And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
What does Genesis 4:1 mean?
When Cain was born, Eve said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. Perhaps she thought that this was the promised seed.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Genesis 4:1-2 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Genesis 4:1
- Section IV - The Family of Adam - Cain and Abel 1. qayn, Qain (Cain), "spear-shaft," and qanah, "set up, establish, gain, buy," contain the biliteral root 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 that a biliteral root lies at the base of many of those triliterals that consist of two firm consonants and a third weaker one varying in itself and its position. Thus, yatab and tob. So qayn and qanah grow from one root. 2.
Key words
- wife
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And Adam knew Eve his wife,.
- said
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Whether this name was given to her first born by her, or by her husband, or both, is not said: it seems to have been given by her, from the reason of it after assigned.
Context in Genesis 4
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Genesis 4 belongs to the early movement of the book, especially the section often described as primeval history from creation to Babel. Genesis opens the whole Bible with creation, fall, flood, Babel, and the long patriarchal story that carries the reader from Eden to Egypt. Read this chapter with the wider themes of creation, fall, and covenant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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A collection of passages on hope under pressure, future inheritance, resurrection expectation, and confidence in God’s final faithfulness.