Antiguo Testamento

Genesis — Capítulo 4

Genesis is the book of beginnings—of the universe and of humanity, of sin and its catastrophic effects, and of God’s plan to restore blessing to the world through his chosen people. God began his plan when he called Abraham and made a covenant with him. Genesis traces God’s promised blessings from generation to generation, to the time of bondage and the need for redemption from Egypt. It lays t…

Versión

Texto — Reina-Valera 1960

1Conoció Adán a su mujer Eva, la cual concibió y dio a luz a Caín, y dijo: Por voluntad de Jehová he adquirido varón.

2Después dio a luz a su hermano Abel. Y Abel fue pastor de ovejas, y Caín fue labrador de la tierra.

3Y aconteció andando el tiempo, que Caín trajo del fruto de la tierra una ofrenda a Jehová.

4Y Abel trajo también de los primogénitos de sus ovejas, de lo más gordo de ellas. Y miró Jehová con agrado a Abel y a su ofrenda;

5pero no miró con agrado a Caín y a la ofrenda suya. Y se ensañó Caín en gran manera, y decayó su semblante.

6Entonces Jehová dijo a Caín: ¿Por qué te has ensañado, y por qué ha decaído tu semblante?

7Si bien hicieres, ¿no serás enaltecido? y si no hicieres bien, el pecado está a la puerta; con todo esto, a ti será su deseo, y tú te enseñorearás de él.

8Y dijo Caín a su hermano Abel: Salgamos al campo. Y aconteció que estando ellos en el campo, Caín se levantó contra su hermano Abel, y lo mató.

9Y Jehová dijo a Caín: ¿Dónde está Abel tu hermano? Y él respondió: No sé. ¿Soy yo acaso guarda de mi hermano?

10Y él le dijo: ¿Qué has hecho? La voz de la sangre de tu hermano clama a mí desde la tierra.

11Ahora, pues, maldito seas tú de la tierra, que abrió su boca para recibir de tu mano la sangre de tu hermano.

12Cuando labres la tierra, no te volverá a dar su fuerza; errante y extranjero serás en la tierra.

13Y dijo Caín a Jehová: Grande es mi castigo para ser soportado.

14He aquí me echas hoy de la tierra, y de tu presencia me esconderé, y seré errante y extranjero en la tierra; y sucederá que cualquiera que me hallare, me matará.

15Y le respondió Jehová: Ciertamente cualquiera que matare a Caín, siete veces será castigado. Entonces Jehová puso señal en Caín, para que no lo matase cualquiera que le hallara.

16Salió, pues, Caín de delante de Jehová, y habitó en tierra de Nod, al oriente de Edén.

17Y conoció Caín a su mujer, la cual concibió y dio a luz a Enoc; y edificó una ciudad, y llamó el nombre de la ciudad del nombre de su hijo, Enoc.

18Y a Enoc le nació Irad, e Irad engendró a Mehujael, y Mehujael engendró a Metusael, y Metusael engendró a Lamec.

19Y Lamec tomó para sí dos mujeres; el nombre de la una fue Ada, y el nombre de la otra, Zila.

20Y Ada dio a luz a Jabal, el cual fue padre de los que habitan en tiendas y crían ganados.

21Y el nombre de su hermano fue Jubal, el cual fue padre de todos los que tocan arpa y flauta.

22Y Zila también dio a luz a Tubal-caín, artífice de toda obra de bronce y de hierro; y la hermana de Tubal-caín fue Naama.

23Y dijo Lamec a sus mujeres: Ada y Zila, oíd mi voz; Mujeres de Lamec, escuchad mi dicho: Que un varón mataré por mi herida, Y un joven por mi golpe.

24Si siete veces será vengado Caín, Lamec en verdad setenta veces siete lo será.

25Y conoció de nuevo Adán a su mujer, la cual dio a luz un hijo, y llamó su nombre Set: Porque Dios (dijo ella) me ha sustituido otro hijo en lugar de Abel, a quien mató Caín.

26Y a Set también le nació un hijo, y llamó su nombre Enós. Entonces los hombres comenzaron a invocar el nombre de Jehová.

TYNDALE OPEN STUDY NOTES

Versículo 1

I. 4:1 had sexual relations (literally knew): In certain contexts, the Hebrew term meaning “to know”…

4:1 had sexual relations (literally knew): In certain contexts, the Hebrew term meaning “to know” is an idiom for sexual knowledge of another person (4:17; 19:33, 35). It is never used of animals, which mate by instinct. • With the Lord’s help:: Eve fulfilled her God-given role of procreation despite the negative effects of the Fall (see 3:16, 20). • I have produced: Cain (Hebrew qayin) sounds like a Hebrew term (qanah) that can mean “produce” or “acquire.”

Versículo 2

II. 4:2 his brother . . . Abel: The name (Hebrew habel) means “breath,” “vapor,” or “meaningless,” an…

4:2 his brother . . . Abel: The name (Hebrew habel) means “breath,” “vapor,” or “meaningless,” anticipating his tragically brief life (cp. Eccl 1:2).

Versículo 3

III. 4:3 There was nothing wrong with offering grain to the Lord (Lev 2:14; Deut 26:2-4), but Cain bro…

4:3 There was nothing wrong with offering grain to the Lord (Lev 2:14; Deut 26:2-4), but Cain brought only a token gift (some of his crops), whereas God requires the first and best (Exod 23:16, 19; 34:22, 26). Cain’s heart attitude made his offering inferior to Abel’s (cp. Heb 11:4).

Versículo 4

IV. 4:4-5 the best portions of the firstborn lambs: Or the firstborn of his flock and their fat porti…

4:4-5 the best portions of the firstborn lambs: Or the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. Abel was giving God the best animals and the richest parts. Abel’s offering, in contrast to Cain’s, was the best he had to offer. True worship is a costly privilege.

Versículo 7

V. 4:7 Sin is crouching at the door . . . you must subdue it: Sin is pictured as a vicious animal ly…

4:7 Sin is crouching at the door . . . you must subdue it: Sin is pictured as a vicious animal lying in wait to pounce on Cain (cp. study note on 3:16). Either sin will dominate Cain, or Cain will resist the temptation to sin. There is no neutral ground in that conflict.

Versículo 8

VI. 4:8 The effects of the Fall on human relationships are tragically expressed in the first murder. …

4:8 The effects of the Fall on human relationships are tragically expressed in the first murder. • The word brother is used seven times in 4:2-11, highlighting Cain’s fratricide in the face of familial responsibility.

Versículo 9

VII. 4:9 Where is your brother? The questions God asked Cain (4:6, 9, 10) recall those that God asked …

4:9 Where is your brother? The questions God asked Cain (4:6, 9, 10) recall those that God asked Cain’s parents (3:9-13). In both cases, humans put up evasive answers (cp. 3:12-13). Cain’s answer is shockingly defiant—another clue that the problem with his token offering was the attitude that lay behind it.

Versículo 10

VIII. 4:10 What have you done? is more an expression of horror and rebuke than a fact-finding question …

4:10 What have you done? is more an expression of horror and rebuke than a fact-finding question (cp. 3:13). • Abel’s blood is personified as a legal witness that cries out against Cain. • from the ground: See study note on 4:11-12.

Versículo 11

IX. 4:11-12 As with his father (cp. 3:9-12, 17-19), Cain’s interrogation (4:9-10) was followed by God…

4:11-12 As with his father (cp. 3:9-12, 17-19), Cain’s interrogation (4:9-10) was followed by God’s verdict. Adam’s sin had already caused the ground to be cursed. Now Cain was cursed and banished from the land he farmed because he had contaminated it with innocent blood. • homeless wanderer: Cain was condemned to ceaseless roving in a land that would provide neither sustenance nor security. The effects of sin were escalating.

Versículo 13

X. 4:13-14 For Cain, eviction from the land—the domain of his vocation as a farmer (see 4:2; cp. 3:2…

4:13-14 For Cain, eviction from the land—the domain of his vocation as a farmer (see 4:2; cp. 3:23)—amounted to exile from God’s presence. The Israelites were warned that unfaithfulness to the Sinai covenant would similarly result in eviction from the Promised Land and from God’s presence in the Temple (see, e.g., Lev 26:27-32).

Versículo 15

XI. 4:15 Sevenfold punishment was the full weight of justice. Cain complained that his punishment was…

4:15 Sevenfold punishment was the full weight of justice. Cain complained that his punishment was too great, but the full sentence that would fall on anyone who committed Cain’s crime against him shows how gracious the Lord was to Cain. Cain deserved death (see 9:5-6). • The mark graciously provided protection following Cain’s judgment (cp. 3:21).

Versículo 16

XII. 4:16 The name Nod speaks more of Cain’s fate (see 4:12, 14) than of a specific geographical area …

4:16 The name Nod speaks more of Cain’s fate (see 4:12, 14) than of a specific geographical area (the location is unknown). Cain’s sin denied him rest and a sense of belonging. • Cain’s exile east of Eden is another point of connection with Adam’s story (cp. 3:24). Cain did not learn from his father’s mistake, so he also suffered estrangement from the ground and exile to the east (see study note on 3:24).

Versículo 17

XIII. 4:17–5:32 These back-to-back genealogies do more than list names for the record. They contrast th…

4:17–5:32 These back-to-back genealogies do more than list names for the record. They contrast the ways that human culture spread, some in rebellion against God (Cain, 4:17-24) and some in obedience to God (Seth, 4:25–5:32). In Genesis, the history of the rejected branch is generally explained before carrying forward the line that led to Israel. Two points of contrast are especially worth noting: (1) Lamech, the seventh from Adam through the lineage of Cain, is the main focus of the first genealogy. Like his ancestor, Lamech took human life and had to live in constant fear of death as a consequence (4:23-24). By contrast, Enoch, the seventh from Adam through the lineage of Seth (see 4:25–5:32), lived in a way that pleased God and avoided death altogether (5:24). (2) Advances in human culture and technology came through Cain’s line (the first city, livestock, shelter, metallurgy, music), but the effects of sin still dominated. No technological advances are mentioned in Seth’s line; instead, people began “to worship the Lord” (4:26) and to find “favor with the Lord” (see 6:8). 4:17 Cain’s wife was probably one of his sisters (5:4). Cain’s marriage to his sister would not have caused genetic problems so early in the development of the human gene pool. • Cain was condemned to be a wanderer. Perhaps he founded a city in rebellion against that verdict, seeking to defend himself by enclosing it in walls. Naming it after his son reflects a tendency among those who rebel against God to idolize humanity and its achievements.

Versículo 18

XIV. 4:18 the father of: Or the ancestor of, and so throughout the verse. Hebrew genealogies do not ne…

4:18 the father of: Or the ancestor of, and so throughout the verse. Hebrew genealogies do not necessarily list every single generation.

Versículo 19

XV. 4:19 Marrying two women was contrary to God’s ideal pattern for marriage (2:24) and might be anot…

4:19 Marrying two women was contrary to God’s ideal pattern for marriage (2:24) and might be another manifestation of the arrogance and rebellion of Cain’s descendants.

Versículo 20

16. 4:20-22 Technological advancement masks increasing self-assertion and distance from God (see stud…

4:20-22 Technological advancement masks increasing self-assertion and distance from God (see study note on 4:17–5:32).

Versículo 23

17. 4:23-24 Lamech’s chilling taunt shows the further escalation of sin’s effects on humanity. Cain’s…

4:23-24 Lamech’s chilling taunt shows the further escalation of sin’s effects on humanity. Cain’s line had reached a crescendo of violence with Lamech’s contempt for life. In his arrogance, he put his deed into poetic verse. • punished seventy-seven times! God warned that anyone who tried to kill Cain would experience the full weight of justice (4:15). Lamech’s declaration that anyone who harmed him would receive an even more severe penalty is a claim to be accountable to no one, including God.

Versículo 25

18. 4:25–5:32 The story returns to Adam and follows the line of Seth, whose lineage led to Abraham an…

4:25–5:32 The story returns to Adam and follows the line of Seth, whose lineage led to Abraham and the Israelite nation. 4:25 another son in place of Abel: Cain (4:8-16) and Lamech (4:19-24) illustrate sin’s consequences; the birth of Seth brought renewed hope. See also study note on 5:1-2.

Versículo 26

19. 4:26 Enosh means “humankind.” In the Old Testament, the term is often used in poetic texts that e…

4:26 Enosh means “humankind.” In the Old Testament, the term is often used in poetic texts that emphasize human mortality, frailty, and weakness (e.g., Ps 144:3, “mere mortals”). Enosh was born at the time when people began to worship the Lord by name (literally call on the name of the Lord). In Genesis, that meant calling on the name of the Lord through sacrifice and prayer (similar Hebrew terminology is found in Gen 12:8; 13:4; 21:33; 26:25).

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Genesis — Capítulo 4