EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Genesis 4:7
7If you do what is right, I will accept you. But if you do not do the right thing, sin will be very near to you. It will be like a wild animal at your door that is ready to eat you. But you must become its master.’
Genesis 4:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
- New International Version (NIV)If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it."
- New King James Version (NKJV)If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
Context of Genesis 4:7
5But God was not pleased with Cain and his gift. So Cain became very angry. His face looked sad. 6Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why do you look sad? If you do what is right, I will accept you. But if you do not do the right thing, sin will be very near to you. It will be like a wild animal at your door that is ready to eat you. But you must become its master.’ 8One day Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘We should go out to the fields.’ While they were in the fields, Cain attacked his brother Abel. He killed Abel. 9Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is Abel, your brother?’ Cain replied, ‘I do not know where he is. Must I always keep my brother safe?’
Read all of Genesis 4Genesis 4:7 word by word
הֲל֤וֹא אִם־תֵּיטִיב֙ שְׂאֵ֔ת וְאִם֙ לֹ֣א תֵיטִ֔יב לַפֶּ֖תַח חַטָּ֣את רֹבֵ֑ץ וְאֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ תְּשׁ֣וּקָת֔וֹ וְאַתָּ֖ה תִּמְשָׁל־בּֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Ifאִם'im · ifH518
- thou doest wellיָטַבyâţab · be goodH3190
- shalt thou not be acceptedשְׂאֵתώe'êth · elevationH7613
- sinחַטָּאתchaţţâ'âh chaţţâ'th · sinH2403
- liethרָבַץrâbats · to stretchH7257
- at the doorפֶּ֫תַחpethach · entranceH6607
- his desireתְּשׁוּקָהteshûqâh · desireH8669
- and thou shalt ruleמָשַׁלmâshal · to ruleH4910
Cross-references for Genesis 4:7
- Genesis 19:21The angel said to Lot, ‘OK, I will let you do what you have asked. I will not destroy that town.
- 2 Samuel 24:23I will give all these things to you sir, my lord the king.’ Araunah also said to the king, ‘I pray that the Lord your God will accept your offerings.’
- 2 Kings 8:28King Ahaziah went with Ahab's son, King Joram of Israel, to fight against Hazael, the king of Syria. They fought a battle at Ramoth Gilead. The Syrian army won the fight and they hurt King Joram.
- Job 42:8You three men must now go to Job. Take seven bulls and seven male sheep with you. Burn them as sacrifices for yourselves. After you have done that, my servant Job will pray for you. I will answer his prayer. Then I will not punish you as you deserve because of your foolish words. My servant Job has spoken the truth about me, but you have not.’
- Proverbs 18:5Do not refuse to punish wicked people. That would not be good. Also, do not punish anyone who has not done anything wrong.
- Ecclesiastes 8:12People who do lots of wicked things may live for a long time. But if someone respects and obeys God, they will surely enjoy a good life.
- Isaiah 3:10Tell the righteous people that they are in a good place. They will enjoy the results of the good things that they have done.
- Jeremiah 6:20They may offer to me sweet incense that comes from Sheba. But that does not please me. The spices that they bring from lands far away do not please me either. I will not accept the burnt offerings or other sacrifices that they offer to me.’
- Malachi 1:8You offer blind animals as a sacrifice to me. You know that is wrong. You offer to me animals that cannot walk or animals that are ill. That is also a wrong thing to do. You would not give gifts like that to your city's ruler. If you did, he would surely not accept them. He would not be happy with your gifts.’ That is what the Lord Almighty says.
- Acts 10:35God accepts all people who worship him and who do the right things. It is not important to God which nation a person belongs to.
- Romans 2:7Some people continue patiently to do good things. They want to do what is right so that God will praise them. They want to live the kind of life which death will not spoil. God will cause people like that to live with him always.
- Romans 12:1My Christian friends, God has been very kind to us. Because of that, I really want you to serve God with your whole life. Offer your bodies to him like a sacrifice that continues to live. Serve him with everything that you have and that will please him. That is the true way to worship God.
- Romans 14:18If anyone serves Christ in that way, they will make God happy. And other people will respect them.
- Romans 15:16I am a servant of Christ Jesus among the Gentiles. I tell people God's good news. I work like a priest so that God will accept the Gentiles. I offer them to God. The Holy Spirit has made them clean and so God accepts them.
- Ephesians 1:6As a result, we praise him, because he is great and he has been so kind to us. He has given us so much because of his Son, whom he loves very much.
- 1 Timothy 5:4If a widow has children or grandchildren, then they should take care of her. The children must help their parents or grandparents because they belong to the same family. Their parents helped them, so they need to give them something in return. The children need to learn that important lesson. It is what God's message teaches them to do and it makes God happy.
Commentaries on Genesis 4:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7If thou doest well - That which is right in the sight of God, shalt thou not be accepted? Does God reject any man who serves him in simplicity and godly sincerity? But if thou doest not well, can wrath and indignation against thy righteous brother save thee from the displeasure under which thou art fallen? On the contrary, have recourse to thy Maker for mercy; רבץ חטאת לפתח lappethach chattath robets, a sin-offering lieth at thy door; an animal proper to…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
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7sin is crouching at your door … you must master it: Sin is like a wild animal ready to attack Cain (see study note on 3:16). Either sin will control Cain, or Cain will fight against the urge to sin. There is no middle ground in this struggle.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?--A better rendering is, "Shalt thou not have the excellency"? which is the true sense of the words referring to the high privileges and authority belonging to the first-born in patriarchal times. sin lieth at the door--sin, that is, a sin offering--a common meaning of the word in Scripture (as in Ho 4:8; 2Co 5:21; He 9:28). The purport of the divine rebuke to Cain was this, "Why art thou angry, as if…Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 4:7
In the dictionaries
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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