Gen 4:6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
When I was young, both in the Lord and physically, I often mused over this verse as I found it confusing and wondered at it's meaning.
Theologically I had learned, as can be seen by the context, that both Cain and Abel had offered sacrifices with differing outcomes and devastating results [ultimately]. So I basically understood that it was accepted that all Cain needed to do was offer the right sacrifice to be accepted [although I am led to believe that this is not altogether accepted in all theological circles today, and may never have been since the times of the church councils and such early historical events after the apostles has passed].
So. Do as God wants and all's good. Don't do what God wants... that's bad. No need to discuss any further.
However it still bugged me that I could not makes sense of verse 7, and I know it has bugged many others for, at the age of 23, at Bible college I was taught, "That word should actually be translated "sin offering" and not "sin".
This did not change what I believed or had been taught. However, when I went back to the original [as they suggested they had done] I could not fully substantiate the claim since the original word, or term if you prefer, was used in a broader sense and used for both interpretations. In fact, it appeared to me in my studies, that the word essentially meant "sin" but in an extended sense could mean "sin offering".
So I continued to prayerfully meditate and consider the text, studying whatever material I had available to me, being careful not to be persuaded by any, so that I may be fully convinced on what I had found.
Finally I came up with the following paraphrase/interpretation/translation of the text that I now submit to you for open discussion. This is how I made sense of Genesis 4:7
The Lord said to Cain, "Why are you so angry? If you do right, will you not be accepted? But if you do wrong, sin lies at the door, tempting you, but you have the power to choose."
How do you feel about this paraphrase? Does it help clarify things for you? Do you feel it is a good paraphrase or not? Does it, in your understanding, correctly display the intent of the original?
I, most likely, will not respond since I have written this, not to talk, but to listen lest I have missed something and I take the instruction of Paul, "If something is revealed to another, let the first hold he peace."
So speak freely and debate back and forth if you like. It may all be helpful to me.
I have since discovered that the Bible in Basic English says something similar though not altogether the same.
Gen 4:6 And the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? and why is your face sad?
Gen 4:7 If you do well, will you not have honour? and if you do wrong, sin is waiting at the door, desiring to have you, but do not let it be your master.
Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
When I was young, both in the Lord and physically, I often mused over this verse as I found it confusing and wondered at it's meaning.
Theologically I had learned, as can be seen by the context, that both Cain and Abel had offered sacrifices with differing outcomes and devastating results [ultimately]. So I basically understood that it was accepted that all Cain needed to do was offer the right sacrifice to be accepted [although I am led to believe that this is not altogether accepted in all theological circles today, and may never have been since the times of the church councils and such early historical events after the apostles has passed].
So. Do as God wants and all's good. Don't do what God wants... that's bad. No need to discuss any further.
However it still bugged me that I could not makes sense of verse 7, and I know it has bugged many others for, at the age of 23, at Bible college I was taught, "That word should actually be translated "sin offering" and not "sin".
This did not change what I believed or had been taught. However, when I went back to the original [as they suggested they had done] I could not fully substantiate the claim since the original word, or term if you prefer, was used in a broader sense and used for both interpretations. In fact, it appeared to me in my studies, that the word essentially meant "sin" but in an extended sense could mean "sin offering".
So I continued to prayerfully meditate and consider the text, studying whatever material I had available to me, being careful not to be persuaded by any, so that I may be fully convinced on what I had found.
Finally I came up with the following paraphrase/interpretation/translation of the text that I now submit to you for open discussion. This is how I made sense of Genesis 4:7
The Lord said to Cain, "Why are you so angry? If you do right, will you not be accepted? But if you do wrong, sin lies at the door, tempting you, but you have the power to choose."
How do you feel about this paraphrase? Does it help clarify things for you? Do you feel it is a good paraphrase or not? Does it, in your understanding, correctly display the intent of the original?
I, most likely, will not respond since I have written this, not to talk, but to listen lest I have missed something and I take the instruction of Paul, "If something is revealed to another, let the first hold he peace."
So speak freely and debate back and forth if you like. It may all be helpful to me.
I have since discovered that the Bible in Basic English says something similar though not altogether the same.
Gen 4:6 And the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? and why is your face sad?
Gen 4:7 If you do well, will you not have honour? and if you do wrong, sin is waiting at the door, desiring to have you, but do not let it be your master.