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The Septuagint 4.1 · 4.1

A man, through the help of God

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Ἀδὰμ δὲ ἔγνω Εὔαν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ συνέλαβεν καὶ ἔτεκεν τὸν Κάιν. καὶ εἶπεν Ἐκτησάμην ἄνθρωπον διὰ τοῦ θεοῦ.

Word by word

ἈδὰμAdàmAdamδὲnowἔγνωégnōknewΕὔανEúanEveτὴνtḕntheγυναῖκαgynaîkawifeαὐτοῦautoûhis,καὶkaìandσυνέλαβενsynélabenconceivedκαὶkaìandἔτεκενétekenboreτὸνtòntheΚάινKáinCain.καὶkaìandεἶπενeîpensaidἘκτησάμηνEktēsámēnI have gottenἄνθρωπονánthrōpona manδιὰdiàthroughτοῦtoûtheθεοῦtheoûGod.

The setting

The chapter opens with the same verb, ἔγνω ("knew"), the LXX's own decorous rendering of the Hebrew euphemism for intercourse (יָדַע, yādaʿ, "to know"), that Matthew later borrows for Joseph and Mary (Matt 1:25, οὐκ ἐγίνωσκεν αὐτήν, "knew her not"). Cain's own name becomes wordplay in his mother's mouth: Ἐκτησάμην, "I have gotten," echoes the Hebrew קָנִיתִי (qānîṯî, "I have acquired, gotten") that gives Cain (קַיִן, Qayin) his name — Eve reads her son's birth as an acquisition made with God's help.

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