EOB: Official Site of the Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible (Old and New Testament)

Genesis 4:1

EOB (Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible):

Adam married Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.”

EOB Footnote:

The MT includes the phrase “his brother” after “Cain” in the clause about Cain speaking to Abel, which is absent from the LXX. The MT also reads “and it happened when they were in the field” where the LXX has “and it happened when they were in the plain.” The Hebrew word for “field” and the Greek word for “plain” represent a minor semantic variation. The phrase “I have acquired a man with the help of the LORD” in the MT uses a wordplay between the name “Cain” (Qayin) and the verb “acquired” (qaniti), which cannot be replicated in English translation. No DSS manuscript witness exists for this verse.

Other Translations:

KJV (King James Version):

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

WEB (World English Bible):

Adam knew Eve his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Cain, and said, “I have gotten a man with Yahweh’s help.”

Benton LXX (Vaticanus):

And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived and brought forth Cain and said, I have gained a man through God.

Douai-Rheims (Vulgate):

And Adam knew Eve his wife: who conceived and brought forth Cain, saying: I have gotten a man through God.

Apostoliki Diakonia (LXX):

Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, saying, “I have acquired a man through the Lord.”

YLT (Young Literal Translation )(MT):

And the man knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have gotten a man from the LORD.”

BBE (Bible in Basic English):

And the man had connection with Eve his wife, and she became with child and gave birth to Cain, and said, I have got a man from the Lord.

EOB COMMENTARY:

EOB Commentary:

GENESIS 4:1

The Knowledge of Adam and the Birth of Cain

This verse presents the first instance of marital union and human procreation following the expulsion from Paradise. The Hebrew verb “yada” (to know) employed here carries profound theological significance, indicating not merely physical union but an intimate, personal knowledge between persons. The Church Fathers understood this “knowing” as reflecting the deep communion intended by God for marriage, a union of persons rather than mere bodies.

Eve’s exclamation upon Cain’s birth—”I have acquired a man from the Lord”—reveals both faith and perhaps misunderstanding. St. John Chrysostom observes that Eve recognized God as the source of life and fertility, demonstrating that even after the Fall, humanity retained awareness of divine providence. Some Fathers suggest Eve may have believed Cain to be the promised seed who would crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15), a hope that would prove tragically misplaced given Cain’s future fratricide.

Christological Significance

The contrast between Cain and Christ emerges powerfully in patristic interpretation. Where Cain, the firstborn of fallen humanity, becomes a murderer, Christ, the Firstborn of all creation and the New Adam, gives His life for others. The Epistle to the Hebrews explicitly draws this contrast, stating that the blood of Christ “speaks better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24). Thus, this verse initiates a typological pattern fulfilled in the Incarnation.

Liturgical and Spiritual Themes

The Orthodox funeral service references Abel as the first among the righteous dead, establishing a connection between this narrative and the Church’s understanding of death and resurrection. The birth of Cain, followed by his sin, reminds the faithful that physical generation alone cannot restore humanity—only the new birth through baptism into Christ accomplishes true renewal.

St. Ephrem the Syrian meditates on Eve’s words, noting that she acknowledged the Lord as the giver of children, teaching the Church that all human life proceeds from divine blessing. This understanding permeates the Orthodox marriage service, which invokes God’s blessing upon the couple for the gift of children.

The verse also introduces the theme of human labor and acquisition (“I have acquired”), connecting to the curse of toil pronounced in Genesis 3. Yet Eve’s thanksgiving transforms this acquisition into an occasion for glorifying God, modeling the Orthodox spiritual practice of offering all things back to the Creator with gratitude, even amid the consequences of the Fall.

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