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Genesis 4 Bible study: My brother's keeper
The word "sin" first appears in the Bible as a warning: it crouches at the door, and you are to rule over it. Cain doesn't, and the chapter follows the damage, until, after Seth's son is born, people begin to call on the LORD's name. Abel, who never speaks in Genesis, is still speaking in Hebrews.
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
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“If you do well, won’t it be lifted up? If you don’t do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“The Bible's first use of the word ‘sin’ is in God's warning to Cain.”
Is that in Genesis 4, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Sin at the door
The word "sin" doesn't appear in Genesis 1-3. Its first appearance is here, in God's warning to Cain before anything has happened: "sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it." Sin is pictured like a crouching animal: the same verb is used of Judah as a lion in 49:9. The rare word desire is the same one used in 3:16. God warns Cain, and tells him, "you are to rule over it."
Where it leads to Jesus
Blood that speaks better
Genesis 4:10leads toHebrews 12:24
Abel's blood cries out from the ground. Jesus calls him "righteous Abel", and Hebrews points to "Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel."
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Genesis 4
That was a taste
The rest of Genesis 4 is waiting in Favor
- The same questions again
- A city, music, and a song of revenge
- Abel in the New Testament
- Seventy-seven times
- Calling on the LORD's name
- 11 questions as you read
- 9 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Genesis 4 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
חַטָּאתchatta'tsay khat-TAHT
Sin (Brown-Driver-Briggs), and in the later law also the sin offering. This is its first appearance in the Bible: the word never occurs in Genesis 1-3. It's pictured here like an animal: it "crouches" (rovets, H7257; Strong's: "to crouch (on all four legs folded, like a recumbent animal)") at the door. The same verb is used of Judah as a lion in 49:9.
For your group
Genesis 4 Bible study questions
- 1God warned Cain before he acted: sin crouches at the door, but you are to rule over it. What helps you notice it before it pounces?
- 2"Am I my brother's keeper?" Who has God put in your life to look out for, and how is that going?
- 3Even after the murder, God protected Cain. What does that stir in you: comfort, frustration, or something else?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Genesis 4 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Genesis 4 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Genesis 4 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with Genesis 4
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home