Genesis 4 – Line 00089

LINE SOURCE FILE

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INTRO

This file shows what the earliest Hebrew/Greek manuscripts say, word by word, before any interpretation.

PREFACE

This file presents the earliest traceable form of this line, drawn primarily from manuscript sources like the Leningrad Codex.

Where other manuscript witnesses differ or offer meaningful variation (such as the Dead Sea Scrolls or the Samaritan Pentateuch), we remain watchful and will note those cases transparently when identified.

Every word is shown with its full lexical range; without smoothing, interpretation, or insertion.

This is not a translation or conclusion. It is a transparent starting point, open to personal encounter and divine resonance.

We do not treat any human source as final; only as visible reference points for deeper unfolding.

While we strive for care and clarity, any oversight or omission is unintentional, and all work remains open to refinement as understanding grows.

1. ORIGINAL LINE TEXT

Language: Hebrew

Manuscript Source: Leningrad Codex

Line Reference: Genesis 4:9

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל־קַיִן אֵי הֶבֶל אָחִיךָ וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא יָדַעְתִּי הֲשֹׁמֵר אָחִי אָנֹכִי

2. DIRECT TRANSLITERATION

vayomer YHWH el-qayin ei hevel achikha vayomer lo yadati ha-shomer achi anokhi

3. WORD-BY-WORD LEXICAL BREAKDOWN

WORD 1

Original: וַיֹּאמֶר

Transliteration: vayomer

Lexical Root: אמר (amar)

Part of Speech: Verb

Grammatical Info: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular with vav-consecutive

Lexical Range:

to say

to speak

to declare

to express

WORD 2

Original: יְהוָה

Transliteration: YHWH

Lexical Root:;

Part of Speech: Proper noun (Tetragrammaton)

Grammatical Info: Divine name

Lexical Range:

YHWH

the LORD

self-existent one

WORD 3

Original: אֶל־קַיִן

Transliteration: el-qayin

Lexical Root: אל (el) + קין (qayin)

Part of Speech: Preposition + proper noun

Grammatical Info: Directional phrase

Lexical Range:

to Qayin

toward Qayin

WORD 4

Original: אֵי

Transliteration: ei

Lexical Root: אֵי (ei)

Part of Speech: Interrogative particle

Grammatical Info:;

Lexical Range:

where

where is...?

interrogative locator

WORD 5

Original: הֶבֶל

Transliteration: hevel

Lexical Root: הבל (hevel)

Part of Speech: Proper noun

Grammatical Info: Masculine singular

Lexical Range:

Hevel (Abel)

vapor, breath (in abstract usage)

WORD 6

Original: אָחִיךָ

Transliteration: achikha

Lexical Root: אח (ach)

Part of Speech: Noun + pronominal suffix

Grammatical Info: Masculine singular with 2nd person masculine singular suffix

Lexical Range:

your brother

your kin

WORD 7

Original: וַיֹּאמֶר

Transliteration: vayomer

Lexical Root: אמר (amar)

Part of Speech: Verb

Grammatical Info: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular with vav-consecutive

Lexical Range:

and he said

and he replied

WORD 8

Original: לֹא

Transliteration: lo

Lexical Root: לא (lo)

Part of Speech: Negative particle

Grammatical Info:;

Lexical Range:

not

no

WORD 9

Original: יָדַעְתִּי

Transliteration: yadati

Lexical Root: ידע (yada)

Part of Speech: Verb

Grammatical Info: Qal perfect 1st person common singular

Lexical Range:

I knew

I was aware

I experienced

I understood

WORD 10

Original: הֲשֹׁמֵר

Transliteration: ha-shomer

Lexical Root: שׁמר (shamar)

Part of Speech: Noun/participle

Grammatical Info: Masculine singular with interrogative prefix

Lexical Range:

the keeper?

the guard?

the watcher?

one who preserves

WORD 11

Original: אָחִי

Transliteration: achi

Lexical Root: אח (ach)

Part of Speech: Noun + pronominal suffix

Grammatical Info: Masculine singular with 1st person singular suffix

Lexical Range:

my brother

my kin

WORD 12

Original: אָנֹכִי

Transliteration: anokhi

Lexical Root: אנכי (anokhi)

Part of Speech: Pronoun

Grammatical Info: 1st person singular (emphatic form)

Lexical Range:

I

I myself

emphatic first person singular

4. STRUCTURAL NOTES

The verse contains a divine inquiry (“ei Hevel achikha”) and human denial/deflection (“lo yadati… ha-shomer achi anokhi”).

Cain’s reply is composed of two statements: a direct negation of knowledge and a rhetorical question using participial form (“ha-shomer”).

The pronoun “anokhi” serves as an emphatic conclusion, stressing subjectivity.

Parallel to earlier divine interrogatives in Genesis 3:9, 3:11, and 4:6.

5. VARIANT MANUSCRIPT NOTES

No major textual variants are found in Masoretic tradition for this verse.

Septuagint and Samaritan Pentateuch agree closely in structure and phrasing.

Dead Sea Scrolls fragments for this line are not extant or identified to date.

6. STRUCTURAL CONNECTION TO OTHER LINES

Continues direct narrative sequence from Genesis 4:8 (Line_00088).

Lexical echo of “yada” (to know) links back to Genesis 4:1 and anticipates moral accountability themes throughout the Torah.

“Shomer” as a role appears again in Psalm 121 and other protection-based contexts.

7. CAUTIONARY REMINDER

The content above does not represent a translation.

No conclusions, smoothing, or interpretive decisions have been made.

This file serves only to display the original structure and lexical range as transparently as possible.