called a possessor of heaven and earth (the Qal participle of qânâh), He possesses these because He bought them. This adds new meaning to the verse “I have gotten a man [from] the Lord.” (Gen. 4:1b), which is totally incorrect. It should read: “I have purchased a man—the Lord.” There was blood, there was pain—she endured the first labor and no one knew exactly what was occurring. She felt as though she had brought forth the Redeemer in all her pain and blood. Although the woman was wrong in what had occurred, she did understand that there was a purchasing which took place with blood and pain which was related to the Redeemer, Who would come through her. Strong’s #7069 BDB #888.

She very possibly took his name from its noun cognate, acquisition, which is the word qin^eyân (קִנְיָן) [pronounced kin^e-YAWN]. There is disagreement concerning the preposition here. The preposition is generally conceded to be with the help of (like all prepositions, it has several meanings). However, it appears as though the way I have translated it above is the most accurate (see The Emphasized Bible, p. 36 footnote). It is very likely that Eve expected her firstborn to be her savior, YHWH. How much she knew about her Savior to come, we do not know, but she does know that it will be her seed. This indicates that she knows it will be Jesus Christ in the garden who will be born of her and that He will be her Savior. She just happens to be wrong about who this son is and when Jesus Christ will come in the flesh.

Because many of the most ancient proper names have reasonable, corresponding meanings in the Hebrew language, it has been asserted that Hebrew may have been the original language. This is at best, speculation, and not necessarily important unless the Word of God chooses to speak to this issue. Proper nouns are sometimes carried from one language to another and adjusted to reflect their original meanings. It is also possible that the words from which they are derived also are transferred from language to language. However, that is enough speculation; if it was important that we knew the original language of man, God would have revealed it to us.

Translation: Therefore, she said, “I have acquired a man directly from Y^ehowah.” The woman was promised, back in Gen. 3, that she would have a son—the Seed of the Woman—and that the serpent would bruise his heel and that He would crush his head. It appears as though Eve made the assumption that this was the sort of man that she had given birth to.

This assumption would lead us to the conclusion that the woman (and possibly Adam) expected that this problem of the Garden of Eden would be resolved after some time. However, God’s promise to Adam suggested that this would not be solved during his lifetime. In God’s judgment of Adam, He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." (Gen. 3:17b–19). This judgment tells us specifically that Adam would die and that he would struggle for food all the days of his life.

You may want to notice what God did not do; He did not set up a food bank, a free store or food stamps. Adam became responsible for himself, his wife, and the children he fathered. Even as the first father, he knew what his responsibilities were.

Gen 4:1 Adam knew his wife [or, woman] Eve intimately, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, "I have acquired a male child with [or, by] the LORD."

Adam and the woman are now in a fallen state. Under perfect environment, there were no children. You may draw your own conclusions. Whether this was true or not of animal life is unknown. However, at this point, we begin the continual cycle of birth and death.

The word for wife, incidentally, is simply the word for woman. You may recall that Adam, when he first met the woman, called her ʾÎshshâh (woman) because she was taken out of ʾÎysh (man).

The Hebrew word translated to know intimately is one of the most common Hebrew words, and it has a myriad of meanings, all related to knowing and which meaning is determined by the context. Here, the context indicates that Adam and the woman had sex. It is likely that there was sex prior to the fall, but its occurrence is not specifically alluded to. Here, the sex between Adam and the woman resulted in conception and later the birth of Cain.

Several translations indicate that Eve says, “I have gotten a male child with the help of the Lord.” Although this may be the sense of this statement, it is not what Eve said. There is no word for help here. Most translations have from the Lord, but the word from, a very common Hebrew preposition, is not found here either. What is found is either the sign of a direct object or the preposition with, at, near, by, among, directly from (the sign of the direct object and this preposition are the same word). What Eve says is hopeful statement, that God has provided the male-child which He promised her, the Seed of the Woman Who would crush the head of the serpent. The text tells us specifically that she conceived because of having sex with Adam; and she reveals the hope that this child came about with God.

Cain, being the first child born, is not necessarily associated in Eve’s mind with the sex that she had with Adam 9 months previous. So her statement here is not that God helped her to get pregnant; her statement focused on the promise God made to her, that she would bear a child to crush the head of Satan. However, Cain was not to be that child.

It is my opinion that, one of the reasons we have children is to illustrate God’s relationship to us. A parent is like a god to their children—particularly the father. There must be the proper mixture of love, righteousness and justice in the parents in order to raise a child properly. A child must have some concept of right and wrong. Teaching them what is right and wrong is the function of righteousness; holding them accountable for their sins and failures is justice; showing them compassion and affection, despite their shortcomings, is love. A good parent is going to attempt to manifest these attributes toward his children. As a result, every family is a microcosm of God and mankind.

I am certain that you have encountered children whose parents emphasized love over righteousness, or righteousness over justice; and that the child was either very spoiled or self-righteous because of this disproportionate approach. A child raised with too must justice and not enough love might be legalistic and lack compassion.

Obviously, gross sin in the life of the child can potentially destroy the parent-child relationship (drug addiction, for example).

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum of Onkelos                And she added to bear from her husband Adam his twin, even Habel. And Habel was a shepherd of the flock, but Kain was a man working in the earth.

Latin Vulgate                          And again she brought forth his brother Abel. And Abel was a shepherd, and Cain a husbandman.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so she adds to give birth to his brother, Abel. And so he is a shepherd of a flock and Cain is a worker of the ground.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And she again bore his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Septuagint (Greek)                And she again bore his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           She gave birth a second time to Cain's brother Abel. Abel cared for the flocks, and Cain farmed the fertile land.

Contemporary English V.       Later she had another son and named him Abel. Abel became a sheep farmer, but Cain farmed the land.

Easy English                          Later she had another baby, Cain's brother Abel.

Now Abel looked after sheep and Cain worked with the soil.

Easy-to-Read Version            After that, Eve gave birth to another baby. This baby was Cain’s brother, Abel. Abel became a shepherd. Cain became a farmer.

The Message                         Then she had another baby, Abel. Abel was a herdsman and Cain a farmer.

New Century Version             After that, Eve gave birth to Cain's brother Abel. Abel took care of flocks, and Cain became a farmer.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Then she again gave birth to his brother, Abel. Well, Abel [grew up to be] a herder of sheep, while Cain worked the ground.

Ancient Roots Translinear      She begot, adding his brother Abel. Abel fed sheep and Cain was serving the earth.

Beck’s American Translation Then she had another child, Abel, Cain’s brother. Abel grew up to be a shepherd of a flock, but Cain became a man who worked the ground.

God’s Word™                         Then she gave birth to another child, Abel, Cain's brother. Abel was a shepherd, and Cain was a farmer.

New American Bible              Next she gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel became a herder of flocks, and Cain a tiller of the ground. Some suggest the story reflects traditional strife between the farmer (Cain) and the nomad (Abel), with preference for the latter reflecting the alleged nomadic ideal of the Bible. But there is no disparagement of farming here, for Adam was created to till the soil. The story is about two brothers (the word "brother" occurs seven times) and God's unexplained preference for one, which provokes the first murder. The motif of the preferred younger brother will occur time and again in the Bible, e.g., Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and David (1 Sm 16:1-13).

New Jerusalem Bible             Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.

New Simplified Bible              She gave birth to a second child, Abel, the brother of Cain. Now Abel became a shepherd and kept flocks, while Cain tilled the soil.

Revised English Bible            Afterwards she had another child, Abel. He tended the flock, and Cain worked the land.

Today’s NIV                          Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             Then again she became with child and gave birth to Abel, his brother. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a farmer.

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 She afterwards gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel became a shepherd of sheep; but Cain was a cultivator of soil.

HCSB                                     Then she also gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel became a shepherd of a flock, but Cain cultivated the land.

NET Bible®                             Then she gave birth [Heb "And she again gave birth."] to his brother Abel [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.]. Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground. 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 (ro'eh, "shepherd") and עֹבֵד ('oved, "worker"). Abel is occupied with sheep, whereas Cain is living under the curse, cultivating the ground.

The Scriptures 1998              And again, she gave birth to his brother Heb?el. And Heb?el became a keeper of sheep, but Qayin became a tiller of the ground.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

International Standard V        .

Catholic Bibles (those having the Imprimatur):

The Heritage Bible                 .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Kaplan Translation                 .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                And [next] she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Concordant Literal Version    And proceeding is she to bear his brother Abel. And coming is Abel to be the grazier of a flock, yet Cain becomes a server of the ground.

Darby Translation                  And she further bore his brother Abel. And Abel was a shepherd, but Cain was a husbandman.

Emphasized Bible                  And she went on to hear his brother, Abel,—and Abel became a feeder of sheep, whereas Cain, was a tiller of the round.

English Standard Version      And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.

Green’s Literal Translation    And she continued to bear his brother, Abel. And Abel became a shepherd of flocks. And Cain became a tiller of the ground.

Heritage Bible                        And she added another, bearing his brother, Abel. And Abel was a shepherd of flock animals, and Cain was a worker of the soil.

LTHB                                     And she continued to bear his brother, Abel. And Abel became a shepherd of flocks. And Cain became a tiller of the ground.

New King James Version       Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Syndein                                  {Pessimism with Experience}

However she continued in her sexual relationship {with Adam} giving birth to his {Cain's} brother Abel {'Hebel'}. Now Abel was a Shepard/'keeper of sheep', and Cain was a farmer/'tiller of the ground'. {Note: Eve was now disillusioned toward 'manliness' so she called her next son 'Hebel' which means 'nothingness/vapor/vanity'. Greeks transliterated Hebel into 'Abel'.}.

A Voice in the Wilderness      And she bore again, his brother Abel. And Abel tended flocks, but Cain worked the ground.

World English Bible                Again she gave birth, to Cain's brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Young’s Updated LT             And she adds to bear his brother, even Abel. And Abel is feeding a flock, and Cain has been servant of the ground.

The gist of this verse:          The woman has a second child, Abel. Abel is a shepherd and Cain is a farmer.

Translation: In addition, she gives birth to his brother, Abel. The woman really had no idea how many children that she would have. She probably expected one child, the Promised Seed, the Seed of the Woman. However, now she has two children.

Again is not an adverb but a verb. It is the Hiphil imperfect of yâçaph (יָסַף) [pronounced yaw-SAHPH] and it means to add to, to increase by, to have more. The Hiphil is the causative stem and this verb carries with it the singular feminine suffix. Eve was cause to increase or to add to her number of sons by one: Abel. The meaning of Abel's name is less certain, with possible suggestions of breath, fragility, vapor or son. It is quite likely that there was meaning to his name, but that has been lost over the millenniums which have passed.

Abel means empty, breath, vain. On several occasions, the child’s name in the Bible is similar to the child’s actual name, but it was given somewhat of a spin, more to match that person’s life on earth. However, here, I suspect that Eve decided to name this child. “I’ve already had the son promised from Y^ehowah; so let’s just name this boy empty, breath, vain. We already have the son we need.” Obviously, this is just conjecture on my part.

Translation: He is a shepherd of a flock... The two oldest professions are found here: shepherd and farmer. Abel was a shepherd. They learned early on that domesticating animals was important for their survival. Although we have limited information about what God required in terms of animal sacrifices, we know that God first sacrificed an animal before Adam and the woman; and that Abel will offer up an animal sacrifice in this chapter. This would have been the content of the first religious services.

That Abel handled the livestock is quite fascinating. Man did not eat meat prior to the flood (Gen. 9:3). Therefore, Abel did not raise animals for food. He was able to domesticate them, to breed them, and he possibly used them to work in the fields. That farm animals were used for milk or for skins is quite possible; the latter is certainly very likely. However, primarily, animals were used to sacrifice to God. These animal sacrifices looked forward in time to Jesus Christ dying for the sins of man. They were a teaching device used by God, beginning when He covered Adam and the woman with animal skins.

Translation: ...and Cain is a laborer of the ground. The actual oldest profession, as defined in Gen. 3:17–19. Whereas, in the garden, when Adam was hungry, he just reached for the nearest fruit from a tree and ate it; outside the Garden of Eden, in the fallen world, life was not nearly as easy.

We do not know how much guidance that Adam and Eve got from Jesus Christ when it came to raising their sons (and daughters, who are not mentioned). We do not have a set pattern of morality, examples of things which are wrong to help guide a child to do that which is right. The size of the society was small, but it appears to have grown rapidly. The things that Cain or Abel might think of doing may not even occur to Adam and Eve. Christian parents think that their job of raising their children is difficult because of all the outer influences. God has provided us with clear guidelines when it comes to raising children and clear guidelines for what is right and wrong. We need only start with a child while he or she is young and correctly love and discipline them. And they must both go together; if there is no discipline, then there is no love; just like if there is no knowledge of Who and What God is, then there is no love, no matter how emotional the person gets.

It has been suggested by those who object to the historicity of Genesis that this is an allegory, revealing the enmity which exists between the farmer and the sheepherder. This is pure conjecture as most allegories have in mind to teach some principle. There is nothing being taught here. The villain, clearly Cain, is a farmer; but then so was his father, Adam. So it is not implied or stated that farming is wrong in any way or inferior to shepherding. Cain is called upon to account for his offering, which was not efficacious, and for his actions in killing Abel. His vocation is never an issue.

Gen 4:2 Then she also gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel became a shepherd of a flock, but Cain cultivated the land.

Abel handled livestock and Cain was a farmer, which are two very reasonable choices in life. There was animal life and there was plant life. Cain chose to follow in his father’s profession of farming and Abel chose to deal with animals.

We would have naturally expected Cain to be a farmer, cultivating the land, because that is what his father, Adam, was. At that point in time, there was essentially one occupation, which was farming. However, somehow, as Abel grew to be a young man, he took up being a shepherd. When this just came to him or whether Adam dabbled in domesticating animals, we don’t know. However, by domesticating and directing certain animals, it is reasonable to assume that Abel was able to associate them with their farming. After all, they all had to eat, and that required farming.

These are brilliant men, who are probably far more intelligent than you and I. That Abel was able to figure out that animals could help with farming is not a huge step.

——————————

The Offerings of Cain and Abel

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum of Onkelos                And it was at the end of days, on the fourteenth of Nisan, that Kain brought of the produce of the earth, the seed of cotton (or line), an oblation of first things before the Lord;...

Latin Vulgate                          And it came to pass after many days, that Cain offered, of the fruits of the earth, gifts to the Lord.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so he is, from an end of days, and so takes Cain from produce of the ground a tribute offering to Y^ehowah.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And in the course of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to the LORD.

Septuagint (Greek)                And it was so after some time that Cain brought a sacrifice to the Lord of the fruits of the earth.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           Some time later, Cain presented an offering to the Lord from the land's crops...

Contemporary English V.       One day, Cain gave part of his harvest to the LORD,...

Easy English                          Later, Cain brought some food from the ground as a gift to God.

Easy-to-Read Version            At harvest time [At harvest time, [25] Cain brought a gift to the Lord. Cain brought some of the food that he grew from the ground. But Abel brought some animals from his flock. Abel brought the best parts of his best sheep], Cain brought a gift to the Lord. Cain brought some of the food that he grew from the ground. But Abel brought some animals from his flock. Abel brought the best parts of his best sheep [Literally, "Abel brought some of his firstborn sheep, especially their fat."].

Good News Bible (TEV)         After some time Cain brought some of his harvest and gave it as an offering to the LORD.

The Message                         Time passed. Cain brought an offering to GOD from the produce of his farm.

New Berkeley Version           In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the products of the soil,...

New Century Version             Later, Cain brought some food from the ground as a gift to God.

New Life Bible                        The day came when Cain brought a gift of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.

New Living Translation           When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          After many days, Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground as a sacrifice to Jehovah,...

Ancient Roots Translinear      In the end of days, Cain had brought fruit of the earth for a food-gift to Yahweh.

Beck’s American Translation After some time Cain brought some products of the ground and made an offering to the LORD.

God’s Word™                         Later Cain brought some crops from the land as an offering to the LORD.

NIRV                                      After some time, Cain gathered some of the things he had grown. He brought them as an offering to the Lord.

Revised English Bible            In due season Cain brought some of the fruits of the earth as an offering to the Lord.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             And after a time, Cain gave to the Lord an offering of the fruits of the earth.

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 And during the harvest time Cain brought some of the produce of the ground as an offering to the Ever-living.

HCSB                                     In the course of time Cain presented some of the land's produce as an offering to the LORD.

JPS (Tanakh—1917)               And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               In the course of time, Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the fruit of the soil;...

NET Bible®                             At the designated time [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] Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for an offering [The Hebrew term מִנְחָה (minkhah, "offering") is a general word for tribute, a gift, or an offering. It is the main word used in Leviticus 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.] to the LORD.

The Scriptures 1998              And it came to be, in the course of time, that Qayin brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to יהוה.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

International Standard V        .

Catholic Bibles (those having the Imprimatur):

The Heritage Bible                 .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Kaplan Translation                 .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Concordant Literal Version    And coming is it, at the end of days, that bringing is Cain, from the fruit of the ground, a present offering to Yahweh.

A Conservative Version         And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought an offering to LORD of the fruit of the ground.

Context Group Version          And after awhile Cain brought of the fruit of the ground a tribute [ offering ] to YHWH.

English Standard Version      In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground.

Heritage Bible                        And it was at the end of days, that Cain came with the fruit of the soil, an offering to Jehovah.

LTHB                                     And in the end of days, it happened that Cain brought an offering to Jehovah from the fruit of the ground.

NASB                                     So it came about in the course of time [Lit at the end of days] that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground.

Syndein                                  So it came to pass after a lapse of time, that Cain brought a {bloodless} offering to the Lord from the fruit/produce of the soil/ground. {Note: The ground was good and the produce was also probably very good. But, this was a bloodless offering, which was outside the plan of God - so was worthlessness/evil. It was his OWN impressive work, but God is never impressed with the human works of mankind.}.

Updated Bible Version 2.11   And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to Yahweh.

A Voice in the Wilderness      And at the end of so many days it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground unto Jehovah.

World English Bible                As time passed, it happened that Cain brought an offering to Yahweh from the fruit of the ground.

Young’s Updated LT             And it comes to pass at the end of days that Cain brings from the fruit of the ground a present to Jehovah.

The gist of this verse:          Cain brings an offering of fruits and vegetables to Y^ehowah.

Translation: Then it came to pass, from the end of days,... This is an interesting phrase which seems to indicate coming to the end of some particular, but unspecified time.

The Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge suggests that this is the end of the year or the end of the week (the Sabbath day). The NET Bible suggests: The clause indicates the passing of a set period of time leading up to offering sacrifices.

This phrase is translated variously:

Common English Bible           Some time later...

Contemporary English V.       One day...

Easy English                          Later...

Easy-to-Read Version            At harvest time [At harvest time, Cain brought a gift to the Lord. Cain brought some of the food that he grew from the ground. But Abel brought some animals from his flock. Abel brought the best parts of his best sheep],...

Good News Bible (TEV)         After some time...

The Message                         Time passed. Cain brought an offering to GOD from the produce of his farm.

New Life Bible                        The day came when...

New Living Translation           When it was time for the harvest...

American English Bible          After many days,...

Ancient Roots Translinear      In the end of days...

Bible in Basic English             And after a time...

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 And during the harvest time...

HCSB                                     In the course of time...

JPS (Tanakh—1917)               And in process of time it came to pass...

NET Bible®                             At the designated time [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]...

The Scriptures 1998              And it came to be, in the course of time...

Concordant Literal Version    And coming is it, at the end of days...

A Conservative Version         And in process of time it came to pass...

Context Group Version          And after awhile...

Heritage Bible                        And it was at the end of days...

NASB                                     So it came about in the course of time [Lit at the end of days] ...

Syndein/Thieme                     So it came to pass after a lapse of time...

A Voice in the Wilderness      And at the end of so many days it came to pass...

World English Bible                As time passed, it happened that...

Quite obviously, even though we have quite a number of Bibles which agree upon the word-for-word translation of this short phrase, there is little agreement as to what it means. These are 5 fairly simple and straightforward words, so it is unusual to have so many different takes on v. 3a.

There seems to be three specific times which are suggested: the end of the week; the end of the year; the end of the harvest time. The first seems to be the most likely. However, this is likely the dramatic foreshadowing of the impending death of Abel. Certainly, we are at the end of the work week and there would be sacrifices offered up to Y^ehowah Elohim; but this day also marks the end of Abel’s life. This is a very dramatic act which will occur; the first human death and the first murder; the first body which will return to the dust of the earth.

Translation: ...that Cain took produce from the ground... We may reasonably assume that God has set up specific sacrifices that must be offered up. I think this is for the end of a week; so, God has designated that an animal—perhaps a specific one—must be offered each week.

Cain, however, decides to change it up a little. He is going to offer up something to God, but that something will represent him, as a person; it will represent what he does. Not only are his works brought into the picture, but Cain’s own personal life and vocation are made an issue.

Translation:...[as] a tribute offering to Y^ehowah. The way a term is used often determines the meaning of that term. We do not know where the word min^echâh (מִנְחָה) [pronounced min-HAWH] came from. Did God use this word previously to describe this or that sacrifice? In any case, God the Holy Spirit uses this term to describe a bloodless sacrifice of works by Cain in this context; and for legitimate bloodless sacrifices in other contexts (Ex. 29:41 30:9 Lev. 5:15, 21–23). In this context, it is an illegitimate sacrifice of works.

Gen 4:3 In the course of time Cain presented some of the land's produce as an offering to the LORD.

This narrative makes little sense to a person unfamiliar with the basic themes of the Bible. God saved us, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). For it is by grace that you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one should boast (Eph. 2:8–9). We know that man would produce food and sustenance from the sweat of his brow, and therefore, Cain must have worked hard on these vegetables and fruits, and he brought the works of his own hands to God. We know that such works are unacceptable to God.

——————————

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum of Onkelos                ...and Habel brought of the firstlings of the flock, and of their fat; and it was pleasing before the Lord, and He gave (His) countenance to Habel and to his oblation;...

Latin Vulgate                          Abel also offered of the firstlings of his flock, and of their fat: and the Lord had respect to Abel, and to his offerings.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And Abel takes also this [one] from a firstlings of his herd and from their fat [or, choicest cuts]. And so looks Y^ehowah unto Abel and unto tribute offering;...

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And Abel also brought of the first-born of his flock and of the fatlings thereof. And the LORD was pleased with Abel and with his offering.

Septuagint (Greek)                And Abel also brought of the firstborn of his sheep and of his fatlings. And God looked upon Abel and his gifts,...

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           ...while Abel presented his flock's oldest offspring with their fat. The Lord looked favorably on Abel and his sacrifice...

Contemporary English V.       ...and Abel also gave an offering to the LORD. He killed the first-born lamb from one of his sheep and gave the LORD the best parts of it. The LORD was pleased with Abel and his offering,...

Easy English                          But Abel brought some pieces of meat with fat. They were from some sheep in his *flock. Those sheep were born first, before the other sheep were born. The *Lord was pleased with Abel. And he was pleased with Abel's *offering.

Good News Bible (TEV)         Then Abel brought the first lamb born to one of his sheep, killed it, and gave the best parts of it as an offering. The LORD was pleased with Abel and his offering,...

The Message                         Abel also brought an offering, but from the firstborn animals of his herd, choice cuts of meat. GOD liked Abel and his offering,...

New Berkeley Version           ...while Abel brought an offering from the first lings of his flocks, especially from their fat portions. The Lord approved of Abel and his offering,...

New Century Version             Abel brought the best parts from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift,...

New Living Translation           Abel also brought a gift-the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift,...

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          ...while Abel brought the first-born of his sheep and of his belongings. And God looked favorably upon Abel and his gifts,...

Ancient Roots Translinear      Abel also brought the fat firstborn of his sheep. Yahweh regarded Abel and his food-gift....

Beck’s American Translation And Abel also brought some firstborn animals of his flock, especially some of the fat pieces. The LORD looked kindly at Abel and his offering,...

Christian Community Bible     Abel for his part brought the firstborn of his flock, and some fat as well. Now Yahweh was well-pleased with Abel and his offering,... Ex. 34:19

God’s Word™                         Abel also brought some choice parts of the firstborn animals from his flock. The LORD approved of Abel and his offering, ...

New American Bible              ...while Abel, for his part, brought the fatty portion [Fatty portion: it was standard practice to offer the fat portions of animals. Others render, less satisfactorily, "the choicest of the firstlings." The point is not that Abel gave a more valuable gift than Cain, but that God, for reasons not given in the text, accepts the offering of Abel and rejects that of Cain.] of the firstlings of his flock.a The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,...

NIRV                                      But Abel brought the fattest parts of some of the lambs from his flock. They were the male animals that were born first to their mothers.

The Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering.

New Jerusalem Bible             ...while Abel for his part brought the first-born of his flock and some of their fat as well. Yahweh looked with favour on Abel and his offering....

New Simplified Bible              But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn (firstlings) of his flock. Jehovah looked with favor on Abel and his offering....

Revised English Bible            ...while Abel brought the choicest of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord regarded Abel and his offering with favour,...

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             And Abel gave an offering of the young lambs of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord was pleased with Abel's offering;...

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 And Abel also brought of the best and the fattest of his sheep. And the Lord looked favourably upon Abel and his offering;...

HCSB                                     And Abel also presented an offering--some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,...

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               ...and Abel, for his part, brought the choicest of the first lings of his flock. The Lord paid heed to Abel and his offering,...

NET Bible®                             But Abel brought [Heb "But Abel brought, also he.." The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) stresses the contrast between Cain's offering and Abel's.] some of the firstborn of his flock — even the fattest [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)]. [Here are two types of worshipers - one (Cain) merely discharges a duty at the proper time, while the other (Abel) goes out of his way to please God with the first and the best.] of them. And the LORD was pleased with [The Hebrew verb ?????? (sha'ah) 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.] Abel and his offering,...

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

International Standard V        .

Catholic Bibles (those having the Imprimatur):

The Heritage Bible                 .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Kaplan Translation                 .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Concordant Literal Version    Abel also is bringing, he, moreover, from the firstlings of his flock, and from their fat. And heed is Yahweh giving to Abel and to his present offering,...

Context Group Version          And Abel, he also brought of the firstborns of his flock and of the fat. And YHWH had regard to Abel and to his tribute [ offering ]:...

English Standard Version      ...and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,...

Heritage Bible                        And Abel also came with the firstborn of his flock, and of the fat. And Jehovah gazed upon [gazed upon. sha‘ah. God gazed upon Abel’s offering with great satisfaction, whereas Cain’s offering was not worthy enough for God to gaze at. See Num 16:15.] Abel and his offering;... Heb. 11:4

LTHB                                     And Abel brought, he also, from the firstlings of his flocks, even from their fat. And Jehovah looked to Abel and to his offering.

Syndein                                  But Abel, he also brought of the first born of his flock and of the best parts thereof. And Jehovah/God approved of Abel and his offering. {Note: This offering was acceptable because it was what God directed them to do. Following the will of God is the issue.}.

World English Bible                Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and of the fat of it. Yahweh respected Abel and his offering,....

Young’s Updated LT             And Abel, he has brought, he also, from the female firstlings of his flock, even from their fat ones; and Jehovah looks unto Abel and unto his present.

The gist of this verse:          Abel brought to God an animal to be sacrificed, of the firstborn of his block. God honors Abel’s tribute offering.

Translation: Abel also took this [animal] from the firstborn of his herd as well as their choicest cuts [of meat]. The adverb also simply indicates that Abel would also offer up a tribute offering to God. He chose from his firstborn and took some of the choicest cuts of meat as well to offer up to God.

There are two ways to understand this phrase. Abel took choice cuts of meat from his flock to offer up to God; or Abel took choice animals from his flock to offer up to God. The 3^rd person feminine plural suffix refers back to feminine plural construct of b^ekôrôwth (בְּכֹרוֹח) [pronounced beh-koh-ROWTH], which means, firstborn animals [of a flock], first lings, offspring. This seems to be the former option; otherwise, it appears as if we are essentially repeating the first portion of this sentence unnecessarily. But, whatever, the case, this is the prescribed form of worship, already established in Gen. 3, and certainly reinforced.

In any case, Abel did not simply bring an animal to God and say, “Here it is.” The use of the word chêleb above indicates that the animal had to be sacrificed; it had to be cut up and offered as a blood sacrifice to God.

The NET Bible suggests that the placing of the subject of the verb first, that this creates a contrast to what has come before. This would allow us to say, On the other hand, Abel also took... or But Abel also took... Kelley’s Biblical Hebrew suggests, instead, that emphasis is simply being placed on Abel; which could be interpreted as a contrast to Cain.

I have mentioned earlier in our studies that the Bible was divided into verses and into chapters long after the Bible had been completed. Gen. 4:4–5 illustrate this. This should have been 3 verses, not 2, and the thought at the end of v. 4 carries into v. 5. I have correctly divided them above and below.

Abel brought to God an animal sacrifice. In order for Abel to bring to God these fat portions, the animal must be first slaughtered. Abel did not bring live animals to God and say, “You can have this calf which was just born.” The animal was slaughtered and then cut up.

What follows is a new sentence which should be tied with v. 5a. Nearly every translation combines the latter portion of v. 4 with the first part of v. 5 to make a full sentence.

Translation: Therefore, Y^ehowah looked [with approval] on Abel and on his tribute offering,... Although the verb to look can simply mean to look, context dictates that God looked at Abel’s offering with interest, regard or approval. God’s approval and regard were both for Abel and for his tribute offering, which is, in this case, a blood sacrifice.

With regards to Abel’s sacrifice and the animal offered up before Adam and the woman, we do not know exactly what was offered or any of the particulars, apart from it being an animal which was offered up sacrificially. The final information about the choicest cut or the fat parts indicates that the animal died as a part of this offering to God.

As was the case with the slaughter of the animal in Gen. 3, nothing is actually said about the way that the animal is sacrificed to God. However, what probably occurs here is, the animal’s throat is cut with a metal knife. At this point, I am just going to let that hang out there without justification. However, quite obviously, God has created Adam and then Eve, and Cain and Abel have been born from them; but, somehow, it appears that there is a knife involved here.

Recall that, one of the things which I have suggested—and this is speculation without any proof—is that God provided Adam with tools to work with to garden with. There is nothing in the Bible to suggest that Adam had to somehow evolve from anything. One instant, he was a lifeless body that God made; and the next instant, he was alive when God breathed the breath of lives into him. That is not speculation; that is from the Bible. Also, God is able to make tools which are far better than those that we purchase at Lowe’s or Home Depot. I am simply suggesting that God made these tools and gave them to Adam to work with.

After Adam and the woman sinned, there was the slaughter of an animal, but no information was given here. How was the animal slaughtered and skinned? I believe that God (the Preincarnate Christ) did this with a knife, which knife was then given to Adam to use for sacrifices in the future. That is partial speculation. However, when we get to v. 8, I will give more justification for this view.

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum of Onkelos                ...but to Kain and to his oblation He gave no countenance. And Kain was angered greatly, and the features of his face were downcast.

Latin Vulgate                          But to Cain and his offerings he had no respect: and Cain was exceeding angry, and his countenance fell.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        ...and unto Cain and unto his tribute offering, He had not looked [with approval]. And so burns to Cain exceedingly and so falls his faces.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    But with Cain and with his offering he was not pleased. So Cain was exceedingly displeased, and his countenance was sad.

Septuagint (Greek)                ...but Cain and his sacrifices He regarded not, and He was exceedingly sorrowful and toward Cain and his countenance fell.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           ...but didn't look favorably on Cain and his sacrifice. Cain became very angry and looked resentful.

Contemporary English V.       ...but not with Cain and his offering. This made Cain so angry that he could not hide his feelings.

Easy English                          But he was not pleased with Cain. And he was not pleased with Cain's *offering. So Cain was very angry. And his face showed that he had a lot of hate.

Easy-to-Read Version            But the Lord did not accept Cain and his offering. Cain was sad because of this, and he became very angry.

Good News Bible (TEV)         ...but he rejected Cain and his offering. Cain became furious, and he scowled in anger.

The Message                         ...but Cain and his offering didn't get his approval. Cain lost his temper and went into a sulk.

New Berkeley Version           ...but He did not approve of Cain and his offering. Then Cain’s anger grew hot, and his face fell.

New Century Version             ...but he did not accept Cain and his gift. So Cain became very angry and felt rejected.

New Living Translation           ...but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          ...but He didn't pay attention to Cain and to his sacrifices, so Cain was very sad and his face [reflected] this.

Ancient Roots Translinear      But he did not regard Cain and his food-gift. Cain flared a hundredfold, and his face fell.

Beck’s American Translation ...but He didn’t look kindly at Cain and his offering. Then Cain got very angry and wouldn’t look up.

God’s Word™                         ...but he didn't approve of Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry and was disappointed.

New American Bible              ...but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry and dejected.

NIRV                                      But he wasn't pleased with Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry. His face was sad.

New Simplified Bible              ...He did not look with favor on Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his face was downcast (he had a bad attitude).

Revised English Bible            ...but not Cain and his offering. Cain was furious and he glowered.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             But in Cain and his offering he had no pleasure. And Cain was angry and his face became sad.

HCSB                                     ...but He did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was furious, and he was downcast.

JPS (Tanakh—1917)               ...but unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               ...but to Cain and his offering He paid no heed. Cain was much distressed and his face fell.

NET Bible®                             ...but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased [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.]. So Cain became very angry [Heb "and it was hot to Cain." This Hebrew idiom means that Cain "burned" with anger.], and his expression was downcast [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.]..

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

International Standard V        .

Catholic Bibles (those having the Imprimatur):

The Heritage Bible                 .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Kaplan Translation                 .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                But for Cain and his offering He had no respect or regard. So Cain was exceedingly angry and indignant, and he looked sad and depressed. In bringing the offering he did, Cain denied that he was a sinful creature under the sentence of divine condemnation. He insisted on approaching God on the ground of personal worthiness. Instead of accepting God's way, he offered to God the fruits of the ground which God had cursed. He presented the product of his own toil, the work of his own hands, and God refused to receive it (Arthur W. Pink, Gleanings in Genesis).

Concordant Literal Version    ...yet to Cain and to his present offering He does not give heed. And hot is Cain's anger exceedingly, and falling is his face.

A Conservative Version         ...but he did not have respect to Cain and to his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

English Standard Version      ...but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.

Green’s Literal Translation    And He did not look to Cain and to his offering. And Cain glowed greatly with anger, and his face fell.

Hebrew Names Version         ...but he didn't respect Kayin and his offering. Kayin was very angry, and the expression on his face fell.

Heritage Bible                        And he did not gaze upon Cain and his offering. And Cain burned exceedingly, and his face fell.

LTHB                                     And He did not look to Cain and to his offering. And Cain glowed greatly with anger, and his face fell.

Owen's Translation                But for Cain and his offering he had no regard so was angry Cain very and fell his countenance.

Syndein                                  But of Cain and his offering He {God} did not approve. Consequently, Cain was extremely angry, and his face 'became contorted'/'overtly expressed that anger'. {Note: Cain was angry and frustrated because God rejected his offering. Cain was proud of his 'work'. He was jealous that God accepted Abel's offering. He rejected the fact that both Cain and Abel were taught doctrine and how the blood sacrifice was a shadow of Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross. Without doctrine, you cannot cope with the disappointments of life and you get angry and frustrated. Injured pride results in jealousy!}.

A Voice in the Wilderness      ...but He did not have regard for Cain and his offering. And Cain's anger burned greatly, and his countenance fell.

World English Bible                ...but he didn't respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell.

Young’s Updated LT             ...and unto Cain and unto his present He has not looked; and it is very displeasing to Cain, and his countenance is fallen.

The gist of this verse:          God does not show any regard for Cain’s tribute offering; in fact, God is angry toward Cain and Cain’s countenance falls.

Translation: ...but unto Cain and his burnt offering, He did not look [approvingly]. We have a contrast here between God looking upon Abel and God looking upon Cain. God did not look with approval upon Cain or upon his offering. God accepts Abel, but not Cain. In this same way, God accepts the believer in Jesus Christ; he does not accept the follower of Mohammed or the follower of Confucius or the follower of Buddha. God is very specific with what is acceptable and what is not. Buddha, Mohammed and Confucius did not die for your sins. These are charismatic men who developed a following, but these are men who had sin natures. There is nothing that they could offer that would make a man clean before God. They can require their followers to, say, quit using drugs and to stop acting like A-holes, and, as a result, their followers will live better lives (because they are conforming more closely to the laws of divine establishment).

Application: This used to concern me as a believer early on; I would see people in other religions, and they would often show a change for the better. I recall one friend of mine who became a scientologist. Now, sure, some of the things that he did were goofy; but he stopped using drugs and stopped feeling sorry for himself, and that made him a better person. This does not mean that he was saved; it meant that his life had improved here on earth.

Application: All a person needs to do is haul out the laws of divine establishment (HTML) (PDF) and examine them and decide to live his life according to these laws.

However, making your life better on this earth, by, say, working hard, taking responsibility for a family, obeying the law, not using drugs or drinking heavily, will make your life better all the way around. However, none of this will save you. Best that you can do is have a better life on earth. We are only saved by believing in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ died for our sins; Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins; and therefore, it is only through Him that we can be saved.

The animal sacrifice that Abel offered up was representative of Jesus Christ dying for our sins.

If you follow the laws of divine establishment more carefully, more people will look upon you with favor; if you believe in Jesus Christ, then God will look upon you with favor.

Gen 4:4b–5a The LORD had respect for Abel and his offering, but He did not have respect for Cain and his offering.

God has respect or regard for the offering of Abel but not for Cain. The word respect is the Hebrew word shâʿâh (שָעָה) [pronounced shaw-ĢAW] and it means to simply gaze upon. By implication, it means to consider, to inspect, to look upon steadily with interest. When Abel brought his offering, God continued to look upon it with interest and regard (Qal imperfect) and when Cain brought his offering, the offering of his own works, God did not even look at it (Qal perfect). When Jesus Christ stopped appearing physically to man, we do not know. My personal picture here is that these two brothers see our Lord face to face (our Lord would be in human form or in the form of an angel). He continues to look at what Abel has brought Him but He does not even glance at what Cain has brought. It is not unlike attending a party and two guests arrive at the same time and both present a gift to the host; the host takes one and admires it and thanks the guest for it. The other one is not taken from the second guest; nor is it even acknowledged. This is God the Son that is doing this and Cain should realize that there is a reason for it. Instead of examining his own gift or his own life (which is lacking in faith in Jesus Christ), his anger burns against his brother.

The verb here is a bit tricky. By itself, it means to look at, to gaze upon, to behold. With the preposition unto (which preposition generally designates respect or deference), most translators then understand the verb to mean to have respect for, to have regard for. The King James Version, which is reasonably consistent, gives 9 different translations to this one verb which is only found 15 times in 3 stems (the Hebrew stem will modify the meaning of a verb) Let me that, when I give the meaning for a verb, I always take into account the stem of the verb in context, whether I mention the stem or not.

If we wanted to give this verb the most limited meaning, then God looked upon Abel’s animals, which were sacrificed to Him. The imperfect tense indicates that God continued to look upon his sacrifices. However, God did not even look upon Cain’s fruits and vegetables. Surely, you have had the experience where you are standing with Charley Brown and a friend of Charley’s comes up to you, and talks to Charley as if you are not even there. That is the sense of this verse. There is interaction between God and Abel, but it is as if Cain is not even there.

The difference is simple: Cain brought to God the works of his hands: his fruits and vegetables, which he had slaved over. Abel brought God animal sacrifices, which looked forward to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. God found Abel’s offering acceptable, but He rejected Cain’s. A sacrificed animal represents Jesus Christ; recently harvested vegetables do not. These recently harvested vegetables represent the work of man’s hands.

What is being taught here, in seedling form, is, we cannot bring our works before God. He has given us the only acceptable sacrifice, which is Jesus Christ, His Son. When we come to God, it must be on the basis of the sacrifice and death of Jesus Christ; never on the basis of our own works.

As is pointed out by Zodhiates, notice that God first mentions the person then the offering. The offering was an indication of the state of their heart; Abel was a believer and trusted in Jesus Christ and Cain was not necessarily an unbeliever, but he was a believer who trusted in the works of his own hands. That is, his human efforts were his works before God. Still, even though Cain was wrong, God came to him:

Translation: Consequently, He burned with extreme anger toward Cain... I must admit that, when I saw this in the Hebrew, I was quite surprised. I had, like nearly everyone else, assumed that it is Cain who is angry (v. 6 suggests this as well, because God asks Cain, “Why are you angry?”). However, Cain’s name is preceded by the lâmed preposition. This means that the anger is directed toward Cain or the anger is for Cain. The LXX is in agreement with this text.

What is the problem? Most translators do not want God to be angry, particularly at Cain. However, Cain has disobeyed God in his offering. Therefore, God is angry with Cain. What this means is, Cain is not obeying God’s mandate for the proper sort of sacrifice; therefore, Cain is out of line and God is angry with Cain.

The correct translation is Consequently, He burned with extreme anger toward Cain... Obviously, this gives us a problem. God is angry with Cain. Is God allowed to be angry? Does God feel anger?

God’s anger is an anthropopathism, where we take a characteristic of man and apply it to God to help explain better God’s actions, thoughts and policies. God is not angry; but this explains what a problem Cain’s offering is; what is disconnect we have here.

What we are not told in this verse is, Cain is also angry. He worked hard on these vegetables and God is ignoring all of his work. That Cain is angry will be clear when God speaks to him.

Translation: ...and his face fell. The countenance that would have fallen would be Cain’s.

Remember how God promised Adam that he would spend all of his days sweating in a field growing enough food to eat. This is what Cain has been doing. He has been working for weeks on these fruits and vegetables. Most of us have planted a garden at one time or another, and the time between planting and harvesting is a long time, and it requires some work. So Cain, for weeks on end, had first worked this soil; and he carefully selected plants, seedlings or seeds, which he carefully planted, watered, and looked over, keeping these plants from being eaten by animals or insects. He may have dug a canal or he might be carrying water from a nearby river to his crops. Then Cain, after months of work, took the best of his fruit and vegetables—produce which looked luscious, produce which Cain would love to eat. But instead of enjoying the fruits of his labor, he brings these to God, and God does not even look at them. It is as if Cain is not even there. All of this hard work, all of this wasted produce—the best of Cain’s crop that season—and God has absolutely no regard for it. Cain was furious; he burned with anger. He thought about it, and it made him mad; he thought about it some more, and he became furious. The verb which we find here, along with the adverb, indicates that this anger was something which Cain stoked like a fire.

There are two separate offerings which are brought to God—some animals, which were presumably killed before God; and a fruit basket. There was considerably more work involved in the second gift—in Cain’s gift. With regards to Abel’s gift, he domesticated animals, but they had the calves or lambs or whatever it was; but Abel did not do any work when it came to producing that baby animal.

We do not know precisely what took place. Did God consume the animal with flames? We do not know the specifics; we simply know that God accepted Abel’s offering and He rejected Cain’s. Whatever happened, it was apparent that God looked with favor upon Abel and his animals; and that He ignored Cain and his abundance of vegetables and fruits.

The Bible is subtle. The author does not beat us over the head with an explanation here (as I am doing); he simply records what happened. We know that God honors the animal sacrifice because this looks forward to the offering of His Son, the Lamb of God. He does not honor the offering of Cain, because this simply speaks of man bringing to God the works of his hands. Our works are unacceptable to God.

As a child, you may have been told, “If you are a good little boy (or girl), God will bring you into heaven; and if you are bad, God will cast you into hell.” That is simply not true. The Bible teaches us that we are all flawed. We are born with a sin nature which permeates our body and soul. To this sin nature has been imputed Adam’s original sin, so that we stand condemned by God at the moment of our birth. And, as soon as we have an opportunity to exercise our volition, we sin. These 3 types of sin form a barrier between man and God. No matter how good we are, our good deeds cannot break down this threefold barrier. No matter what, these fruits and vegetables—the works of our hands—are not acceptable to God. Our works mean nothing to God. God is completely holy, which means that He is righteous and just. There can be no contamination of God’s attributes. He cannot look down at us and say, “You know, Cain, you worked really, really hard on growing those vegetables. I know that this represents months of work, and, even though this is not generally My policy, you worked so hard, that I have to say good job with respect to these fruits and vegetables which you have brought to Me.” God cannot do this. It is contrary to His character. God does not reward us for effort. God does not reward us for good intentions. God does not reward us for human good. Our good works are not acceptable before God. He [God, our Savior] saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His Own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior (Titus 3:5).

The sin nature has an area of weakness and an area of strength. From the area of weakness, the sin nature produces sins; from its area of strength, it produces human good (human good is called dead works in Heb. 6:1 and wood, hay and stubble in !3:11–15, to be burned up by God—but we will be saved, yet so as through fire). However, both sin and human good are repugnant to God because it has the same source—your sin nature.

I am sure that you have owned a cat at some point in time, and that cat captured and killed a rat, and then brought it to you—this smelly, dirty, torn-up, dead or half-dead rat, which your cat spent hours catching and killing, and now he brings this present to you, to show you what he is up to. You’re not going to frame that dead rat; you are not going to save it as a memorial to your cat’s hard work; you are not going to put this rat in a sealable clear bag and save it in the freezer and show it to friends and family when they come by; you are going to throw the rat in the garbage, because it is gross and offensive to you; furthermore, you might even yell at your cat. The works of our hands are gross and offensive to God. God does not honor human good. God does not reward us for having a moral life. Our sin nature, Adam’s imputed sin and our actual sins are offensive to God, and they stand between us and a holy God. Christ’s death on the cross removes these barriers between man and God; our good works do not. So God honors the offering of Abel, which offering represents Christ’s death on the cross. God disregards Cain’s offering, which offering represents the work of his corrupt hands.

Another illustration: let’s say you observe a man digging through a smelly garbage can with his bare hands. Then you observe him unclog a stopped up toilet, filled to the brim. And then this same man, without washing his hands, prepares the most beautiful fruit salad for you that you have ever seen. Are you going to eat it? You cannot even think about eating this salad because of the activity that the preparer has done. The idea makes you retch. His filthy hands have corrupted what he produces, even though you may not see any evidence of this on the fruit plate he offers you. This is how God sees the works of our hands. We are all unclean and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags [to God] (Isa. 64:6a). The Hebrew here actually reads menstruous rags rather than filthy rags.

Let me give you a modern-day example of how human good is harmful to mankind. Several influential environmentalists decided, back in the 1960's, that DDT was a terrible poison and that it should not be used. One of the results of this anti-DDT movement is, DDT is not used in Africa. We may argue as to the problems of the use of DDT, but not using it has allowed mosquitos to flourish in Africa, along with the disease malaria, and literally millions of Africans have died from malaria. Using DDT in Africa would have saved many of these lives and it would have prevented a great deal of suffering in Africa. These people who managed to get such a ban on DDT believed that they were (and are) doing the right thing. They believe that their actions were to benefit mankind; and, as a result, millions have died.

Junk Science has a page on DDT: http://www.junkscience.com/ddtfaq.html

Most people do not even have a clue as to what has occurred here. When I read this story as an unbeliever, it seemed particularly arbitrary. Cain has worked hard in his garden and he brings to God the best of his production as a sacrifice. It is possible that Cain does not want to harm an animal and would rather offer God a kinder and gentler offering. To me, in my unbelieving youth, it seemed as though what Cain was offering was reasonable and, if anything, commendable. The problem is that our human good and our human works mean nothing whatsoever to God. In fact, all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in His sight (Isa. 64:6). This confuses the unbeliever and sometimes puts him off when it comes to Christianity. How can someone spend most of their life trying to do good for others, living sacrificially, thinking nice thoughts as often as possible; and then be condemned to eternity in hell? What kind of an arbitrary God is that and what kind of a religion would teach that? At this point in time, we have had one pronouncement of morality of which we are cognizant: do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is the second; and the first recorded one for a fallen world. Fruits and vegetables, the works of man's hands, are not offerings that God will regard as efficacious. There must be a blood sacrifice. An innocent life must be given in order for God to accept the sacrifice. From the very beginning, God would have to send His Son, Jesus Christ to the cross to pay for our sins with His blood sacrifice, the innocent on behalf of the guilty. Every animal sacrifice was a shadow and spoke of this sacrifice which was real and still to come.

The offering brought by the two sons is an indication of the condition of their heart; that is, Abel recognizes that God expects blood sacrifice of the innocent for his covering and Cain does not. Cain thinks that he must work and do something difficult, and then give that to God. This is because, at least at this point in time, Cain is an unbeliever and Abel is a believer in Jesus Christ. Heb. 11:4 confirms this: By faith, Abel offered to God a superior sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God Himself giving approval to his gifts [i.e., his offering] and through it [his faith] even though he is dead, he still speaks." (Heb. 11:4). Abel's gift or offering showed that he was righteous. He believed in Jesus Christ and his gift was a witness to that faith. Even though he was killed, the quality of his offering due to his faith still stand as a testimony even until today. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness (Heb. 9:22b).

To sum up: Cain brings to God the works of his own hands; his filthy hands were a part of all that he brought to God, and God had to reject his works. God cannot look with favor on Cain’s works any more than we can longingly look upon a fruit salad prepared by a man who has just unclogged a toilet.

Let’s review what we have so far:

Gen 4:1–2 Adam knew his wife Eve intimately, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, "I have acquired a male child with [or, by] the LORD." Then she also gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel became a shepherd of a flock, but Cain cultivated the land.

You will recall that God had promised deliverance to Adam and the woman through the Seed of the woman, The woman assumed that her firstborn was just that—the Seed which would crush the serpent’s head.

Gen 4:3–5 In the course of time Cain presented some of the land's produce as an offering to the LORD. Abel also presented an offering--some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The LORD had respect for Abel and his offering, but He did not have respect for Cain and his offering. Consequently, He was extremely furious with Cain, and he [Cain] was downcast.

Time passes and Cain and Abel bring offerings to God. Abel brings an animal sacrifice and Cain brings the works of his hands, a bloodless offering, the fruits and vegetables from his farming. God looked upon Abel’s offering with favor; but God ignored Cain’s. According to the Hebrew, God did not even look at Cain’s offering. It was as if Cain didn’t exist and all of his hard work was for naught. God’s only emotion, and this is anthropopathic, is anger. Of course, this angers Cain and makes him feel dejected.

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum of Onkelos                And the Lord said to Kain, Why hast thou anger, and why are the features of thy face downcast?

Latin Vulgate                          And the Lord said to him: Why are you angry? And why is your countenance fallen?

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so says Y^ehowah unto Cain, “For why has he burned to you? And for why has fallen your faces?”

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And the LORD said to Cain, Why are you displeased? And why is your countenance sad?

Septuagint (Greek)                And the Lord God said to Cain, Why are you downcast, and why has your countenance fallen?

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           The Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why do you look so resentful?

Contemporary English V.       The LORD said to Cain: What's wrong with you? Why do you have such an angry look on your face?

Easy English                          Then the *Lord said to Cain, `Why are you so angry? Why does your face show a lot of hate?

Easy-to-Read Version            The Lord asked Cain, “Why are you angry? Why does your face look sad?

Good News Bible (TEV)         Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why that scowl on your face?

The Message                         GOD spoke to Cain: "Why this tantrum? Why the sulking?

New Berkeley Version           The Lord asked Cain: Why are you angry, and why is your face downcast?

New Century Version             The Lord asked Cain, "Why are you angry? Why do you look so unhappy?

New Life Bible                        Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why are you looking down?

New Living Translation           "Why are you so angry?" the Lord asked Cain. "Why do you look so dejected?

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Then Jehovah God asked Cain, 'Why are you so sad and why is your face so long

Ancient Roots Translinear      Yahweh said to Cain, "What flares you? Why is your face fallen?

Beck’s American Translation “Why are you angry,” God asked Cain, “and why are you looking down.

God’s Word™                         Then the LORD asked Cain, "Why are you angry, and why do you look disappointed?

NIRV                                      Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why are you looking so sad?

Revised English Bible            The Lord said to Cain,

‘Why are you angry? Why are you scowling?

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             And the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? and why is your face sad?

HCSB                                     Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you furious? And why are you downcast?

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               And the Lord said to Cain,

“Why are you distressed,...

Judaica Press Complete T.    And the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you annoyed, and why has your countenance fallen?

NET Bible®                             Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why is your expression downcast?

Limited Vocabulary Translations: