Genesis 4:5
And he has not become dim toward Spearhead or toward the gift of himself. And he is kindling to Spearhead exceedingly, and they are falling, the faces of himself.
And He did not look to Cain and to his offering. And Cain glowed greatly with anger, and his face fell.
but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.
but Cain and his sacrifices he regarded not, and Cain was exceedingly sorrowful and his countenance fell.
Footnotes
| 162b | Hebrew "לא שעה" means "he has not become dim". Strongs #8159. An absolute sense of "dim" or "dull" in relation to the eye is given in Isaiah 32:3. There are only 15 occurrences of the verb. It's not common, and the contexts are generally negative. The definitions given in the lexicons are quite contradictory: "depart, be dim, be dismayed, look away, regard, have respect, spare, turn" |
| 163 | Cain vs. Abel: Who is Who? Hebrew ויחר. and he is kindling/burning. Kindled in a good way, or bad? The Hebrew charah (Strong’s #2734) meaning to kindle, glow, blaze up, has always been interpreted as "anger" and is used of people, not abstract things. It is typically and uniquely expressed as he is kindling to himself or he is kindling his nostril in. For example, “And a nostril of Yahweh is kindling within Moses…” Ex. 4:14 RBT "Yahweh within Moses" would mean Yahweh kindling within Moses. In instances like these translators force the singular masculine Qal form to mean an abstract (causative) “it”. That is, they assume that some “event” or “circumstance” is being referred to by the verb, i.e. it burned to Cain. From this odd conjecture, translators might then change it altogether to a causative “it angered” even though a Hiphil causative verb form is not used here. This is forcing an odd and ambiguous meaning onto a concrete verb in favor of a tradition. How does an “event” burn in anger? This same verb ויחר is used of Jacob in Gen. 30:2 who "kindled in Rachel." |
| 164 | falling. Hebrew naphal, Strong’s #5307. The same root word of Nephalim, the fallen ones. See note on Genesis 6:4. |