Commentaries Dictionaries Concordances

EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

Genesis 4:17

Cain certainly had many other sons and daughters before he built the city. He built the city after he had lived in Nod for many years.

Continues after advertising

See also Genesis 4:17 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Genesis 4:17. _SHE - BARE ENOCH_] As חנוך _Chanoch_ signifies _instructed, dedicated_, or _initiated_, and especially in sacred things, it may be considered some proof of Cain's repentance, that...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    - XIX. The Line of Cain 17. חניך _ch__e__nôk_, Chanok, “initiation, instruction.” 18. עירד _‛__ı̂yrād_, ‘Irad, “fleet as the wild ass, citizen.” מחוּיאל _m__e_

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 4 After the Fall and the Two Seeds _ 1. Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1)_ 2. Their offerings (Genesis 4:3) 3. The divine remonstrance (Genesis 4:6) 4. Abel slain by his brother ...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    Cainite and Sethite Genealogies. Genesis 4:17 probably belongs to the earliest stratum of J, in which the progress of civilisation is not interrupted by the Flood, and the human race is derived from A...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    ENOCH. Teaching or Initiation. Cain's posterity (verses: Genesis 4:16) comes in "the Generations of the heavens and the earth" (see Structure, p. 5). See App-20. This seed was begotten after the slayi...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _his wife_ On the question, Who was Cain's wife? see note at the beginning of the chapter. If the narrative be homogeneous, she must have been either a daughter of Eve, or of a family of whose contemp...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    The Descendants of Cain: The Genealogy of the Cainites. (J.) See the Special Note on "the Antediluvian Patriarchs," see below. The traditions preserved in this section probably belong to a different...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    AND CAIN, &C.— It is evident from this verse, how brief the narration of Moses is, how he passes over time, and connects events of many years distance. For it is plain, that several years must have pa...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    PART EIGHTEEN THE BEGINNINGS OF HUMAN CULTURE (Genesis 4:16-24) 1. _The Patriarchal Age_ The story of Cain and Abel introduces the Patriarchal form of government and worship. Family government is th...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _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._ And Cain knew his wife. Her name is traditionall...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    CAIN AND ABEL. THE DESCENDANTS OF CAIN The narrative, which forms part of the Primitive document, impressively shows how sin, having once appeared, became hereditary in the human race, and speedily de...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    BUILDED A CITY] The 'city' of course would be a collection of huts surrounded by a defensive palisade....

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    CAIN AND HIS DESCENDANTS. (17) CAIN KNEW HIS WIFE. — As Jehovah had told Eve that He would “greatly multiply her conception” (Genesis 3:16), we cannot doubt but that a numerous offspring had grown up...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וַ יֵּ֤דַע קַ֨יִן֙ אֶת ־אִשְׁתֹּ֔ו וַ תַּ֖הַר

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    CAIN'S LINE, AND ENOCH Genesis 4:12 "MY punishment is greater than I can bear," so felt Cain as soon as his passion had spent itself and the consequences of his wickedness became apparent-and so feel...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    CAIN AND ABEL Genesis 4:1 IT is not the purpose of this narrator to write the history of the world. It is not his purpose to write even the history of mankind. His object is to write the history of r...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    CAIN'S CAREER Genesis 4:9 God's first question to the soul is, “Adam, where art thou?” The next, “Where is thy brother?” We _are_ our brother's keepers. All related to us, within our reach, or needin...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    The degeneration of the first man and woman was transmitted, the firstborn being manifestly an inheritor of the fallen nature of his parents. His mother named him Cain, intimating a hope that the seed...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a (p) city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. (p) Thinking by this to be safe, and to have l...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    His wife. She was a daughter of Adam, and Cain's own sister; God dispensing with such marriages in the beginning of the world, as mankind could not otherwise be propagated. --- He built a city, viz. I...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    There is one characteristic of divine revelation to which attention may be profitably called as a starting point. We have to do with facts. The Bible alone is a revelation of facts, and, we can add (n...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    17._And Cain knew his wife_. From the context we may gather that Cain, before he slew his brother, had married a wife; otherwise Moses would now have related something respecting his marriage; because...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    But grace could work. The grace of a God above the evil of man, and Abel approaches Him by faith. Hereon follows the separation of the families of God and of the enemy, of the world and of faith. Abel...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    AND CAIN KNEW HIS WIFE,.... Who this woman was is not certain, nor whether it was his first wife or not; whether his sister, or one that descended from Adam by another of his sons, since this was abou...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    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. Ver. 17. _And he builded a city._] So, many drown...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 The birth, trade, and religion of Cain and Abel. 8 The murder of Abel. 9 The curse of Cain. 17 Enoch the first citie. 19 Lamech and his two wiues. 25 The birth of Seth, 26 and Enos. 1 AND Ada...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived and bare Enoch. Since of one blood all nations of men are made to dwell on the earth, it was necessary, in the early days, for brothers and sisters to marry....

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    THE PASSOVER AND THE OFFERING WHICH FOLLOWED IT These are the feasts of the Lord, in the narrower sense, EVEN HOLY CONVOCATIONS, WHICH YE SHALL PROCLAIM IN THEIR SEASONS. This instruction was carried...

  • Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures

    SECOND SECTION _Cain and Abel. The Cainites. The ungodly Worldliness of the First Civilization._ GENESIS 4:1-26 1And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived, and bare Cain [the gotten, or possessi...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    CAIN AND ABEL Adam and Eve, having acquired a sinful nature, could only communicate the same nature to their children. Their firstborn was named Cain, which means "smith" or "fabricator," one who plan...

  • Marginal Notes in the King James Version (1611)

    ENOCH: _ Heb._ Chanoch...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    16-18 Cain cast off all fear of God, and attended no more on God's ordinances. Hypocritical professors, who dissemble and trifle with God, are justly left to themselves to do something grossly scanda...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    _ circ. 3875_ CAIN KNEW HIS WIFE; of which phrase SEE POOLE ON "GENESIS 4:1". HE BUILT A CITY; partly to divert his troubled mind with business and pleasure, and partly for his own security against th...

  • Notes on the Pentateuch by Charles Henry Mackintosh

    & Genesis 5:1-32 As each section of the Book of Genesis opens before us, we are furnished with fresh evidence of the fact that we are travelling over, what a recent writer has well termed, "the seed-...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Genesis 4:17 Cain H7014 knew H3045 (H8799) wife H802 conceived H2029 (H8799) bore H3205 (H8799) Enoch...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    Genesis 4:17 . THE LINE OF CAIN. The following account was probably originally a second covenant record. It is built around the covenant recognised between Lamech and Yahweh, but in view of its refere...

  • Scofield's Bible Commentary

    BUILDED A CITY The first civilization, that which perished in the judgment of the Flood, was Cainitic in origin, character, and destiny. Every element of material civilization is mentioned in verses...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Genesis 4 I. From the story of Cain we gather the following thoughts: I. Eve's disappointment at the birth of Cain should be a warning to all mothers. Over-estimate of children may be traced somet...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: First sons of Adam, Cain and Abel. Murder of Abel. First civilization. Birth of Seth. CHARACTERS: Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, Seth. CONCLUSION: Attainment can never take the place of Atonement....

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Genesis 4:1. _I have gotten._ קניתי _kaniti,_ from the root _kana,_ he possessed. The LXX have betrayed their ignorance of the Eternal Word, or Wisdom, by frequently rendering this word _created._ God...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Built a city_ THE FIRST CITY It was a very decided step towards civilization, when the idea of building a city was first conceived and realized. The roaming life of the homeless savage was abandone...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Cain went out from the presence of the Lord_ THE FUTURE OF A GOD-FORSAKEN LIFE I. THAT A GOD-FORSAKEN MAN IS NOT CUT OFF FROM THE MITIGATING INFLUENCES OF DOMESTIC LIFE. 1. Here the future of the...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    GENESIS—NOTE ON GENESIS 4:17 CAIN KNEW HIS WIFE. Presumably, Cain married his sister, since the whole human race descends from Adam and Eve (see Genesis 5:4). The later laws forbi

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    _MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Genesis 4:16_ THE FUTURE OF A GOD-FORSAKEN LIFE I. That a God-forsaken man is not cut off from the mitigating influences of domestic life. 1. _Here the future of...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION GENESIS 4:17 Domiciled in Nod, whither, impelled by woman's love, his wife had accompanied him, the unhappy fugitive began to seek, if not to find, relief from the gnawing agonies of remor...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Lets turn to Genesis Chapter four. Adam and Eve have been expelled from the Garden of Eden because of their disobedience to God. And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Enoch. Genesis 5:18 Genesis 5:22 and he. Genesis 11:4 Ecclesiastes 2:4...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    And he builded a city — In token of a settled separation from the church of God. And here is an account of his posterity, at least the heirs of his family, for seven generations. His son was Enoch, of...

  • When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties, Norman L. Geisler and Thomas Howe, 1960

    Where did Cain get his wife? PROBLEM: There were no women for Cain to marry. There was only Adam, Eve (Genesis 4:1), and his dead brother Abel (Genesis 4:8). Yet the Bible says Cain married and had c...

Continues after advertising