Genesis 4:12-15 KJV

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 4:12

Verse 12 12.When thou tillest the ground. This verse is the exposition of the former; for it expresses more clearly what is meant by being cursed from the earth, namely, that the earth defrauds its cultivators of the fruit of their toil. Should any one object that this punishment had before been alike inflicted on all mortals, in the person of Adam; my answer is, I have no doubt that something of the benediction which had hitherto remained, was now further withdrawn with respect to the... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 4:13

Verse 13 13.My punishment is greater, etc. Nearly all commentators agree that this is the language of desperation; because Cain, confounded by the judgment of God, had no remaining hope of pardon. And this, indeed, is true, that the reprobate are never conscious of their evils, till a ruin, from which they cannot escape, overtakes them; yea, truly, when the sinner, obstinate to the last, mocks the patience of God, this is the due reward of his late repentance that he feels a horrible torment... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 4:14

Verse 14 14.Every one that findeth me. Since he is no longer covered by the protection of God, he concludes that he shall be exposed to injury and violence from all men. And he reasons justly; for the hand of God alone marvelously preserves us amid so many dangers. And they have spoken prudently who have said, not only that our life hangs on a thread, but also that we have been received into this fleeting life, out of the womb, from a hundred deaths. Cain, however, in this place, not only... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 4:15

Verse 15 15.Therefore, whosoever slayeth Cain. They who think that it was Cain’s wish to perish immediately by one death, in order that he might not be agitated by continual dangers, and that the prolongation of his life was granted him only as a punishment, have no reason, that I can see, for thus speaking. But far more absurd is the manner in which many of the Jews mutilate this sentence. First, they imagine, in this clause, the use of the figure ἀποσιώπησις, according to which something not... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 4:1-15

The first brothers. I. THE BROTHERS AT HOME . 1. The first home. Of Divine appointment, and among the choicest blessings that have survived the fall, homes are designed for— 2. A pious home . Its locality , though outside the garden, was still in Eden, which was a mercy, and probably not far from the cherubim, Adam's gate of heaven, which was hopeful. When man founds a home it should never be far removed from God, heaven, or the Church. Its structure , mayhap,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 4:9-15

The condemnation and judgment of the first murderer. Notice— I. The Divine APPEAL TO CONSCIENCE , affording opportunity to repentance and confession, and therefore to the exercise of mercy. II. THE BLINDING EFFECT OF A GREAT SIN . The man who Anew that God knew all persisting in a lie, and insulting the Divine majesty at the very throne of judgment, i.e. defying God by the monstrous extravagance of self-assertion, which is the effect of indulged sin, not only... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 4:11-12

Convicted, if not humbled, the culprit is speechless, and can only listen in consternation to the threefold judgment which pronounced him " cursed in his soul, vagabond in his body, and unprosperous in his labors" (Willet). And now —either at this time , already (cf. Joshua 14:11 ; Hosea 2:10 ), or for this cause , because thou hast done this ( Genesis 3:14 ; cf. Genesis 19:9 ; Exodus 18:19 )— art thou cursed. The first curse pronounced against a human being . Adam... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 4:13-14

And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment (or my sin) is greater than I can bear . Or, than can be borne away. Interpreted in either way, this is scarcely the language of confession, "sufficiens confessio, sod intempestiva" (Chrysostom); but, as the majority of interpreters are agreed, of desperation (Calvin). According to the first rendering Cain is understood as deploring not the enormity of his sin, but the severity of his punishment, under which he reels and staggers as one amazed... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 4:15

The condemned fratricide's apprehensions were allayed by a special act of grace. And the Lord said unto him, Therefore (the LXX ; Symm; Theodotion, Vulgate, Syriac, Dathius, translate Not so— ου ̓ χ ου ̓ ì τως , nequaquam , reading לאֹ כֵו instead of לָכֵן ) whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold . I .e. fully , sevenfold vengeance—complete vengeance (cf. Le Genesis 26:28 ). In the case of Cain's murderer there was to be no... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Genesis 4:1-16

- Section IV - The Family of Adam- Cain and Abel1. קין qayı̂n, Qain (Cain), “spear-shaft,” and קנה qānah, “set up, establish, gain, buy,” contain the biliteral root קן qan, “set up, erect, gain.” The relations of root words are not confined to the narrow rules of our common etymology, but really extend to such instinctive usages as the unlettered speaker will invent or employ. A full examination of the Hebrew tongue leads to the conclusion that a biliteral root lies at the base of many of... read more

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 4:12

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 4:13

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 4:14

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 4:15

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 4:1-15

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 4:9-15

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 4:11-12

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 4:13-14

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 4:15

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Genesis 4:1-16

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