Genesis 4:16

Summary

The verse narrates two consecutive actions: Cain leaves the presence of Yehovah, and he settles in a region called Nod, located east of Eden. Both verbs are simple narrative forms describing sequential completed actions in the story.

Key words

• yetze' ("he went out", H3318G) — qal narrative verb; marks the first sequential action, introduced by the narrative va- ("and then...").
• mi-li-fnei ("from before", H9006 + H9005 + H6440H) — a double preposition governing the construct noun fnei ("face of"), literally "from to-the-face-of"; this compound expresses separation from a presence.
• Yehovah (H3068G) — the divine name, the entity from whose "face" or presence Cain departs.
• yeshev ("he dwelt", H3427) — qal narrative verb; the second sequential action, "and then he dwelt."
• qidmat ("east of", H6926) — feminine singular construct noun, linking to 'Eden (H5731B) to form a locational construct phrase, "the east-of Eden."

What the text says

The verse is built on two narrative verbs joined by the vav-narrative chain typical of Hebrew storytelling: yetze' ("he went out") and yeshev ("he dwelt"). Both are third-person masculine singular qal forms, presenting Cain's departure and settlement as two sequential, completed events in the narrative flow.

The phrase mi-li-fnei Yehovah ("from before Yehovah") uses a compound preposition (min + li + the construct noun fnei, "face of") to express spatial or relational separation — literally "from the presence/face of Yehovah." This construction does not specify a manner of departure (e.g., flight, exile) beyond the geographic/relational sense of "away from."

The location is given through a chain of construct nouns: 'eretz-Nod ("land of Nod") specifies where Cain settles, and this is further located by qidmat-'Eden ("east of Eden"), itself a construct phrase using qidmat ("east of," from the root meaning "front" or "before" spatially/temporally) governing 'Eden. The Hebrew text gives no verb of motion between "went out" and "dwelt" beyond these two main verbs — the geographic transition is implied by the construct chain rather than stated explicitly.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders Yehovah (H3068G) as tou theou ("the God"), where the Hebrew has the proper name Yehovah.

The Vulgate adds profugus ("as a fugitive"), a word with no corresponding lexical item in the Hebrew text provided, which only contains yetze' ("he went out") and yeshev ("he dwelt") without any term meaning "fugitive."