Lux Domini
And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

What does Genesis 4:3 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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Read with

Keep this verse inside Genesis 4:3-5 and alongside a few nearby related passages.

Commentary on Genesis 4:3

At the end of days. - This may denote the end of the week, of the year, or of some longer period. The season of the year was probably the ingathering, when the fruits of the earth and the firstlings of the flock would come in, and when it was not unnatural for the first family to celebrate with a subdued thankfulness the anniversary of their creation. And the present occasion seems to have been the time when Cain and Habel, have arrived at the years of discretion and self-dependence, solemnly come forward with their first voluntary offerings to the Lord. Hitherto they may have come under their parents, who were then the actual offerers.

Key words

at the end of days

at the end of days.

at the end of days

at the end of days.

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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Bible verses about hope

A collection of passages on hope under pressure, future inheritance, resurrection expectation, and confidence in God’s final faithfulness.