King James Version

Genesis 4:15

And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

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Hebrew

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וַיֹּ֧אמֶרvayomerand sayאָמַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and say”, the next action in the storyH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…ל֣וֹlvotoל֣וֹpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “to”toיְהוָ֗הyehvahJehovahיְהֹוָהnoun, proper name — “Jehovah”H3068Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodJehovah, the Lord. Compare H3050 (יָהּ), H3069 (יְהֹוִה).לָכֵן֙lakhento as... asכֵּןpreposition, adverb — “to as... as”H3651properly, set upright; hence (figuratively as adjective) just; but usually (as adverb or conjunction) rightly or so (in various applications to manner, time and relation; often with other particles)[phrase] after that (this, -ward, -wards), as... as, [phrase] (for-) asmuch as yet, [phrase] be (for which) cause, [phrase] following, howbeit, in (the) like (manner, -wise), [idiom] the more, right, (even) so, state, straightway, such (th…כָּלkalallכֹּלnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “all”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3605properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).הֹרֵ֣גhoregdestroyהָרַגverb, qal, participle, construct — “destroy”, a verb used as a describing wordH2026to smite with deadly intentdestroy, out of hand, kill, murder(-er), put to (death), make (slaughter), slay(-er), [idiom] surely.קַ֔יִןqayinCainקַיִןnoun, proper name — “Cain”H7014Kajin, the name of the first child, also of a place in Palestine, and of an Oriental tribeCain, Kenite(-s).שִׁבְעָתַ֖יִםshivatayimsevenשִׁבְעָתַיִםnoun, common, feminine, dual, absolute — “seven”, the ordinary formH7659seven-timesseven(-fold, times).יֻקָּ֑םyuqamavengeנָקַםverb, hophal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “avenge”, an unfinished actionH5358to grudge, i.e. avenge or punishavenge(-r, self), punish, revenge (self), [idiom] surely, take vengeance.וַיָּ֨שֶׂםvayasemand putשׂוּםconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and put”, the next action in the storyH7760to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)[idiom] any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, [phrase] disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, [phrase]…יְהוָ֤הyehvahJehovahיְהֹוָהnoun, proper name — “Jehovah”H3068Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodJehovah, the Lord. Compare H3050 (יָהּ), H3069 (יְהֹוִה).לְקַ֨יִן֙leqayinto Cainקַיִןpreposition, noun, proper name — “to Cain”H7014Kajin, the name of the first child, also of a place in Palestine, and of an Oriental tribeCain, Kenite(-s).א֔וֹתotmarkאוֹתnoun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “mark”, the ordinary formH226a signal (literally or figuratively), as aflag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc.mark, miracle, (en-) sign, token.לְבִלְתִּ֥יleviltito because unבִּלְתִּיpreposition, conjunction — “to because un”H1115properly, a failure of, i.e. (used only as a negative particle, usually with a prepositional prefix) not, except, without, unless, besides, because not, until, etc.because un(satiable), beside, but, [phrase] continual, except, from, lest, neither, no more, none, not, nothing, save, that no, without.הַכּוֹתhakotstrikeנָכָהverb, hiphil, infinitive construct — “strike”, the to-form of the verbH5221to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively)beat, cast forth, clap, give (wounds), [idiom] go forward, [idiom] indeed, kill, make (slaughter), murderer, punish, slaughter, slay(-er, -ing), smite(-r, -ing), strike, be stricken, (give) stripes, [idiom] surely, wound.אֹת֖וֹotvoobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).כָּלkalallכֹּלnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “all”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3605properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).מֹצְאֽוֹmotsevocomeמָצָאverb, qal, participle, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “come”, a verb used as a describing wordH4672properly, to come forth to, i.e. appear or exist; transitively, to attain, i.e. find or acquire; figuratively, to occur, meet or be present[phrase] be able, befall, being, catch, [idiom] certainly, (cause to) come (on, to, to hand), deliver, be enough (cause to) find(-ing, occasion, out), get (hold upon), [idiom] have (here), be here, hit, be left, light (up-) on, meet (with)…

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

And the LORD said unto him: 'Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.' And the LORD set a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

And Jehovah said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And Jehovah appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him.

Young’s Literal Translation

And Jehovah saith to him, 'Therefore — of any slayer of Cain sevenfold it is required;' and Jehovah setteth to Cain a token that none finding him doth slay him.

World English Bible

Yahweh said to him, “Therefore whoever slays Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” Yahweh appointed a sign for Cain, so that anyone finding him would not strike him.

Darby Translation

And Jehovah said to him, Therefore, whoever slayeth Cain, it shall be revenged sevenfold. And Jehovah set a mark on Cain, lest any finding him should smite him.

Douay-Rheims

And the Lord said to him: No, it shall not be so: but whosoever shall kill Cain, shall be punished sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, that whosoever found him should not kill him.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

And the LORD said unto him: 'Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.' And the LORD set a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And the Lord God said to him, Not so, any one that slays Cain shall suffer seven-fold vengeance; and the Lord God set a mark upon Cain that no one that found him might slay him.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ εἴπεν αὐτῷ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς, οὐχ οὕτω· πᾶς ὁ ἀποκτείνας Κάϊν, ἑπτὰ ἐκδικούμενα παραλύσει. Καὶ ἔθετο Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς σημεῖον τῷ Κάϊν, τοῦ μὴ ἀνελεῖν αὐτὸν πάντα τὸν εὑρίσκοντα αὐτόν.