Genesis 4 · Verse 5

Genesis 4:5

But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Genesis 4:5, King James Version

Genesis 4:5 in other translations

BSBbut He had no regard for Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell.
WEBbut he didn’t respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell.
ASVbut unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
YLTand unto Cain and unto his present He hath not looked; and it is very displeasing to Cain, and his countenance is fallen.
DARBYand upon Cain, and on his offering, he did not look. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
BBEBut in Cain and his offering he had no pleasure. And Cain was angry and his face became sad.
WebsterBut to Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

What does Genesis 4:5 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 Unto Cain - As being unconscious of his sinfulness, and consequently unhumbled, and to his offering, as not being accompanied, as Abel's was, with faith and a sacrifice for sin, he had not respect - He could not, consistently with his holiness and justice, approve of the one or receive the other. Of the manner in which God testified his approbation we are not informed; it was probably, as in the case of Elijah, by sending down fire from heaven, and consuming the sacrifice. Cain was very wroth - That displeasure which should have been turned against his own unhumbled heart was turned against his innocent brother, who, though not more highly privileged than he, made a much better use of the advantages which he shared in common with his ungodly and unnatural brother.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 4:1-7

When Cain was born, Eve said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. Perhaps she thought that this was the promised seed. If so, she was wofully disappointed. Abel signifies vanity: when she thought she had the promised seed in Cain, whose name signifies possession, she was so taken up with him that another son was as vanity to her. Observe, each son had a calling. It is the will of God for every one to have something…

Read the full comment on Genesis 4:1-7 →

Genesis 4:5 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְאֶל\־ve.'el-and toH413
קַ֥יִןKa.yinCainH7014
וְאֶל\־ve.'el-and toH413
מִנְחָת֖וֹmin.cha.Tooffering hisH4503
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808
שָׁעָ֑הsha.'Ahhe lookedH8159
וַיִּ֤חַרvai.Yi.charand burnedH2734
לְקַ֙יִן֙le.Ka.yinto CainH7014
מְאֹ֔דme.'OdexceedinglyH3966
וַֽיִּפְּל֖וּvai.yi.pe.Luand they fellH5307
פָּנָֽיו\׃pa.Navface hisH6440

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 4:5

  • Hebrews 11:4

    By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

  • Job 5:2

    For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.

  • Isaiah 3:10-11

    Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

  • Luke 15:28-30

    And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

  • Matthew 20:15

    Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?

  • Psalms 20:3

    Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.

  • Acts 13:45

    But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.

  • Numbers 16:15

    And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the Lord, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.

  • Genesis 31:2

    And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.

  • Genesis 31:5

    And said unto them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
But.
Nu 16:15; Heb 11:4
wroth.
31:2,5; Job 5:2; Ps 20:3; Isa 3:10,11; Mt 20:15; Lu 15:28-30
Ac 13:45

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Genesis 4:4

    And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

  • Genesis 4:5

    But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

  • Genesis 4:6

    And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

Read all of Genesis 4

Genesis 4:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Mas no miró propicio á Caín y á la ofrenda suya. Y ensañóse Caín en gran manera, y decayó su semblante.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		mais à Caïn et à son offrande, il n’eut pas égard. Et Caïn fut très irrité, et son visage fut abattu.
German
Elberfelder 1871		aber auf Kain und auf seine Opfergabe blickte er nicht. Und Kain ergrimmte sehr, und sein Antlitz senkte sich.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Ad Cain vero, et ad munera illius non respexit: iratusque est Cain vehementer, et concidit vultus ejus.