Genesis 4:2

Genesis 4:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
• New International Version (NIV)Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Context of Genesis 4:2

1And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bore Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. And she again bore his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to the LORD. 4And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of its fat. And the LORD had respect to Abel and to his offering:

Genesis 4:2 word by word

וַתֹּ֣סֶף לָלֶ֔דֶת אֶת־אָחִ֖יו אֶת־הָ֑בֶל וַֽיְהִי־הֶ֙בֶל֙ רֹ֣עֵה צֹ֔אן וְקַ֕יִן הָיָ֖ה עֹבֵ֥ד אֲדָמָֽה׃Read the interlinear

• againיָסַףyâsaph · to add: againH3254
• boreיָלַדyâlad · to begetH3205
• brotherאָח'âch · brother: male-siblingH251
• Abelהֶ֫בֶלhebel · AbelH1893
• keeperרָעָהrâ‛âh · to pastureH7462
• sheepצֹאןtsô'n tse'ôn · flockH6629
• Cainקַ֫יִןqayin · CainH7014
• tillerעָבַד‛âbad · to serve: labourH5647
• groundאֲדָמָה'ădâmâh · land: soilH127

Cross-references for Genesis 4:2

• Genesis 30:29And he said to him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle were with me.
• Genesis 37:13And Israel said to Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee to them. And he said to him, Here am I .
• Genesis 46:32And the men are shepherds, for their occupation hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.
• Genesis 47:3And Pharaoh said to his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said to Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers.
• Exodus 3:1Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
• Psalms 78:70He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheep folds:
• Amos 7:15And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel.
• Genesis 4:25And Adam knew his wife again; and she bore a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
• Psalms 127:3Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
• John 8:44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
• 1 John 3:10In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil: whoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
• Genesis 3:23Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.
• Genesis 9:20And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard:

Commentaries on Genesis 4:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2And she again bare his brother Abel - Literally, She added to bear (ללדת ותסף vattoseph laledeth ) his brother. From the very face of this account it appears evident that Cain and Abel were twins. In most cases where a subject of this kind is introduced in the Holy Scriptures, and the successive births of children of the same parents are noted, the acts of conceiving and bringing forth are mentioned in reference to each child; here it is not said that she…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. 2Cain's brother Abel: The name "Abel" may come from the Hebrew word habel, meaning "breath," "vapor," or "meaningless." This might hint at Abel's tragically short life (compare Ecclesiastes 1:2). Alternatively, it may come from the Akkadian word ablu, meaning "son."Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. Abel was a keeper of sheep--literally, "a feeder of a flock," which, in Oriental countries, always includes goats as well as sheep. Abel, though the younger, is mentioned first, probably on account of the pre-eminence of his religious character.Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 4:2

• Abel
• Adam
• Agriculture
• Antediluvians
• Eve
• Shepherd

In the dictionaries

• Abel
• Cain
• Adam
• Agriculture
• 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