Cain and Abel #3
In this part of this discussion, we explore Gen 4:2 in which we are introduced to the two brothers, Cain and Abel, now adults.
| ב וַתֹּסֶף לָלֶדֶת, אֶת-אָחִיו אֶת-הָבֶל; וַיְהִי-הֶבֶל, רֹעֵה צֹאן, וְקַיִן, הָיָה עֹבֵד אֲדָמָה | |
|---|---|
| And she continued to give birth | וַתֹּסֶף לָלֶדֶת |
| to his brother Abel. The word אֶת as discussed in a previous post, has no equivalent in the English language, and it is mostly used as an object marker. More on that in the following discussion. | – אֶת–אָחִיו אֶת הֶבֶל |
| And Abel would become | וַיְהִי–הֶבֶל |
| רֹעֵה – Someone who takes animals to the field צֹאן – is collective word for sheep and goats | רֹעֵה צֹאן |
| And Cain was | וְקַיִן, הָיָה |
| עֹבֵד – worker אֲדָמָה – soil, land, earth Putting the two words together is an expression meaning a farmer. | עֹבֵד אֲדָמָה |
| 2. And she (Eve) continued to give birth to his brother, (and named him) Abel; and Abel would become a shepherd, and Cain would become a farmer. |