Genesis 4:16

Genesis 4:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
• New International Version (NIV)So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.

Context of Genesis 4:16

14Behold, You have driven me out this day from the face of the land; and from Your face (presence) I will be hidden, and I will be a fugitive and an [aimless] vagabond on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, a sevenfold vengeance [that is, punishment seven times worse] shall be taken on him [by Me].” And the Lord set a [protective] mark (sign) on Cain, so that no one who found (met) him would kill him. So Cain went away from the [manifested] presence of the Lord, and lived in the land of Nod [wandering in exile], east of Eden. 17Cain knew his wife [one of Adam’s descendants] and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch; and Cain built a city and named it Enoch, after the name of his son. 18Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael became the father of Methushael, and Methushael became the father of Lamech.

Genesis 4:16 word by word

וַיֵּ֥צֵא קַ֖יִן מִלִּפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב בְּאֶֽרֶץ־נ֖וֹד קִדְמַת־עֵֽדֶן׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Cainקַ֫יִןqayin · CainH7014
• went outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• from the presenceפָּנֶהpânîym · faceH6440
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• and dweltיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• in the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• of Nodנוֹדnôd · NodH5113
• on the eastקִדְמָהqidmâh · eastH6926
• of Edenעֵ֫דֶן‛êden · EdenH5731

Cross-references for Genesis 4:16

• Genesis 4:14Behold, You have driven me out this day from the face of the land; and from Your face (presence) I will be hidden, and I will be a fugitive and an [aimless] vagabond on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
• Genesis 3:8And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool [afternoon breeze] of the day, so the man and his wife hid and kept themselves hidden from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
• Exodus 20:18Now all the people witnessed the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the smoking mountain; and as they looked, the people were afraid, and they trembled [and moved backward] and stood at a [safe] distance.
• 2 Kings 13:23But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them and turned toward them for the sake of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and He was unwilling to destroy them, and did not cast them from His presence until now.
• 2 Kings 24:20Because of the anger of the Lord these things happened in Jerusalem and Judah, and it [finally] came to the point that He cast them from His presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
• Job 1:12Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that Job has is in your power, only do not put your hand on the man himself.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.
• Job 2:7So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome boils and agonizingly painful sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
• Job 20:17He does not look at the rivers, The flowing streams of honey and butter [to enjoy his wealth].
• Psalms 5:11But let all who take refuge and put their trust in You rejoice, Let them ever sing for joy; Because You cover and shelter them, Let those who love Your name be joyful and exult in You.
• Psalms 68:2As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked and guilty perish before [the presence of] God.
• Jeremiah 23:39Therefore behold, I, even I, will assuredly forget you and send you away from My presence, you and the city (Jerusalem) which I gave to you and to your fathers.
• Jeremiah 52:3For all this came about in Jerusalem and Judah because of the anger of the Lord, and [in the end] He cast them from His presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
• John 1:3All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being.
• Matthew 18:20For where two or three are gathered in My name [meeting together as My followers], I am there among them.”
• Luke 13:26Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’;
• 1 Thessalonians 1:9For they themselves report about us, telling what kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

Commentaries on Genesis 4:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16The land of Nod - As נוד nod signifies the same as sa נד , a vagabond, some think this verse should be rendered, And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, from the east of Eden, and dwelt a vagabond on the earth; thus the curse pronounced on him, Genesis 4:12, was accomplished.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-16Verses 1-16 - Section IV - The Family of Adam - Cain and Abel 1. קין qayı̂n Qain (Cain), “spear-shaft,” and קנה qānah “set up, establish, gain, buy,” contain the biliteral root קן qan “set up, erect, gain.” The relations of root words are not confined to the narrow rules of our common etymology, but really extend to such instinctive usages as the unlettered speaker will invent or employ. A full examination of the Hebrew tongue leads to the conclusion…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-18Verses 16-18 Cain cast off all fear of God, and attended no more on God's ordinances. Hypocritical professors, who dissemble and trifle with God, are justly left to themselves to do something grossly scandalous. So they throw off that form of godliness to which they have been a reproach, and of which they deny the power. Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and we never find that he came into it again, to his comfort. The land Cain dwelt in was…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16The name Nod (which means "wandering") describes Cain's fate (see 4:12, 14) more than a specific place. It suggests a life of wandering, and its exact location is unknown. Cain’s sin denied him rest and a sense of belonging. Cain’s exile east of Eden is another point of connection with Adam’s story (compare 3:24). Cain did not learn from his father’s sin, so he also experienced separation from the ground and was driven east into exile (see study note on…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. presence of the Lord--the appointed place of worship at Eden. Leaving it, he not only severed himself from his relatives but forsook the ordinances of religion, probably casting off all fear of God from his eyes so that the last end of this man is worse than the first (Mt 12:45). land of Nod--of flight or exile--thought by many to have been Arabia-Petræa--which was cursed to sterility on his account.Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 4:16

• Cain
• Curse
• Eden
• Genealogy
• Nod

In the dictionaries

• Cain
• Eden
• Eden, garden of Eden
• Abel
• Adam
• Blood
• Call
• Cursed
• Fall
• Fat

Commentaries on Genesis 4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings