Author’s Note:
This article will cover all mentions of God’s and humans’ genders in Genesis 4, inspecting the Hebrew language of each verse.
New to this article from previous parts, words in square brackets (i.e., “[ ]”) are those not included in the ESV translation that indicate gender in some way or have a bearing on gender.
As mentioned in Before the Fall: Exploring Gender in the Bible Part 1 (and if the reader has recently read Part 1, feel free to skip to the content), some differences may be noticed between the articles and some of the layout choices promised in the introduction. I have added a few more nuances and nearly eliminated others as I dig deeper into the series. This is in order to give as accurate information as possible. It is my goal to edit and make changes to the series as new discoveries come to light in order to provide accurate articles that flow in an easy-to-read and comprehend way.
Because I do not speak Hebrew, I will be relying heavily on translations (primarily Strong’s Concordance) of individual words and my limited knowledge of grammatical structure.
While my research is based on an interlinear version, for ease of reading, verses will be presented in the ESV translation, with words marked in the English character version of the original. It is of note that the translation to English characters is not always smooth and sometimes seems to lose the nuances of the original text. Some words appear the same, but have slightly different translations. In rare cases, the definition differs from the ESV translation. These words will be defined below the passage. A phrase I will commonly use is “As translated”, meaning that there is no translation for that word to my knowledge beyond the translation used in the text.
While in many places the word “he” or “she” is added, the Hebrew text frequently conveys this via its use of verbs. Hebrew verbs include a gender which points to the gender of the person or being portrayed (Van Pelt, n.d.). Typically speaking, this is how the gender is assigned in translations. Due to this nature of the verbs, I will include the gender for all verbs throughout (excepting the rare verbs that convey no gender). That being said, I will leave it up to the reader to decipher who the character is to which it applies (do not forget inanimate objects such as the earth).
It is also of note that often one Hebrew word translates into several in English, and these are frequently shifted into a different order to fulfill grammatical rules within a passage. While it does not affect the translation (and in fact makes it more accurate), it does somewhat confuse the placement when Hebrew words are shown. The Hebrew version will always be placed after the last word of a series of words it translates to in the English version. This may be somewhat inaccurate, and I encourage you to look up an interlinear version (see bibliography at the end) in order to get a full picture of what words relate to which other words. This is also why some of the words and genders marked for a verb do not directly follow an English verb in the passage.
Some repetitiveness may occur in translations of words, this is to make references back to certain passages easier to read without referring back to notes on past verses.
My intention is that every word conveying gender is marked in some way. That being said, however, some may slip through the cracks. Also, it is of note that some “he”/“she” has been added to English translations to convey the gender indicated in other ways in the Hebrew text. These naturally will not be marked with their meaning, as the word essentially corresponds to a different word that is marked with a gender and/or definition. Much of the critical thinking is left to the reader to interpret the text.
Breakdown of Genesis 4:
Genesis 4:1
“Now Adam (‘Āḏām) knew (yāḏaʿ, masculine) Eve (ḥaûâ), his wife (‘iššâ), and she conceived (hārâ, feminine) and bore (yālaḏ, feminine) Cain, saying (‘āmar, feminine), ‘I have gotten a man (‘Κ) with the help of the Lord.’”
(Genesis 4:1, ESV, BLB)
‘Āḏām means “man” or “human” or refers to Adam specifically, depending on context (Strong, 1890).
ḥaûâ means “life” (Strong).
‘Iššâ means “woman” or “wife” (Strong).
‘Κ means “man” or “husband” (Strong).
Genesis 4:2
“And again, she (yāsap̄, feminine) bore his brother (‘āḥ) Abel. Now Abel was (hāyâ, masculine) a keeper (rāʿâ, masculine) of sheep, and Cain [“was”] (BLB, Hebrew Interlinear) (hāyâ, masculine) a worker (ʿāḇaḏ, masculine) of the ground.”
(Genesis 4:2 ESV, BLB)
‘Āḥ means “brother” or other male relative (Strong).
Genesis 4:3
“[“And it came to pass” (hāyâ, masculine)] (BLB, Hebrew Interlinear) In the course of time Cain brought (bô’, masculine) to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground,”
(Genesis 4:3 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 4:4
“and Abel also brought (bô’, masculine) [“he” (hû’)] (BLB, Hebrew Interlinear) of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard (šāʿâ, masculine) for Abel and his offering,”
(Genesis 4:4 ESV, BLB)
Hû’ means “he”, “she” or “it” (Strong).
Genesis 4:5
“But for Cain and his offering, he had no regard (šāʿâ, masculine). So Cain was very angry (ḥārâ, masculine), and his face fell (nāp̄al, masculine).”
(Genesis 4:5 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 4:6
“The Lord said (‘āmar, masculine) to Cain, ‘Why are you angry (ḥārâ, masculine), and why has your face fallen (nāp̄al, masculine)?’”
(Genesis 4:6 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 4:7
“‘If you do well (yāṭaḇ, masculine), will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well (yāṭaḇ, masculine), sin is crouching (rāḇaṣ, masculine) at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over (māšal, masculine) it.’”
(Genesis 4:7 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 4:8
“Cain spoke (‘āmar, masculine) to Abel, his brother (‘āḥ). And (hāyâ, masculine) when they were (hāyâ, masculine) in the field, Cain rose up (qûm, masculine) against his brother (‘āḥ) Abel and killed him (hāraḡ, masculine).”
(Genesis 4:8 ESV, BLB)
‘Āḥ means “brother” or other male relative (Strong).
Genesis 4:9
“Then the Lord said (‘āmar, masculine) to Cain, “Where is Abel, your brother (‘āḥ)?” He said (‘āmar, masculine), ‘I do not know; am I my brother’s (‘āḥ) keeper (šāmar, masculine)?’”
(Genesis 4:9 ESV, BLB)
‘Āḥ means “brother” or other male relative (Strong).
Genesis 4:10
“And the Lord said (‘āmar, masculine), ‘What have you done (ʿāśâ, masculine)? The voice of your brother’s (‘āḥ) blood is crying (ṣāʿaq, masculine) to me from the ground.’”
(Genesis 4:10 ESV, BLB)
‘Āḥ means “brother” or other male relative (Strong).
Genesis 4:11
“‘And now you are cursed (‘ārar, masculine) from the ground, which has opened (pāṣâ, feminine) its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.’”
(Genesis 4:11 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 4:12
“‘When you work (ʿāḇaḏ, masculine) the ground, it shall no longer (yāsap̄, feminine) yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive (nûaʿ, masculine) and a wanderer (nûḏ, masculine) [“you will be” (hāyâ, masculine)] (BLB, Hebrew Interlinear) on the earth.’”
(Genesis 4:12 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 4:13
“Cain said (‘āmar, masculine) to the Lord, ‘My punishment is greater than I can bear.’”
(Genesis 4:13 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 4:14
“‘Behold, you have driven (gāraš, masculine) me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive (nûaʿ, masculine) and a wanderer (nûḏ, masculine) on the earth, and (hāyâ, masculine) whoever finds me (māṣā’, masculine) will kill me (hāraḡ, masculine).’”
(Genesis 4:14 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 4:15
“Then the Lord said (‘āmar, masculine) to him, ‘Not so! If anyone kills (hāraḡ, masculine) Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him (nāqam, masculine) sevenfold.’ And the Lord put (śûm, masculine) a mark on Cain, lest any who found (māṣā’, masculine). him should attack him (assumed word.”
(Genesis 4:15 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 4:16
“Then Cain went away (yāṣā’, masculine) from the presence of the Lord and settled (yāšaḇ, masculine) in the land of Nod, east of Eden.”
(Genesis 4:16 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 4:17
“Cain knew (yāḏaʿ, masculine) his wife (‘iššâ), and she conceived (hārâ, feminine) and bore (yālaḏ, feminine) Enoch. [“and” (hāyâ, masculine)] (BLB, Hebrew Interlinear) When he built (bānâ, masculine) a city, he called (qārā’, masculine) the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.”
(Genesis 4:17 ESV, BLB)
‘Iššâ means “woman” or “wife” (Strong).
Genesis 4:18
“To Enoch was born (yālaḏ, masculine) Irad, and Irad fathered (yālaḏ, masculine) Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered (yālaḏ, masculine) Methushael, and Methushael fathered (yālaḏ, masculine) Lamech.”
(Genesis 4:18 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 4:19
“And Lamech took (lāqaḥ, masculine) two wives (‘iššâ). The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.”
(Genesis 4:19 ESV, BLB)
‘Iššâ means “woman” or “wife” (Strong).
Genesis 4:20
“Adah bore (yālaḏ, masculine) Jabal; he (hû’) was (hāyâ, masculine) the father (‘āḇ, as translated) (Strong) of those who dwell (yāšaḇ, masculine) in tents and have livestock.”
Genesis 4:20 ESV
Hû’ means “he”, “she” or “it” (Strong).
Genesis 4:21
“His brother’s (‘āḥ) name was Jubal; he (hû’) was (hāyâ, masculine) the father (‘āḇ, as translated) (Strong) of all those who play (tāp̄aś) the lyre and pipe.”
(Genesis 4:21 ESV, BLB)
‘Āḥ means “brother” or other male relative (Strong).
Hû’ means “he”, “she” or “it” (Strong).
Genesis 4:22
“Zillah also [she (hû’)] bore (yālaḏ, feminine) Tubal-cain; he was the forger (lāṭaš, masculine) of all instruments (ḥōrēš, masculine) of bronze and iron. The sister (‘āḥôṯ, as translated) of Tubal-cain was Naamah.”
(Genesis 4:22 ESV, BLB)
Hû’ means “he”, “she” or “it” (Strong).
Genesis 4:23
“Lamech said (‘āmar, masculine) to his wives (‘iššâ): ‘Adah and Zillah, hear (šāmaʿ, feminine) my voice; you wives (‘iššâ) of Lamech, listen (‘āzan, feminine) to what I say: I have killed a man (‘îš) for wounding me, a young man (yeleḏ) for striking me.’”
(Genesis 4:23 ESV, BLB)
‘Iššâ means “woman” or “wife” (Strong).
‘Κ means “man” or “husband” (Strong).
Yeleḏ means “something born, i.e., a lad or offspring:—boy, child, fruit, son, young man (one)” (Strong).
Genesis 4:24
“‘If Cain’s revenge (nāqam, masculine) is sevenfold, then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold.’”
(Genesis 4:24 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 4:25
“And Adam (‘Āḏām) knew (yāḏaʿ, masculine) his wife (‘iššâ) again, and she bore (yālaḏ, feminine) a son (bēn) and called his name (qārā’, feminine) Seth, for she said, ‘God has appointed (šîṯ, masculine) for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed (hāraḡ, masculine) him.’”
(Genesis 4:25 ESV, BLB)
‘Āḏām translates “Adam” (the name), “man” (the meaning of the name), or “mankind” (a generalization) (Strong). ‘Iššâ means “woman” or “wife” (Strong).
Bēn typically refers to son, occasionally offspring in general, literal or figurative (Strong).
Genesis 4:26
“To Seth also a son (bēn) was born (yālaḏ, masculine), and he called (qārā’, masculine) his name Enosh. At that time, people began (ḥālal, masculine) to call upon the name of the Lord.”
(Genesis 4:26 ESV, BLB)
Bēn typically refers to son, occasionally offspring in general, literal or figurative (Strong).
Author’s Thoughts:
While this chapter does not speak directly of gender, there are a few notable details to make mention of. In Genesis 4:1, Eve proclaims, “I have gotten a man (‘Κ) with the help of the Lord.” (Genesis 4:1, ESV, BLB) ‘Κ means “man” or “husband” (Strong), depending on the context. Some versions translate this as “manchild” (NASB95) or “male child” (CSB, NASB20), which seems more appropriate given the context. NET states, “I have created a man just as the LORD did!” (Genesis 4:1, NET); however, this does not seem accurate to the original script. Eve seems excited by having a son, even as though she was wishing for a son (although no context is given for how she would have reacted had the child been a daughter instead). That being said, whether Eve would have preferred one gender over another does not seem to reflect how God sees the genders, as this passage is simply how one (very flawed) human reacted to the birth of her son. It is natural to rejoice in having a baby, and it would seem that is what Eve is doing here.
Genesis 4:2 states, “And again, she bore his brother Abel…” (Genesis 4:2 ESV). Here, Abel is referenced as Cain’s brother rather than Eve’s son. This is most likely because the following story involves Cain and Abel rather than Eve. To say this is sexism in any way seems like it is splitting hairs.
Again, in Genesis 4:25, a son is specifically mentioned: “And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, ‘God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.’” (Genesis 4:25 ESV). Here, Adam is the one mentioned by name, but as Adam and Eve have already been introduced as husband and wife, only one needs to be introduced for both to be known. This also is leading into a genealogy, which, as we will discuss, frequently only gave the male names. She introduces Seth as a replacement for Abel, which could indicate this birth fell in the wake of Abel’s death.
Genesis 4:3-9, 4:11-13, and 4:16 have no bearing on gender. The characters themselves are male, but this is likely simply because the incident was between two males. This is still the most likely scenario in homicides, in the USA in 2010 for example, 77.4% of victims were male, while 90.3% of perpetrators were also male (FBI).
In Genesis 4:10 and 4:15, God is referred to as male via the verb “’āmar”: “And the Lord said (‘āmar, masculine), ‘What have you done …’” (Genesis 4:10 ESV, BLB), and “Then the Lord said (‘āmar, masculine) to him, ‘Not so!…’” (Genesis 4:15 ESV, BLB)
and likewise in 4:14 “‘Behold, you have driven (gāraš, masculine) me today away…” as “gāraš” is referring to the Lord driving Cain out. For more on this topic, see the introduction to this series, “Introduction to Gender in the Bible”.
Continuing in Genesis 4:17, “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 ESV). Cain’s wife is presented as a side character, rather than being named. Again, this is likely because we are coming out of a story involving Cain, so he is the known character.
This continues through verse 18 and again in 21 as all the males are listed to give a skeleton genealogy. While daughters are not mentioned, it seems likely daughters were born, but left out to simplify the genealogy, which in this instance (and many others, such as Jesus’s genealogy in Matthew 1) is more important in bridging the gap between two important characters than giving a complete family tree. According to Genesis 5:4, Adam and Eve “had other sons and daughters.” (Genesis 5:4 ESV), indicating that other children of both genders were born, but not named in the Bible.
According to “Dictionary of Gender in the Torah”,
“Biblical genealogies rarely mention women. However, comparison with the practices of similarly organized cultures suggests that the male-focused way of marking relationships presumes and reinforces the practice of endogamy—marriage within the lineage. Meanwhile, because endogamy results in kin who are related to each other in multiple ways, a patrilineage is a shorthand reckoning. It also allows for flexibility in expression as group alignments change over time. In short, genealogies in male terms should not be taken as signaling women’s lack of value in Israelite society.” (The Jewish Publication Society)
In summation, male centered genealogies are used to simplify the line, not to demean women. This tradition is broken in Genesis 4:22 by stating “…The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.” (Genesis 4:22 ESV, BLB), then it is picked up again in Genesis 4:26 “To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh…” (Genesis 4:26 ESV).
Genesis 4:19 states, “And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.” (Genesis 4:19 ESV, BLB). Her,e the wives, as pertinent characters in the story, are named. Genesis 4:20 then includes one of the wives (Adah) in the genealogy (“Adah bore Jabal…”) (Genesis 4:20 ESV) and the other in Genesis 4:22 (“Zillah also [she] (hû’) bore Tubal-cain…) (Genesis 4:22 ESV). Lamech is shown here as having two wives, yet the Bible seems to argue against polygamy. In Genesis 2:21-22, God creates a single woman as a spouse for a single man. Deuteronomy 17:17 says in regard to kings, “And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away…” (Deuteronomy 17:17 ESV). Again, in Matthew Jesus himself says “‘…“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.’” (Matthew 19:5-6 ESV). Twice, it is stated this is a union between two people, not three or more. Considering these passages, while polygamy is frequent in the Bible, much like murder, it is presented as facts that happened, not something to emulate.
In the next two verses, Lamech appears to go on a power trip to his wives, stating: “Lamech said to his wives: ‘Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold.” (Genesis 4:23-24 ESV). Some have surmised from this that one or both of Lamech’s wives had cheated on him with the young man mentioned, but there is nothing in the passage to indicate that. Either way, he may have been trying to scare them into submission or simply boast. Lamech is twisting God’s words and taking them out of context to fit his own agenda, whatever that may be. Even if Lamech was using this to scare his wives, it seems unlikely that the Bible is promoting it. This passage seems more to show how bad humanity got quickly than to speak directly to gender roles.
Genesis 4:26 ends the chapter with “…At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.” (Genesis 4:26 ESV, BLB), which, while not directly speaking of gender, does give a glimpse of context, as it shows that mankind was not calling on the Lord during the previous passages, which may explain much of their behavior.
Overall, much of the relevant parts of this passage seem to fall under the category of true narrative. The gender roles in this section, especially how women are treated, are somewhat mixed. The Bible does not directly speak to how God perceives these actions here, but other passages would indicate that, rather than condoning them, this section is merely stating facts of what happened in the downward spiral the Fall birthed.
Bibliography
Blue Letter Bible, Hebrew Interlinear, 2025
Christian Standard Bible, 2017
English Standard Version Bible, 2016
Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2010, Crime in the United States, FBI: UCR, https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/offenses-known-to-law-enforcement/expanded/expandhomicidemain
The Jewish Publication Society, 2022, Safaria: Jewish Texts Library, Dictionary of Gender in the Torah, https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/380713?lang=bi&with=AboutSheet
New American Standard Bible, 1995
New American Standard Bible, 2020
New English Translation, 2019
Strong, J. (1890). Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BB10658005
Van Pelt, M. V. (n.d.). English grammar to ace Biblical Hebrew. Zondervan Academic.
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