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B. W. Johnson's Bible Commentary

Genesis 4:12

It shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength.

He had been. tiller of the soil, but henceforth his labors would be barren because the earth would refuse to make fruitful returns.. am of the opinion that this means, literally, that he would be banished into. barren region where his labors would meet with scanty reward.

A fugitive and. vagabond shalt thou be.

He would also be. homeless wanderer. Driven from the fertile region where Adam and his descendants were settled, he would find in the inhospitable region to which he would be exiled no suitable spot for. permanent abiding place.

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See also Genesis 4:12 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Genesis 4:12. _A FUGITIVE AND A VAGABOND SHALT THOU BE_] Thou shalt be expelled from the presence of God, and from thy family connections, and shalt have no fixed _secure_ residence in any plac...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    - Section IV - The Family of Adam - Cain and Abel 1. קין _qayı̂n_, Qain (Cain), “spear-shaft,” and קנה _qānah_, “set up, establish, gain, buy,” contain the biliteral root קן _qan_, “set up, erect, g...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 4 After the Fall and the Two Seeds _ 1. Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1)_ 2. Their offerings (Genesis 4:3) 3. The divine remonstrance (Genesis 4:6) 4. Abel slain by his brother ...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    The Story of Cain and Abel. This belongs to the J cycle of stories, but apparently not to the same stratum as Genesis 4:3, for it is assumed that the earth has a population from which Cain fears venge...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    STRENGTH. _Metonymy_ (of the Cause). Strength put for that which it produces....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _when thou tillest_, &c. The meaning is, that when, or if, after this curse, Cain continues to till the ground, the ground will refuse to give a return for his labour. Therefore, he will not be able t...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    PART SEVENTEEN THE BEGINNING OF TRUE RELIGION (Genesis 4:1-15) 1. _Preliminary Definitions_ It is doubtful that there is a more ambiguous word in our language today than the word religion. It has li...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _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._ A fugitive and a vagabond - condemned to perpetual banishme...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    CAIN AND ABEL. THE DESCENDANTS OF CAIN The narrative, which forms part of the Primitive document, impressively shows how sin, having once appeared, became hereditary in the human race, and speedily de...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    GOD’S ANCIENT PEOPLE GENESIS _ALUN OWEN_ CHAPTER 4 CAIN KILLS ABEL V1 Adam had sex with his wife Eve and she became *pregnant. Her son Cain was born. She said, ‘I have gained a man by the *Lord’...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    AND NOW (BECAUSE OF THY CRIME) ART THOU CURSED FROM THE EARTH. — Heb., _from the adâmâh, o_r cultivated ground. Cain was the first human being on whom a curse was inflicted, and it was to rise up from...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    כִּ֤י תַֽעֲבֹד֙ אֶת ־הָ֣ אֲדָמָ֔ה לֹֽא ־תֹסֵ֥

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    CAIN AND ABEL Genesis 4:1 IT is not the purpose of this narrator to write the history of the world. It is not his purpose to write even the history of mankind. His object is to write the history of r...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    CAIN'S LINE, AND ENOCH Genesis 4:12 "MY punishment is greater than I can bear," so felt Cain as soon as his passion had spent itself and the consequences of his wickedness became apparent-and so feel...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    CAIN'S CAREER Genesis 4:9 God's first question to the soul is, “Adam, where art thou?” The next, “Where is thy brother?” We _are_ our brother's keepers. All related to us, within our reach, or needin...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    The degeneration of the first man and woman was transmitted, the firstborn being manifestly an inheritor of the fallen nature of his parents. His mother named him Cain, intimating a hope that the seed...

  • Gary Hampton Commentaries

    HE YET SPEAKS! Abel is dead, but he still speaks (Hebrews 11:4). His blood calls for vengeance, thus speaking (Hebrews 12:24; Genesis 4:10). However, it seems he speaks more clearly through his exampl...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a (l) fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. (l) You will never have rest for your heart will be in co...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    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. Revelation 14:11; Reve...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    There is one characteristic of divine revelation to which attention may be profitably called as a starting point. We have to do with facts. The Bible alone is a revelation of facts, and, we can add (n...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    12._When thou tillest the ground_. This verse is the exposition of the former; for it expresses more clearly what is meant by being cursed _from _the earth, namely, that the earth defrauds its cultiva...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    But grace could work. The grace of a God above the evil of man, and Abel approaches Him by faith. Hereon follows the separation of the families of God and of the enemy, of the world and of faith. Abel...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    WHEN THOU TILLEST THE GROUND,.... Which was the business he was brought up in and followed, Genesis 4:2 IT SHALL NOT HENCEFORTH YIELD UNTO THEE HER STRENGTH; the earth had been cursed for Adam's sin,...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    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. Ver. 12. _A fugitive and a vagabond, &c._] The patriarchs wer...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 The birth, trade, and religion of Cain and Abel. 8 The murder of Abel. 9 The curse of Cain. 17 Enoch the first citie. 19 Lamech and his two wiues. 25 The birth of Seth, 26 and Enos. 1 AND Ada...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

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  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    GOD'S JUDGMENT UPON CAIN...

  • Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures

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    CAIN AND ABEL Adam and Eve, having acquired a sinful nature, could only communicate the same nature to their children. Their firstborn was named Cain, which means "smith" or "fabricator," one who plan...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

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  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    Or, _that ground, _ which doth or shall fall to thy share, besides the first and general curse inflicted upon the whole earth, shall have this peculiar curse added to it, IT SHALL NOT HENCEFORTH YIELD...

  • Notes on the Pentateuch by Charles Henry Mackintosh

    & Genesis 5:1-32 As each section of the Book of Genesis opens before us, we are furnished with fresh evidence of the fact that we are travelling over, what a recent writer has well termed, "the seed-...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Genesis 4:12 When H3588 till H5647 (H8799) ground H127 longer H3254 (H8686) yield H5414 (H8800) strength...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    ‘When you work the ground it will no longer yield to you its fruit, you will be a fugitive and wanderer on the earth.' He is to be banished to a place where the ground is totally unfruitful, driven as...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

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  • Summarized Bible Commentary

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  • The Biblical Illustrator

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  • The Biblical Illustrator

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  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

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  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

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  • The Pulpit Commentaries

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    Lets turn to Genesis Chapter four. Adam and Eve have been expelled from the Garden of Eden because of their disobedience to God. And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

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  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

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  • When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties, Norman L. Geisler and Thomas Howe, 1960

    Why wasn’t Cain given capital punishment for the murder he committed? PROBLEM: In the OT, murderers were given capital punishment for their crime (Genesis 9:6; Exodus 21:12). Yet Cain was not only set...

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