Genesis 4

Murdering the Spirit

Welcome to the Daily Bible Chapter. My name is James Leroy Wilson and I invite you to join me as we discover new insights and new perspectives from a very old book.

In this chapter I found the precise, literal, but archaic grammar of Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) hard to follow, so I also used the NRSV (New Revised Standard Version). While it seems that the NRSV is the most accurate modern translation based on the consensus of scholars from a variety of backgrounds and faiths, it is among the versions that have the deplorable practice of interjecting interpretation and opinion in section subheadings, when the initial texts had no subheadings. I mean, really, there is no excuse for that. So I pay no attention to the subheadings.

I find it odd that in verse 4 the YLT says Abel brought a female firstling, whereas the NRSV doesn’t mention that it’s female. That strikes me as a significant detail, because female livestock is of much greater value than male. It could be that the YLT misunderstood the original Hebrew, and the NRSV, which came more than a century after Young’s, is more accurate.

In any case, it’s unclear why either Cain or Abel would bring offerings to Jehovah (known as the LORD in the NRSV). Does Jehovah require this from them? It brings to mind a line from Captain Kirk in Star Trek V: “Why does God…