Genesis 4:26

Summary

The verse reports the birth of Seth's son, whom he names Enosh ('Enosh, H0583). It then states that "then" ('az, H0227A) calling on the name of Yehovah (H3068G) was begun. The Hebrew grammar leaves the subject of this "beginning" unspecified, using passive verb forms throughout the verse.

Key words

• yulad ("he was born", H3205) — pual (intensive passive) perfect; the son is the grammatical subject who "was born," with no agent named.
• 'Enosh ("Enosh", H0583) — proper name; shares the same root sense as "man/mankind" (H0583), though here functioning strictly as a personal name.
• huchal ("it was begun", H2490C) — hophal (causative passive) perfect; a passive form with no explicit subject — the text does not say who began the action.
• liqro' ("to call", H7121G) — qal infinitive construct; paired with huchal to express "it was begun to call," i.e., the beginning of an action of calling.
• beshem ("in/on the name of", construct of H8034) — construct noun + preposition, forming the fixed expression "to call on the name of" Yehovah.

What the text says

The verse divides into two clauses connected by the narrative vav (va-, H9001) on yiqra' ("and he called," H7121H). The first clause states that a son yulad ("was born," H3205) to Seth — a pual passive that foregrounds the birth event rather than an agent — after which Seth yiqra' ("called," H7121H) his name Enosh, using the qal active form since Seth is the clear subject here.

The second clause, introduced by the adverb 'az ("then," H0227A), shifts register: huchal ("it was begun," H2490C) is a hophal (causative passive) perfect. Hophal forms in Biblical Hebrew regularly suppress the agent — the text states that a beginning occurred, without grammatically naming who did the beginning. This impersonal passive is followed by the qal infinitive liqro' ("to call," H7121G), producing the sense "then it was begun, [namely] to call," and the object of that calling is beshem Yehovah ("on the name of Yehovah," H8034/H3068G).

Differences between versions

The Hebrew's impersonal passive (huchal, "it was begun") without a stated subject contrasts with both the LXX and the Vulgate, which supply an explicit subject. The LXX reads houtos ēlpisen epikaleisthai ("this one hoped to call upon"), making Enosh himself the one who hoped/began the action, and uses "hoped" (ēlpisen) rather than a verb of beginning. The Vulgate similarly reads iste coepit invocare ("this one began to invoke"), also assigning the action to "this one" (Enosh) rather than leaving it impersonal as the Hebrew hophal does.