Genesis 4:17

Genesis 4:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Ē´noch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son—Ē´noch.

Context of Genesis 4:17

15But the Lord said to Cain, ‘No! If anyone kills Cain, I will punish that person seven times more than I have punished you.’ Then the Lord put a special mark on Cain. This was to tell other people that they must not kill Cain. 16Cain went away from the Lord. He went to live in the land called Nod, which is east of Eden. Cain had sex with his wife. She became pregnant and she gave birth to Enoch. Cain started to build a city. He called the city Enoch because that was his son's name. 18Enoch became the father of Irad. Irad became the father of Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of Methushael. Methushael became the father of Lamech. 19Lamech married two women. One was called Adah. The other was called Zillah.

Genesis 4:17 word by word

וַיֵּ֤דַע קַ֙יִן֙ אֶת־אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ וַתַּ֖הַר וַתֵּ֣לֶד אֶת־חֲנ֑וֹךְ וַֽיְהִי֙ בֹּ֣נֶה עִ֔יר וַיִּקְרָא֙ שֵׁ֣ם הָעִ֔יר כְּשֵׁ֖ם בְּנ֥וֹ חֲנֽוֹךְ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Cainקַ֫יִןqayin · CainH7014
• knewיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• his wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
• and she conceivedהָרָהhârâh · to conceiveH2029
• and bareיָלַדyâlad · to begetH3205
• Enochחֲנוֹךְchănôk · EnochH2585
• and he buildedבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129
• a cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• and calledקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call byH7121
• the nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
• of his sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121

Cross-references for Genesis 4:17

• Genesis 5:18When Jared was 162 years old, he had a son. He called him Enoch.
• Genesis 11:4They said, ‘Let us build a city to live in. We should also build a very tall tower. The tower will go up into the heavens. Then we will always be famous. If we do that, we will not have to separate and go to live in different places on the earth.’
• Ecclesiastes 2:4I also did a lot of great things for myself. I built houses. I planted vineyards.
• Daniel 4:30The king said, ‘Look how great Babylon is! It is the city that I have built to be my home as king. It shows that I am a great and powerful king!’
• Luke 17:28The same kind of thing happened when Lot was alive. People in the city of Sodom were eating their meals every day. They were buying and selling things. They were planting their seeds and they were building their houses.
• 2 Samuel 18:18While Absalom was alive, he had built a tall pillar in the King's Valley. He built it so that people would remember him. He thought, ‘I have no son, so my family's name will not continue.’ He put his own name on the pillar, so people still call it Absalom's Pillar.
• Psalms 49:11Their graves will be their homes for ever. They had their own land, which was called by their name,

Commentaries on Genesis 4:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17She - bare Enoch - As חנוך Chanoch signifies instructed, dedicated, or initiated, and especially in sacred things, it may be considered some proof of Cain's repentance, that he appears to have dedicated this son to God, who, in his father's stead, might minister in the sacerdotal office, from which Cain, by his crime, was for ever excluded.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17-24Verses 17-24 - XIX. The Line of Cain 17. חניך chenôk Chanok, “initiation, instruction.” 18. עירד ‛ı̂yrād Irad, “fleet as the wild ass, citizen.” מחוּיאל mechûya'el Mechujael, “smitten of El, or life of El.” מתוּשׁאל metûshā'ēl Methushael, “man of El, or man asked.” למך lāmek Lemek, “man of prayer, youth.” 19. עדה 'ādâh Adah, “beauty.” צלה tsı̂lâh Tsillah, “shade or tinkling.” 20. יבל yābāl Jabal, “stream, leader of cattle, produce, the walker or…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. 17Cain’s wife was probably one of his sisters (5:4). Cain’s marriage to his sister would not have caused genetic problems so early in the development of the human gene pool. God condemned Cain to be a wanderer. He might have built a city to rebel against this punishment, using walls for protection. Naming the city after his son shows how people who rebel against God often make humanity and its achievements into idols.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 17-2217-22. builded a city--It has been in cities that the human race has ever made the greatest social progress; and several of Cain's descendants distinguished themselves by their inventive genius in the arts.Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 4:17

• Cain
• Cities
• Enoch
• Genealogy

In the dictionaries

• Cain
• Enoch
• Enoch; the Book of the Secrets of
• Adam
• Blood
• Call
• City
• 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