Skip to main content

Genesis 4:8

And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

KJV

Dixitque Cain ad Abel fratrem suum : Egrediamur foras. Cumque essent in agro, consurrexit Cain adversus fratrem suum Abel, et interfecit eum.

Vulgate

καὶ εἶπεν Κάιν πρὸς Ἅβελ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ Διέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ πεδίον. καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ καὶ ἀνέστη Κάιν ἐπὶ Ἅβελ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτόν.

LXX

And Cain told Abel his brother. And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

ASV

וַ/יֹּ֥אמֶר קַ֖יִן אֶל הֶ֣בֶל אָחִ֑י/ו וַֽ/יְהִי֙ בִּ/הְיוֹתָ֣/ם בַּ/שָּׂדֶ֔ה וַ/יָּ֥קָם קַ֛יִן אֶל הֶ֥בֶל אָחִ֖י/ו וַ/יַּהַרְגֵֽ/הוּ

Hebrew

Open in reader with connections →

In this verse

People CainAbel

In the original Hebrew

9 distinct Hebrew words appear in this verse.

אֶל
'l
preposition · 5475×
הֶ֣בֶל
hbl
proper_noun · 8×
ו
v
noun · 629×
יְהִי֙
yhy
verb · 3549×
יָּ֣קָם
yqm
verb · 626×
יֹּ֣אמֶר
y'mr
verb · 5290×
ם
m
verb · 167×
קַ֔יִן
qyn
proper_noun · 18×
שָּׂדֶ֔ה
shdh
noun · 334×

Intertextual echoes

Quoted or echoed by 1 later passage.

  • Jude 1:11 · allusion
    "Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core."
    Genesis: the way of Cain — Jude on ungodly people

Typology

Historic Christian voices

9 passages from patristic writers, Reformers, and church catechisms citing this verse.

§401After that first sin, the world is virtually inundated by sin There is Cain's murder of his brother Abel and the universal corruption which follows in the wake of sin. Likewise, sin frequently manifests itself in the history of Israel, especially as infidelity to the God of the Covenant and as transgression of the Law of Moses. and even after Christ's atonement, sin raises its …
§2259In the account of Abel's murder by his brother Cain,57 Scripture reveals the presence of anger and envy in man, consequences of original sin, from the beginning of human history. Man has become the enemy of his fellow man. God declares the wickedness of this fratricide: "What have you done? the voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. and now you are curse…
Let us turn to the glorious examples of antiquity. Through envy Cain offered his sacrifice, and it was not accepted. Through envy, Joseph was persecuted even unto death, and came into bondage. Envy compelled Moses to flee from the face of Pharaoh. Through envy, Aaron and Miriam had to make their abode outside of the camp. Envy brought down Dathan and Abiram alive to Hades, thro…
And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. Here Moses describes the first worship offered to God and the first fratricide. God had respect to Abel and his offering, but to Cain and his offering he had not respect. The difference lay not in the outward offering but in the faith and sincerity of the offerer. Cain's anger and murder of his brother shows t…
Josephus retells the Genesis narrative: creation, the fall of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, the genealogy from Adam to Noah, the flood, the tower of Babel, and the lives of Abraham and Isaac. He follows the biblical account closely but adds rationalizing explanations and draws on extra-biblical traditions.

Cross-references

  • 1John 3:12 — Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
  • 2Chr 21:4 — Now when Jehoram was risen up to the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself, and slew all his brethren with the sword, and divers also of the princes of Israel.
  • 2Sam 13:26 — Then said Absalom, If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said unto him, Why should he go with thee?
  • 2Sam 14:6 — And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him.
  • 2Sam 20:9 — And Joab said to Amasa, Art thou in health, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him.
  • Eccl 7:9 — Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
  • Eph 4:31 — Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
  • Exod 20:13 — Thou shalt not kill.
  • Gen 4:7 — If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
  • Gen 4:25 — And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
  • Heb 11:4 — By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
  • Heb 12:24 — And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
  • John 8:44 — Ye 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
  • Jude 1:11 — Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
  • Luke 11:51 — From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
  • Luke 11:51 — From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
  • Matt 10:36 — And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
  • Matt 23:35 — That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
  • Matt 23:35 — That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
  • Mic 7:6 — For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.
  • Num 35:20 — But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die;
  • Prov 26:24 — He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him;
  • Prov 26:26 — Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.
  • Ps 24:3 — Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
  • Ps 55:21 — The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.