Cain and Abel #2

In this second post about Cain and Abel, we will finish verse 1 (you can find the first part here: https://hebrew-bible.net/2021/10/18/cain-and-abel-part-1-whats-in-a-name/.

Eve is giving birth to Cain and Abel.

What could Eve mean when she says

קָנִיתִי אִישׁ אֶת-יְהוָה?

The heart of the problem is the simple word ְאֵת. In Hebrew it is an object marker. That is, if we replaced the last word, יְהוָה (God), with any other word, Eve’s statement would become straight forward. For instance, if we changed the word from יְהוָה (God) to דוד (David), the sentence would become:

קָנִיתִי אִישׁ אֶת-יְהוָה 

Did she mean she create God? After all, Cain was the first born man. As man was created in the image of God, she might have thought it was a God she created.

Did she name her son after God, and Cain was one of the many of God’s name she knew?

Was she defiant, challenging God, maybe for the pain she had suffered while giving birth as a result of His punishment?

This simple usage of the word אֶת, although natural to the Hebrew language, did not agree with the beliefs and worldview of many Biblical scholars. They preferred and argued that far less common use of the word אֶת, meaning ‘with’ should be used, turning Eve’s words into a call of gratitude:

I created a man with God, and (as a token of gratitude) I call him Cain (to commemorate this creation).

While this may fit the common narrative and the worldview of the scholars, there is no evidence that this opinion is necessarily the correct one. After all, all we have is the text itself.

This interpretation, however, raises a different question:

When she says she made Cain with God, does she hint that Cain was a son of God? This might explain the merciful way in which God treats him after the death of Abel, as we will discuss in a future post.

Using the text to fit your worldview is a common malady, which those who believe that everything in the Bible is intentional and nothing is by chance, should avoid at all cost.

So, if you asked me what was the right interpretation, I would say that the answer is not important. The important thing is the question. Because it is the contemplation on the unknown that gradually leads to understanding. But this is a different type of understanding. It is understanding beyond words, beyond logic. It is a place in which no interpretation and all interpretations are true at the same time. This is where spiritual growth begins.

If you want to take part in an active discussion, please join our free Zoom meetings on: https://www.meetup.com/pro/the-bible-in-hebrew And please feel free to ask questions and share your insight. Here, we are all learning from each other.