Genesis 4:1 kjv

And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.

Genesis 4:1 nkjv

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the LORD."

Genesis 4:1 niv

Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man."

Genesis 4:1 esv

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, "I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD."

Genesis 4:1 nlt

Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, "With the LORD's help, I have produced a man!"

Genesis 4 verses

Genesis 4 1 Meaning

Genesis 4:1 records the first human birth after the Fall. Adam and Eve, united intimately, conceive and bear Cain. Eve expresses profound joy and a hopeful, albeit potentially mistaken, declaration of having "gotten a man with the help of the Lord," or even "a man, the Lord Himself." This statement reflects her understanding of divine involvement in life-giving and possibly connects to the promise of the "seed" given in Genesis 3:15. It signifies humanity's entry into procreation within a fallen world, carrying both divine blessing and the consequences of sin.

Genesis 4 1 Context

Genesis 4:1 immediately follows the account of humanity's fall into sin (Genesis 3). Expelled from the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve are now outside God's perfect dwelling, facing the consequences of their disobedience: a cursed ground, laborious toil, pain in childbirth, and mortality. Yet, amidst these judgments, the promise of the woman's "seed" (Gen 3:15) against the serpent had been given. This verse introduces the first act of human procreation within this new, fallen reality. It also occurs after God provides clothing for Adam and Eve, symbolizing His continued care and covenant despite their sin. Culturally, progeny was viewed as a blessing and a continuation of life and legacy. Eve's hopeful utterance signifies an immediate human response to God's prior judgment and promise, setting the stage for the family unit's history, marked by both blessing and the immediate onset of familial sin.

Genesis 4 1 Word analysis

• Now Adam knew:

  • Now Adam: Indicates a sequential narrative progression after the events of Genesis 3.
  • knew (Hebrew: yada, ידע): This term signifies not merely intellectual acquaintance, but a deep, intimate, experiential knowledge, particularly in biblical contexts, referring to sexual union (as here and many other places like Gen 24:16; Judg 11:39; Matt 1:25). It implies full consummation of their marital relationship established in Genesis 2.
  • Significance: It underlines the physical foundation of procreation as ordained by God for humankind within the marital bond, fulfilling the mandate to "be fruitful and multiply" (Gen 1:28) even after the Fall.

• Eve his wife:

  • Eve (Hebrew: Chawwah, חַוָּה): Her name means "life-giver" or "source of life," a name Adam gives her in Gen 3:20 after the Fall, highlighting her role in the propagation of the human race.
  • his wife: Emphasizes the established marital bond and legal relationship between Adam and Eve, foundational for procreation in God's design.

• and she conceived and bore Cain:

  • conceived (Hebrew: harah, הרה): Indicates divine enablement of procreation. Despite the curse and pain in childbirth (Gen 3:16), the ability to conceive is still God-given, testifying to His preserving grace and the continuation of the human race.
  • bore (Hebrew: yalad, ילד): The act of giving birth, bringing forth new life.
  • Cain (Hebrew: Qayin, קין): The first son born to humanity. The name means "acquisition" or "possessed" (from the root qanah, קנה, "to acquire/obtain"). This ties directly into Eve's subsequent declaration.

• saying, 'I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.':

  • saying: Introduces Eve's personal interpretation or exultation regarding the birth.
  • 'I have gotten' (Hebrew: qanithi, קניתי): From the verb qanah, "to acquire, get, create, purchase." Eve attributes the "getting" of this son to herself, but importantly, "with the help of the Lord." This emphasizes her active role in the process and perhaps a sense of possession over this new life.
  • a man (Hebrew: ish, איש): A male child, reinforcing his identity.
  • with the help of the Lord's (Hebrew: et YHWH, אֶת־יְהוָה): This is a crucial and debated phrase.
    • את (et): This untranslatable particle typically indicates a direct object. However, it can also function as a preposition meaning "with" or indicating association.
    • יהוה (YHWH): The personal, covenant name of God, revealing His self-existent and faithful nature.
    • Interpretations of 'את־יְהוָה':
      1. "with the Lord" or "with the help of the Lord": This is a common interpretation, adding a preposition for clarity (e.g., NIV, ESV). It sees Eve acknowledging God's co-operation or assistance in the birth. This suggests that despite the pain, God still helps her in bringing forth life.
      2. "from the Lord": Similar to the above, implying divine origination.
      3. "I have gotten a man, even the Lord" / "I have gotten the man, who is YHWH": A literal reading where Cain is identified directly with YHWH or seen as the divinely promised one, possibly a direct fulfillment of the "seed" of Genesis 3:15, indicating a high but possibly misguided Messianic hope on Eve's part for her firstborn. This interpretation is often favored by scholars who see Eve making a prophetic but mistaken declaration about Cain being the one who would crush the serpent's head.
    • Significance: Eve attributes the birth to divine intervention and might have seen Cain as the promised Deliverer. This reflects deep hope after the curse, though subsequent events will show Cain was not the redemptive figure. It highlights God's sovereignty even in human procreation and hope.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "Now Adam knew Eve his wife": This phrase establishes the continuity of God's design for human relationship and procreation despite the Fall. The intimacy (yada) emphasizes the foundational act of creating family life.
  • "and she conceived and bore Cain": Highlights the miracle of new life emerging from human union, yet it's within a post-fall context. It’s God's creative power still at work in sustaining humanity, despite the painful curse on childbearing.
  • "I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord": This statement encapsulates Eve's raw emotion and immediate theological interpretation of her child's birth. It's a shout of victory over the curse, perhaps mistaking the fulfillment of Gen 3:15. This phrase immediately links human action (getting) with divine involvement (YHWH), setting up a contrast between human presumption and God's true plan for salvation.

Genesis 4 1 Bonus section

• The naming of "Cain" (Qayin, "acquired" or "possessed") in conjunction with Eve's statement, "I have gotten," forms a powerful wordplay in Hebrew. This etymological link emphasizes Eve's personal agency in the birth, yet simultaneously credits divine partnership.
• This verse illustrates a theme prevalent in Scripture: God often uses ordinary human means (sexual union, procreation) to accomplish extraordinary divine purposes (the continuation of the human line leading to the Messiah).
• The profound expectation conveyed by Eve underscores the human condition after the Fall—a desperate longing for redemption and hope, even if initially misguided in its object. It establishes a theological tension that runs throughout Genesis, where human plans and hopes often fall short, necessitating God's sovereign intervention.

Genesis 4 1 Commentary

Genesis 4:1 is a pivotal verse bridging humanity's fall and the unfolding drama of its history. Adam and Eve, cast out of Eden, respond to God's judgment and promise by engaging in the foundational act of procreation, continuing the divine mandate to "be fruitful and multiply." The profound "knowing" between Adam and Eve underscores the intended intimacy and partnership of marriage. The birth of Cain signifies not only the beginning of human generations outside the garden but also God's ongoing preserving grace in allowing life to continue, even amidst sin and its consequences, including the pain in childbirth Eve now experienced. Eve's exclamation, "I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord," is freighted with profound theological weight. Her joy is palpable, a cry of victory over the pain and possibly a misapprehension of the prophetic promise in Genesis 3:15. She may have genuinely believed that Cain was the promised "seed" who would crush the serpent's head, the divine figure who would rectify their fallen state. This hope, though ultimately misplaced concerning Cain himself, highlights humanity's immediate yearning for deliverance and reliance on divine power for life and hope. This sets the stage for a dramatic contrast between initial hopeful expectation and the devastating reality of Cain's character and actions, which would soon demonstrate humanity's need for a truly divine Savior far beyond human generation or presumption.