THE OFFERING OF ABEL (GEN 4:4): A HISTORY OF INTERPRETATION

Jack P. Lewis

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Biblical Studies and Interpretation Reformation and Early Modern Christianity Qur’anic Interpretation Studies

Abstract

The name Hebel (Gen 4:2, 4, 8 -9 , 25; pausai 4:2) is unexplained in the OT, but a substantive hebel occurs seventy-three t imes in the MT signifying breath, vapor, vanity. Whether there is a connection between the name and the substantive is debated. The Great Bible, the Geneva Bible and the Bishops' Bible spelled the name Habel, but the Douay used as did the KJV and the major English Bibles since. The story of Abel's offering, presupposing without narra t ion the practice of sacrifice, is told simply. is a keeper of sheep: Abel brought the of his flock and of their portions. The Lord had regard for and his (4:4). A hiphil form of bo, a verb tha t is by no means limited to sacrificial contexts but occurs too often in them to need listing, describes the bringing of both Cain's and Abel's offerings. The Greek renders both cases by an aorist form of phero, while the Latin uses different forms of off ero in each case. The Hebrew narrat ive uses two key words describing Abel's offering not found concerning Cain's offering of fruit of the ground. They are firstlings (bekorot; cf. Exod 34:19; Deut 12:6; 14:23) and fat (heleb; cf. Num 18:17). Both, joined by a conjunction tha t possibly is explanatory, are significant words in later Torah sacrificial instructions. The narrat ive has a double chiastic arrangement, beginning and ending with mentioning Cain (Gen 4:1-5). The verb saâ (gaze intently) occurs fifteen t imes in the OT with God as the subject (Job 7:19; 14:6; Ps 39:14; etc.). Theodotion used a form of empyrizo (burn), probably due to confusing ys with sh. In the text the Lord regards both and his offering but does not regard either Cain or his offering. Apart from this episode (Gen 4:3-5) minhâ (offering) occurs in Genesis for gifts like those Jacob offered Esau (32:14, 19, 21-22 ; 33:10) and those

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2016Cain and Vulnerability: The Reception of Cain in Genesis Rabbah 22 and Targum Onkelos, Targum Neofiti and Targum Pseudo-Jonathan

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