GENESIS 4:12

KING JAMES VERSION (KJV)

TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT

WORDS OF GOD IN RED

After Cain murders his brother Abel, God condemns Cain to laboring upon the earth relentlessly. This verse as well as Genesis 9:25, known as The Curse of Canaan, have been used to justify the practice of slavery.

To get what Genesis 4:12 means in detail, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context and relative popularity.

When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

Very high popularity: 880 searches a month
Popularity relative to other verses in Genesis chapter 4 using average monthly Google searches.

Genesis 4:12 Translation & Meaning

What does this verse really mean? Use this table to get a word-for-word translation of the original Hebrew Scripture. This shows the English words related to the source biblical texts along with brief definitions. Follow the buttons in the right-hand column for detailed definitions and verses that use the same root words. Use this reference information to gain deeper insight into the Bible and enrich your understanding. Information based on Strong's Exhaustive Concordance[1].

KJV Verse Original Hebrew Meaning/ Definition
This is a simplified translation of the original Hebrew word. Follow the buttons on the right to get more detail.
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Use the buttons below to get details on the Hebrew word and view related Bible verses that use the same root word.
When כִּ֤י (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed When
thou tillest תַֽעֲבֹד֙ To work (in any sense); by implication, to serve, till, (causatively) enslave, etc tillest
the ground, הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה Soil (from its general redness) ground
it shall not לֹֽא Not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles not
henceforth תֹסֵ֥ף To add or augment (often adverbial, to continue to do a thing) henceforth
yield תֵּת To give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.) yield
unto thee her strength; כֹּחָ֖הּ Vigor, literally (force, in a good or a bad sense) or figuratively (capacity, means, produce); also (from its hardiness) a large lizard strength
a fugitive נָ֥ע To waver, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively (as subjoined) fugitive
and a vagabond וָנָ֖ד To nod, i.e., waver; figuratively, to wander, flee, disappear; also (from shaking the head in sympathy), to console, deplore, or (from tossing the head in scorn) taunt vagabond
shalt thou be תִּֽהְיֶ֥ה To exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary) shalt thou be
in the earth. בָאָֽרֶץ׃ The earth (at large, or partitively a land) earth

Verse Context

See Genesis 4:12 with its adjacent verses in bold below. Follow either of the two large buttons below to see these verses in their broader context of the King James Bible or a Bible concordance.

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  • 10  And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

  • 11  And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;

  • 12  When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

  • 13  And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.

  • 14  Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.




Sources:

The King James Bible (1611) and Strong's Concordance (1890) with Hebrew and Greek dictionaries are sourced from the BibleForgeDB database (https://github.com/bibleforge) within the BibleForge project (http://bibleforge.com). Popularity rankings are based on search volume data from the Google AdWords Keyword Planner tool.


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