Genesis 4:17 kjv

And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

Genesis 4:17 nkjv

And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore ??noch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son???noch.

Genesis 4:17 niv

Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.

Genesis 4:17 esv

Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.

Genesis 4:17 nlt

Cain had sexual relations with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain founded a city, which he named Enoch, after his son.

Genesis 4 verses

Genesis 4 17 Meaning

Genesis 4:17 records the lineage and initial act of civilization by Cain following his expulsion. Despite God's curse, Cain entered into a marital relationship and had a son named Enoch. Significantly, Cain then undertook the building of the first named city, also calling it Enoch, establishing a physical settlement and a legacy apart from the nomadic existence of Adam's earlier days. This verse marks the beginning of human social organization and technological advancement, revealing humanity's drive to create security and establish identity even after sin, yet doing so independently of God's direct guidance.

Genesis 4 17 Context

Genesis 4:17 occurs immediately after Cain has been cursed by God for murdering his brother Abel and has been sent away from God's presence as a wanderer. The preceding verses (Gen 4:11-16) describe his punishment and God's protective mark upon him. Given his sentence to be a fugitive and a wanderer, Cain's immediate action of building a city is remarkable. It demonstrates a desire for security, permanence, and defiance of his curse. This section of Genesis continues to track humanity's spread and the development of distinct cultures and activities (Gen 4:17-24), notably showcasing human ingenuity and advancements apart from or even in opposition to divine guidance, contrasting sharply with the "godly" lineage that begins with Seth in the subsequent verses (Gen 4:25-26, and chapter 5). Historically and culturally, the rise of "cities" marked a significant shift from nomadic, hunter-gatherer existence to settled agricultural and communal life, fostering more complex social structures and specializations, reflecting a foundational point in human civilization.

Genesis 4 17 Word analysis

• And Cain (וַיֵּדַע קַיִן, vayēda' qayin): "Cain" is the firstborn of Adam and Eve, known for the murder of his brother Abel. His name relates to "acquisition" or "possessed" (Gen 4:1). The actions in this verse follow directly from his judgment and banishment, yet demonstrate human initiative and procreation, revealing the persistence of life after the fall.
• knew (יֵדַע, yāda'): This Hebrew verb frequently serves as a euphemism for sexual intercourse, signifying intimate union and often resulting in conception (e.g., Gen 4:1, 1 Sam 1:19). Here, it signifies a physical union leading to progeny.
• his wife (אֶת־אִשְׁתּוֹ, ’et-’ishtō): The text does not specify who Cain's wife was. Biblically, she must have been a descendant of Adam and Eve, likely a sister. This highlights the early, limited population, where intermarriage among siblings was necessary for human proliferation before population expansion allowed for a wider selection and subsequent prohibitions on such unions. This union ensured the continuation of humanity despite Cain's banishment.
• and she conceived (וַתַּהַר, vattahar): Literally "and she became pregnant." Signifies the start of new life.
• and bare (וַתֵּלֶד, vattēled): Literally "and she gave birth."
• Enoch (חֲנוֹךְ, Ḥănōḵ): The son's name means "dedicated," "initiated," or "trained." It is significant that Cain named his son this. It could imply Cain's aspiration for stability, permanence, or even a form of dedication to this new phase of life or human achievement, rather than a dedication to God, especially when contrasted with the later Enoch (Gen 5) who walked with God.
• and he builded (וַיְהִי בֹּנֶה, vayhî bōnāh): The verb "build" (בָּנָה, bānah) is fundamental and here signifies a deliberate, active process of construction and establishment. The imperfect tense here indicates an ongoing or durative action—"he was building" or "he became a builder."
• a city (עִיר, ‘îr): A marked contrast to nomadic existence. Building a city indicates a desire for security, permanence, collective strength, and a rejection of God's curse of being a wanderer (Gen 4:12). This represents the first known named human urban settlement and signifies the earliest documented development of communal living on a larger, organized scale.
• and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch: Naming the city after his son is a declaration of establishing a legacy, an act of memorialization, and perhaps a self-assured claim to a place of belonging and authority. It roots his identity and future in human enterprise and his lineage rather than in seeking reconciliation or restoration with God.

Genesis 4 17 Bonus section

• The naming of the city "Enoch" after his son highlights the early human tendency to seek meaning, security, and legacy within earthly creations and through their progeny, often distinct from divine connection or eternal hope. This contrasts sharply with the heavenly "city whose builder and maker is God" that later patriarchs would seek (Heb 11:10).
• The progression from wandering to city-building demonstrates humanity's innovative and adaptable nature, despite spiritual alienation. It illustrates that even cursed, fallen humanity is still made in God's image, possessing the capacity for creativity, organization, and construction (the imago Dei), even if these capacities are often channeled in directions that serve human ends rather than God's.
• Cain's city building can be seen as humanity's first major step in creating a distinct 'culture' or 'civilization' in response to an external threat and internal human need, rather than as a direct command from God. It showcases an autonomy and self-determination that characterizes human history thereafter.
• This verse indirectly sets up a contrasting theological trajectory between two lines of humanity: the "city-builders" and material developers descended from Cain (Gen 4:17-24) versus the "callers upon the name of the Lord" from Seth's line (Gen 4:26 and Chapter 5), showcasing two distinct responses to the Fall.

Genesis 4 17 Commentary

Genesis 4:17 encapsulates the immediate consequences of sin coupled with the enduring, yet often misdirected, resilience of humanity. After his devastating act of fratricide and subsequent banishment by God, Cain, cursed to be a restless wanderer, responds not in repentance or by seeking a deeper relationship with God, but by establishing an earthly permanence. His marriage and the birth of Enoch, followed by the building of the first city, portray humanity's relentless drive to reproduce, to organize, and to create, even when operating outside of direct divine leading. The choice to build a city is deeply symbolic; it is an act of seeking security and self-sufficiency, literally erecting walls against the hostile world (and perhaps implicitly, against God's curse), in contrast to trusting in God's provision and mark of protection. Naming the city after his son, Enoch, is an act of defiance against the curse of impermanence and a desire to enshrine his own legacy through his offspring and creation, an early expression of human pride and monument-building without a divine mandate. This early account foreshadows future human empires and projects that, while demonstrating human ingenuity and societal development, often serve to build kingdoms apart from God's will, ultimately leading to further departure from Him (e.g., Babel, Gen 11).