YHWH’s Choice (Gen 4:4–5)

You Can’t Go Home Again

^4-5 YHWH paid attention to Abel and his gift, but not to Cain and his.

וַיִּ֣שַׁע יְ׳הוָ֔ה אֶל־הֶ֖בֶל וְאֶל־מִנְחָתֽוֹ׃ וְאֶל־קַ֥יִן וְאֶל־מִנְחָת֖וֹ לֹ֣א שָׁעָ֑ה

Let’s begin with a quick look at the two Hebrew words I have not translated here (and why). The first is the second occurrence of the key verb in this sentence, שׁעה sh-ayin-h. I played this same trick already back in Gen 1:5, and am playing it again here for the same reason. (For more on the grammar, see Lesson 5 of my Hebrew course, and remember you can watch the first lesson for free here.) The verbs are set up to make sure you understand they did not happen in sequence, but simultaneously. The best way I’ve found to show that in English is simply to let one English verb govern both phrases.

The other word I’ve neglected to translate is מנחתו minḥato ‘his [Cain’s] gift.” In order to translate the Hebrew as I explained in the previous paragraph, I’ve also changed the rhythm of the sentence. The Hebrew sentence ends with לא שׁעה lo sha’ah ‘he [YHWH] did not pay attention’. Having eliminated this thud of negativity at the end of the sentence in order to show that the two verbs did not happen in sequence, I have done something in English that wouldn’t work in Hebrew. Cain’s “gift” has gone missing.

Now let’s pay some attention to the verb that YHWH did (with regard to Abel) and didn’t do (with regard to Cain). It’s a rare verb, occurring no more than a dozen times in the Bible, and just once more in prose:

^{Exod 5:6}      That same day Pharaoh charged the taskmasters and foremen of the people, saying, ⁷ “You shall no longer provide the people with straw for making bricks as heretofore; let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸ But impose upon them the same quota of bricks as they have been making heretofore; do not reduce it, for they are shirkers; that is why they cry, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God!’ ⁹ Let heavier work be laid upon the men; let them keep at it and not pay attention [וְאַל־יִשְׁע֖וּ] to deceitful promises.”