Genesis 4:1

Genesis 4:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.
• New International Version (NIV)Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, "I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.”

Context of Genesis 4:1

Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have obtained a male child with the help of the Lord.” 2And again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a cultivator of the ground. 3So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the fruit of the ground.

Genesis 4:1 word by word

וְהָ֣אָדָ֔ם יָדַ֖ע אֶת־חַוָּ֣ה אִשְׁתּ֑וֹ וַתַּ֙הַר֙ וַתֵּ֣לֶד אֶת־קַ֔יִן וַתֹּ֕אמֶר קָנִ֥יתִי אִ֖ישׁ אֶת־יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear

• Now the manאָדָם'âdâm · the man (Adam)H120
• hadיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• with his wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
• Eveחַוָּהchavvâh · EveH2332
• and she conceivedהָרָהhârâh · to conceiveH2029
• and gaveיָלַדyâlad · to begetH3205
• to Cainקַ֫יִןqayin · CainH7014
• and she saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• I have obtainedקָנָהqânâh · to buyH7069
• a maleאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068

Cross-references for Genesis 4:1

• Numbers 31:17Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately.
• Genesis 4:25Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another child in place of Abel, because Cain killed him.”
• Genesis 3:15And I will make enemies Of you and the woman, And of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise Him on the heel.”
• Genesis 5:29And he named him Noah, saying, “This one will give us comfort from our work and from the hard labor of our hands caused by the ground which the Lord has cursed.”
• 1 John 3:12not as Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And for what reason did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil, but his brother’s were righteous.

Commentaries on Genesis 4:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1I have gotten a man from the Lord - Cain, קין , signifies acquisition; hence Eve says קנתי kanithi, I have gotten or acquired a man, יהוה את eth Yehovah, the Lord. It is extremely difficult to ascertain the sense in which Eve used these words, which have been as variously translated as understood. Most expositors think that Eve imagined Cain to be the promised seed that should bruise the head of the serpent. This exposition really seems too refined for…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. 1The birth, employment, and religion of Cain and Abel. (1-7) Cain murders Abel, The curse of Cain. (8-15) The conduct of Cain, His family. (16-18) Lamech and his wives, The skill of Cain's descendants. (19-24) The birth of another son and grandson of Adam. (25-26) Verses 1-7 When Cain was born, Eve said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. Perhaps she thought that this was the promised seed. If so, she was wofully disappointed. Abel signifies vanity: when…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1had relations (literally knew): In some contexts, the Hebrew word meaning "to know" is a way to describe having sexual relations with someone (4:17; 19:33, 35). It is never used for animals, which mate by instinct. With the help of the LORD: Eve fulfilled her God-given role of having children despite the negative effects of sin (see 3:16, 20). I have brought forth a man: Cain (Hebrew qayin) sounds like a Hebrew word (qanah) that can mean “produce” or…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-261. Eve said, I have gotten a man from the Lord--that is, "by the help of the Lord"--an expression of pious gratitude--and she called him Cain, that is, "a possession," as if valued above everything else; while the arrival of another son reminding Eve of the misery she had entailed on her offspring, led to the name Abel, that is, either weakness, vanity (Psa 39:5), or grief, lamentation. Cain and Abel were probably twins; and it is thought that, at this…Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 4:1

• Abel
• Adam
• Cain
• Children
• Eve
• Thankfulness

In the dictionaries

• Adam
• Cain
• Eve
• Abel
• Blood
• Call
• Cursed
• Fall
• Fat
• Hurt

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