Genesis 4:7

Context

The verse belongs to the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4. Cain, a tiller of the ground, brought of the fruit of the ground to the Lord, while Abel, a keeper of sheep, brought the firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof. God had respect unto Abel and his offering, but not unto Cain and his offering. Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell (Genesis 4:5). This verse is the closing portion of what God said to Cain at that moment: "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" (Genesis 4:7). In the very next verse, Cain kills Abel in the field. The scene thus depicts a warning that was given but not heeded.

Interpretation

• As warning and exhortation: Many commentators understand "sin" here as a beast crouching at the door, lying in wait for its prey. On this reading, the verse warns Cain to master his anger before it passes into the act of murder.
• In Jewish tradition: Rabbinic literature is known to have read this verse in connection with the "evil inclination" (yetzer hara) within a person.
• In the Arminian and Wesleyan traditions: Arminianism and Wesleyan theology emphasize that God calls on Cain to make a choice. These traditions tend to find in the verse a human responsibility to respond and the possibility of resisting sin with the help of grace.
• In the Calvinist and Reformed tradition: Calvinism holds that a command does not in itself imply the ability to keep it. On this reading, the verse exposes human responsibility after the Fall and thereby shows the need for grace.

Debates and Issues

• Translation questions: The Hebrew word rendered "be accepted" in the KJV (rendered "lift up [the] face" in the Korean Bible) can be translated either as "acceptance" or as "lifting up of the face." The word rendered "lieth" denotes crouching and lying in wait. Some scholars connect it with an ancient Near Eastern expression for a being that lurks at the threshold. "Thou shalt rule" can be read either as a command ("rule over it") or as a promise ("you will rule over it"). The interpretation of this verse is also tied to the debate over predestination and free will.
• Parallel with Genesis 3: "Unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him" uses the same Hebrew words as Genesis 3:16, "thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." For this reason, many interpreters read the two verses together.
• Why the offering was rejected: Sermons in Korean churches often explain that Cain's offering was rejected because it was a grain offering involving no shedding of blood. Other interpreters, however, point to the verse's words "if thou doest well" and conclude that the problem lay in Cain's heart and conduct rather than in the kind of offering.

In the Korean Church

In sermons on anger, envy, and temptation, the expression "sin lieth at the door" is commonly cited as an image of the struggle against sin.

Related Passages

• Genesis 3:16
• Hebrews 11:4
• 1 John 3:12
• James 1:12-14
• 1 Peter 5:8-9