And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
What does Genesis 4:13 mean?
Malice in the heart ends in murder by the hands.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Genesis 4:13-15 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Genesis 4:13
My iniquity is more than I can bear. - To bear iniquity is in Hebrew phrase to undergo the punishment of it. And the prospect of this, as it presents itself to the eyes of Cain, is so appalling that he shrinks from it as intolerable.
Key words
- LORD
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And Cain said unto the Lord,.
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.