Genesis 4:15

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Genesis 4:15

Therefore = not so (with Septuagint) This is emphasized by the Hebrew accent ( Pasha ). upon = set a sign for Cain, i.e. gave him a pledge; same word as Genesis 1:14 ; Genesis 9:12 , Genesis 9:13 , Genesis 9:17 (token). See also Exodus 4:8 , Exodus 4:9 , Exodus 4:17 , Exodus 4:28 , Exodus 4:30 ; Exodus 12:13 .Ezekiel 20:12 . read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Genesis 4:15

"And Jehovah said unto him, Therefore, whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And Jehovah appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him."What was the sign or "mark" that God placed upon Cain? As far as we are able to find out, there is utterly no way whatever to determine this. Ancient traditions about it are worthless, and certainly the notion that it "was some kind of tatoo" (Neil) is equally so. Some have supposed that it was something in the... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 4:15

Genesis 4:15. Therefore whosoever, &c.— As Cain was reserved for exemplary punishment, God delivers him from the apprehension of death, and assures him, that seven-fold vengeance, that is, very severe vengeance, (for the word sevenfold is often put for an indefinite, but great number,) shall be taken on any person who should slay him. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, &c.— The literal translation is, and the Lord gave to, or placed before Cain a sign, אות aut, σημειον, LXX, that no one... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Genesis 4:15

15. whosoever slayeth Cain—By a special act of divine forbearance, the life of Cain was to be spared in the then small state of the human race. set a mark—not any visible mark or brand on his forehead, but some sign or token of assurance that his life would be preserved. This sign is thought by the best writers to have been a wild ferocity of aspect that rendered him an object of universal horror and avoidance. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Genesis 4:1-16

2. The murder of Abel 4:1-16Chapter 4 shows the spread of sin from Adam’s family to the larger society that his descendants produced. Not only did sin affect everyone, but people became increasingly more wicked as time passed. Human self-assertion leads to violence. Genesis 4:1-16 show that the Fall affected Adam and Eve’s children as well as themselves. Genesis 4:17-26 trace what became of Cain and Seth and their descendants. Note that the chapter begins and ends with the subject of... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Genesis 4:4-26

B. What became of the creation 2:4-4:26Moses described what happened to the creation by recording significant events in the Garden of Eden, the murder of Abel, and the family of Cain."The section begins with a description of the creation of Adam and Eve and traces their sin, God’s curse on sin, and the expansion of sin in their descendants. No longer at rest, mankind experienced flight and fear, making his way in the world, surviving, and developing civilization. As if in answer to the... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Genesis 4:9-16

As in chapter 3, God came investigating the crime with questions (Genesis 4:9-10). [Note: See P. A. Riemann, "Am I My Brother’s Keeper?" Interpretation 24 (1970):482-91.] There the result was God cursing the ground and people generally, but here the result is His cursing Cain, another evidence that wickedness was worsening.Cain’s punishment consisted of his being banished from God’s presence and unable to enjoy his family’s company and the fruitfulness of a settled pastoral life (Genesis... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 4:1-26

Cain and Abel. The Descendants of CainThe narrative, which forms part of the Primitive document, impressively shows how sin, having once appeared, became hereditary in the human race, and speedily developed into its most revolting form. Its details enable us to see how jealousy, when indulged, leads to hatred and murder, and violates not only the ties of humanity but those of family affection; how the sinner casts off all regard for the truth and for his natural obligations; how progress in sin... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Genesis 4:15

(15) The Lord said unto him, Therefore.—Most of the versions have Not so, which requires only a slight and probable change of the Hebrew text.Sevenfold.—Cain’s punishment was severe, because his crime was the result of bad and violent passions, but his life was not taken because the act was not premeditated. Murder was more than he had meant. But as any one killing him would mean murder, therefore the vengeance would be sevenfold: that is, complete, seven being the number of perfection. Others,... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Dictionary of Texts - Genesis 4:1-26

Genesis 4:0 'Marriage, which has been the bourne of so many narratives, is still a great beginning, or it was to Adam and Eve, who kept their honeymoon in Eden, but had their first little one among the thorns and thistles of the wilderness. It is still the beginning of the home epic the gradual conquest or irremediable loss of that complete union which makes the advancing years a climax, and age the harvest of sweet memories in common.' George Eliot, Middlemarch. Cain and Abel Genesis 4:3-5... read more

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