And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Parallel translations
- WEB Again she gave birth, to Cain’s brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
- BSB Later she gave birth to Cain’s brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, while Cain was a tiller of the soil.
- NKJV Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
- NASB And again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a cultivator of the ground.
- NLT Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel. When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Eve bears a second son, Abel, and the two brothers take up shepherding and farming. It introduces the first family and sets the stage for the first conflict.
Overview
Abel becomes a keeper of flocks and Cain a worker of the soil, both honest callings reflecting the labor of a fallen world. Their different occupations frame the offerings each will bring to God. The narrative quickly turns to how each brother relates to God, revealing that the heart, not the vocation, is what matters.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- 1 Jn 3:15Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
- 1 Jn 3:12Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
- Luke 11:51From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
- Gen 47:3And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers.
- 1 Jn 3:10In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
- John 8:44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
- Ps 78:70–72He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:
- Exod 3:1Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
- Gen 46:32–34And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.
- Gen 3:23Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
- Gen 9:20And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
- Amos 7:15And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
- Ps 127:3Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
- Gen 37:13And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.
- Gen 4:25–26And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
- Gen 30:29–31And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 4:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.