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Genesis · Revised Version with Apocrypha

Genesis 4 Revised Version with Apocrypha

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About RV
  • Protestant
  • OT: Masoretic Hebrew
  • NT: Critical text
  • Protestant, with the Apocrypha
  • Formal (word for word)
  • 1895
  • Public domain

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

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

People & places in this chapter

From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.

People

  • Abel

    The righteous shepherd

    A shepherd whose faithful offering pleased God, murdered by his own brother.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 4; Hebrews 11:4

  • Adah

    Wife of Lamech

    One of Lamech's two wives, who gave birth to Jabal and was addressed with Zillah in Lamech's boast.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 4:19; Genesis 4:20; Genesis 4:23

  • Adam

    The first man

    Formed from the dust by God's own hand, the father of all who live.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 1–5

  • Cain

    The firstborn son

    The firstborn of humanity, whose jealousy led to the first murder.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 4

  • Enoch

    Cain's firstborn son

    Cain's son, after whom Cain named the first city recorded in Scripture.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 4:17-18

  • Enosh

    Son of Seth

    In his days people first began to call on the name of the LORD.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 4:26; 5:6–11

  • Eve

    First woman, first mother

    The first woman, formed from Adam and named "the mother of all living."

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 2-4

  • Irad

    Descendant of Cain

    Son of Enoch and grandson of Cain, listed in Cain's genealogy.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 4:18

  • Jabal

    Father of herdsmen

    Son of Lamech, called the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 4:20

  • Jubal

    Father of musicians

    Son of Lamech, called the father of all who play the harp and flute.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 4:21

  • Lamech

    Warrior who boasted

    Descendant of Cain who took two wives and boasted of avenging himself with violence.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 4:18-24

  • Mehujael

    Descendant of Cain

    Son of Irad in the line of Cain, named only in the genealogy.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 4:18

  • Methushael

    Descendant of Cain

    Son of Mehujael and father of Lamech in the line of Cain.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 4:18

  • Naamah

    Sister of Tubal-cain

    Named in Lamech's family as the sister of Tubal-cain.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 4:22

  • Seth

    The appointed son

    The son granted in Abel's place, through whom the godly line continued.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 4:25–5:8

  • Tubal-cain

    Forger of metal tools

    Son of Lamech and Zillah, a forger of all tools of bronze and iron.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 4:22

  • Zillah

    Wife of Lamech

    One of Lamech's two wives, who gave birth to Tubal-cain and was addressed with Adah in Lamech's boast.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 4:19; Genesis 4:22; Genesis 4:23

Cross references (26)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

  1. 1 1 John 3:12; Genesis 3:15; Genesis 4:25
  2. 2 1 John 3:12; 1 John 3:15; Luke 11:51; John 8:44; 1 John 3:10
  3. 3 Numbers 18:12; Leviticus 2:1–11
  4. 4 Hebrews 11:4; Proverbs 3:9; Exodus 13:12; Numbers 18:17; 1 Peter 1:19–20
  5. 5 Hebrews 11:4; Job 5:2; Isaiah 3:10–11; Luke 15:28–30; Matthew 20:15
  6. 6 Isaiah 1:18; Job 5:2; Luke 15:31–32; Jeremiah 2:31; Matthew 20:15
  7. 7 James 1:15; Romans 2:6–10; Isaiah 3:10–11; Romans 6:16; Hebrews 11:4
  8. 8 Matthew 23:35; 1 John 3:12–15; Jude 11; Proverbs 26:24–26; Luke 11:51
  9. 9 Proverbs 28:13; John 8:44; Psalm 9:12; Psalm 10:13–14; Genesis 37:32
  10. 10 Hebrews 12:24; Psalm 72:14; Hebrews 11:4; Isaiah 5:7; James 5:4
  11. 11 Galatians 3:10; Job 16:18; Genesis 3:14; Deuteronomy 28:15–20; Job 31:38–40
  12. 12 Hosea 9:17; Leviticus 26:20; Leviticus 26:36; Deuteronomy 28:23–24; Psalm 109:10
  13. 13 Job 15:22; Revelation 16:9
  14. 14 Numbers 35:19; Psalm 143:7; Job 15:20–24; Proverbs 28:1; Deuteronomy 28:65
  15. 15 Ezekiel 9:4; Psalm 79:12; Genesis 4:24; Ezekiel 9:6; Revelation 14:11
  16. 16 Job 2:7; Genesis 4:14; 2 Kings 13:23; Jeremiah 23:39; Genesis 3:8
  17. 17 Daniel 4:30; Ecclesiastes 2:4–11; Psalm 49:11; Genesis 5:18; Luke 17:28–29
  18. 18 Genesis 36:2; Genesis 5:21
  19. 19 Genesis 2:24; Genesis 2:18; Matthew 19:4–6; Matthew 19:8
  20. 20 Genesis 25:27; Romans 4:11–12; John 8:44; Jeremiah 35:9–10; 1 Chronicles 2:50–52
  21. 21 Amos 6:5; Job 21:12; Romans 4:11–12; Isaiah 5:12; Genesis 31:27
  22. 22 Deuteronomy 33:25; 2 Chronicles 2:7; Numbers 31:22; Deuteronomy 8:9; Exodus 25:3
  23. 23 Numbers 23:18; Leviticus 19:18; Exodus 20:13; Judges 9:7
  24. 24 Matthew 18:22; Genesis 4:15
  25. 25 Genesis 4:8; Luke 3:38; Genesis 5:3–4; Genesis 4:10–11; 1 Chronicles 1:1
  26. 26 Psalm 116:17; 1 Kings 18:24; Joel 2:32; Zephaniah 3:9; Luke 3:38

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences

What the Fathers said

Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).

How these were chosen

“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).

  1. Quotes verse 4:3–8 Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians (Chapters I–VI)

    And it came to pass, while they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him." Ye see, brethren, how envy and jealousy led to the murder of a brother.

    Read in context · Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885)

  2. Quotes verse 4:7 Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies (Book IV, Chapter XVIII)

    … is without blame, and worketh no evil --that God who reveals what is hidden [in the heart], but who worketh not evil--when Cain was by no means at rest, He saith to him: "To thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him." Thus did He in like manner speak to Pilate: "Thou shouldest have no power at …

    Read in context · Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885)

  3. Quotes verse 4:17 Augustine of Hippo, The City of God (Book XV, Chapters 8–9)

    Therefore, although it is written, "And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bare Enoch, and he builded a city and called the name of the city after the name of his son Enoch," it does not follow that we are to believe this to have been his first-born; for we cannot suppose that this is proved by the …

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)

  4. Quotes verse 4:24 John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew (Homily LXXIV)

    Heardest thou not Lamech saying, "Of Lamech vengeance shall be taken seventy times sevenfold;" that is, "I am deserving of more punishment than Cain." Why could this be?

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)

  5. Quotes verse 4:26 Gregory of Nazianzus, Theological Orations (The Second Theological Oration)

    Thus Enos "hoped to call upon the Name of the Lord." Hope was that for which he is commended; and that, not that he should know God, but that he should call upon him.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)