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The Septuagint 4.13 · 4.13

My guilt is too great to be forgiven

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καὶ εἶπεν Κάιν πρὸς τὸν κύριον Μείζων ἡ αἰτία μου τοῦ ἀφεθῆναί με.

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καὶkaìandεἶπενeîpensaidΚάινKáinCainπρὸςpròstoτὸνtòntheκύριονkýrionLordΜείζωνMeízōnGreatertheαἰτίαaitíaguiltμουmoumyτοῦtoûtheἀφεθῆναίaphethênaíto be forgivenμεmeme.

The setting

Μείζων ἡ αἰτία μου τοῦ ἀφεθῆναί με, "my guilt is too great to be forgiven," is a construal, not a translation choice free of controversy: the Hebrew עֲוֹנִי (ʿăwōnî) can mean either "my guilt" or "my punishment," and "greater than can be borne" is at least as natural a reading as the LXX's "greater than can be forgiven." The Greek's αἰτία, "cause, guilt, charge," reads Cain as pleading the enormity of his own crime, not merely the weight of his sentence.

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The Septuagint 4.13 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/septuagint/4.13/