Berean Standard Bible
Genesis 4:15
15“Not so!”1 replied the LORD. “If anyone slays Cain, then Cain will be avenged sevenfold.” And the LORD placed a mark on Cain, so that no one who found him would kill him.
Genesis 4:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
- New International Version (NIV)But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then the Lord said to him, "Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.
Context of Genesis 4:15
13But Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14Behold, this day You have driven me from the face of the earth, and from Your face I will be hidden; I will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” “Not so!” replied the LORD. “If anyone slays Cain, then Cain will be avenged sevenfold.” And the LORD placed a mark on Cain, so that no one who found him would kill him. 16So Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 17And Cain had relations with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain built a city and named it after his son Enoch.
Read all of Genesis 4Genesis 4:15 word by word
וַיֹּ֧אמֶר ל֣וֹ יְהוָ֗ה לָכֵן֙ כָּל־הֹרֵ֣ג קַ֔יִן שִׁבְעָתַ֖יִם יֻקָּ֑ם וַיָּ֨שֶׂם יְהוָ֤ה לְקַ֙יִן֙ א֔וֹת לְבִלְתִּ֥י הַכּוֹת־אֹת֖וֹ כָּל־מֹצְאֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
- Not soכֵּןkên · soH3651
- repliedאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- the LORDיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- If anyoneכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
- slaysהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
- Cainקַ֫יִןqayin · CainH7014
- will be avengedנָקַםnâqam · to avengeH5358
- sevenfoldשִׁבְעָתַיִםshib‛âthayim · sevenfoldH7659
- placedשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: putH7760
- a markאוֹת'ôth · sign: indicatorH226
- so that no oneבִּלְתִּיbiltîy · lestH1115
- who found himמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
- would killנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
- himאֵת'êth · [Obj.]H853
Cross-references for Genesis 4:15
- 1 Kings 16:7Moreover, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, because of all the evil he had done in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands and becoming like the house of Jeroboam, and also because Baasha had struck down the house of Jeroboam.
- Psalms 59:11Do not kill them, or my people will forget. Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.
- Hosea 1:4Then the LORD said to Hosea, “Name him Jezreel, for soon I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.
- Matthew 26:52“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him. “For all who draw the sword will die by the sword.
- Genesis 4:24If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
- Leviticus 26:18And if after all this you will not obey Me, I will proceed to punish you sevenfold for your sins.
- Psalms 79:12Pay back into the laps of our neighbors sevenfold the reproach they hurled at You, O Lord.
- Proverbs 6:31Yet if caught, he must pay sevenfold; he must give up all the wealth of his house.
- Ezekiel 9:4“Go throughout the city of Jerusalem,” said the LORD, “and put a mark on the foreheads of the men sighing and groaning over all the abominations committed there.”
- Revelation 14:9And a third angel followed them, calling out in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on his forehead or on his hand,
Commentaries on Genesis 4:15
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15The Lord set a mark upon Cain - What this mark was, has given rise to a number of frivolously curious conjectures. Dr. Shuckford collects the most remarkable. Some say he was paralytic; this seems to have arisen from the version of the Septuagint, , Groaning and trembling shalt thou be. The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel says the sign was from the great and precious name, probably one of the letters of the word Yehovah . The author of an Arabic Catena in…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. 8-15Verses 8-15 Malice in the heart ends in murder by the hands. Cain slew Abel, his own brother, his own mother's son, whom he ought to have loved; his younger brother, whom he ought to have protected; a good brother, who had never done him any wrong. What fatal effects were these of our first parents' sin, and how must their hearts have been filled with anguish! Observe the pride, unbelief, and impenitence of Cain. He denies the crime, as if he could…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15Sevenfold punishment was the full weight of justice. Cain complained that his punishment was too harsh. But the severe sentence for anyone who killed Cain shows how gracious the Lord was to him. Cain deserved death (see 9:5–6). The mark graciously provided protection to Cain after God's judgment (compare 3:21).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. whosoever slayeth Cain--By a special act of divine forbearance, the life of Cain was to be spared in the then small state of the human race. set a mark--not any visible mark or brand on his forehead, but some sign or token of assurance that his life would be preserved. This sign is thought by the best writers to have been a wild ferocity of aspect that rendered him an object of universal horror and avoidance.Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 4:15
In the dictionaries
Notes
- 1. Genesis 4:15 LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac; Hebrew “Very well!” or “Therefore:” ↩
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
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