Genesis 4:7

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

'If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.'

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

הֲל֤וֹא אִם־תֵּיטִיב֙ שְׂאֵ֔ת וְאִם֙ לֹ֣א תֵיטִ֔יב לַפֶּ֖תַח חַטָּ֣את רֹבֵ֑ץ וְאֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ תְּשׁ֣וּקָת֔וֹ וְאַתָּ֖ה תִּמְשָׁל־בּֽוֹ׃

Transliteration

haloʾ if-tetib seʾet and-if not tetib at-the-petaḥ ḥattaʾt robets and-to-you teshuqato and-you timshal-in-him

Grammar Details

• *haloʾ*: interrogative particle - is it not/surely
• *tetib*: hiphil imperfect, 2nd masculine singular - you do well/good
• *seʾet*: qal infinitive construct - lifting up/acceptance
• *petaḥ*: noun, masculine singular - door/opening/entrance
• *ḥattaʾt*: noun, feminine singular - sin/sin offering
• *robets*: qal participle, masculine singular - crouching/lying
• *ʾeleyka*: preposition + 2nd masculine singular suffix - to you
• *teshuqato*: noun, feminine singular + 3rd masculine singular suffix - its desire
• *ʾattah*: 2nd masculine singular personal pronoun - you
• *timshal*: qal imperfect, 2nd masculine singular - will rule/have mastery
• *bo*: preposition + 3rd masculine singular suffix - over it/him

Word Meanings

• *seʾet*: acceptance/lifting up/forgiveness/exaltation
• *ḥattaʾt*: sin/sin offering/punishment for sin
• *robets*: crouching/lying in wait/lurking
• *teshuqato*: its desire/craving/urge
• *timshal-bo*: you will rule over it/you will master it/you must master it

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  If you do well, shall you not be accepted? and if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And unto you shall be his desire, and you shall rule over him.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  If{H518} thou doest well,{H3190} shall it not be lifted{H7613} up? and if thou doest not well,{H3190} sin{H2403} coucheth{H7257} at the door;{H6607} and unto thee shall be its desire;{H8669} but do thou rule{H4910} over it.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  If{H518} thou doest well{H3190}{(H8686)}, shalt thou not be accepted{H7613}? and if thou doest not well{H3190}{(H8686)}, sin{H2403} lieth{H7257}{(H8802)} at the door{H6607}. And unto thee shall be his desire{H8669}, and thou shalt rule{H4910}{(H8799)} over him.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  But and yf thou dost evell by and by thy synne lyeth open in the dore. Not withstondyng let it be subdued vnto the ad see thou rule it.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  but and yf thou do euell, thy synne lyeth open in the dore? Shal he then be subdued vnto the? and wilt thou rule him?

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  If thou do well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sinne lieth at the doore: also vnto thee his desire shalbe subiect, and thou shalt rule ouer him.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  If thou do well, shalt thou not receaue? and yf thou doest not well, lyeth not thy sinne at the doores? Also vnto thee shall his desire be, and thou shalt haue dominion ouer hym.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee [shall be] his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  If you do well, will it not be lifted up? If you don't do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it."

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  Is there not, if thou dost well, acceptance? and if thou dost not well, at the opening a sin-offering is crouching, and unto thee its desire, and thou rulest over it.'

• American Standard Version (1901)

  If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door: and unto thee shall be its desire, but do thou rule over it.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door; and unto thee shall be its desire; but do thou rule over it.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  If you do well, will you not have honour? and if you do wrong, sin is waiting at the door, desiring to have you, but do not let it be your master.

• World English Bible (2000)

  If you do well, will it not be lifted up? If you don't do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it."

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Is it not true that if you do what is right, you will be fine? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it.”

Referenced Verses

• Jas 1:15 : 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.
• Rom 7:8-9 : 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity provided by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. 9 At one time I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin came to life and I died.
• Heb 11:4 : 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God testifying about his gifts; and through faith, even though he is dead, he still speaks.
• Isa 3:10-11 : 10 Tell the righteous that it will go well for them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds. 11 Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them; they will be repaid for their deeds.
• Mal 1:13 : 13 You say, 'What a burden!' and you sniff at it with contempt, says the LORD of Hosts. When you bring stolen, lame, or sick animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands? says the LORD.
• Rom 2:6-9 : 6 He will repay each person according to their deeds. 7 To those who seek glory, honor, and immortality by persistence in doing good, He will give eternal life. 8 But to those who are self-seeking, who disobey the truth and obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does what is evil, first for the Jew, then also for the Gentile. 10 But glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, first for the Jew, then also for the Gentile.
• Rom 6:16 : 16 Do you not know that if you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
• Mal 1:10 : 10 Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors so you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you, says the LORD of Hosts, and I will not accept any offerings from your hands.
• Rom 12:1 : 1 I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercies, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
• 1 Pet 2:5 : 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
• Acts 10:35 : 35 but in every nation, the one who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.
• Jer 6:20 : 20 What use is frankincense brought from Sheba, or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, and your sacrifices do not please me.
• Mal 1:8 : 8 When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you offer lame or sick animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you? says the LORD of Hosts.
• Prov 21:27 : 27 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable, even more when it is brought with evil intent.
• Eccl 8:12-13 : 12 Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and lives a long time, I know that it will be well with those who fear God, who honor Him. 13 But it will not go well for the wicked, nor will they prolong their days like a shadow, because they do not fear God.
• Gen 3:16 : 16 To the woman He said, 'I will greatly increase your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.'
• Gen 4:8-9 : 8 Cain said to his brother Abel, 'Let’s go out to the field.' While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the LORD said to Cain, 'Where is your brother Abel?' He replied, 'I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?' 10 The LORD said, 'What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground.' 11 'Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.' 12 'When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.' 13 Cain said to the LORD, 'My punishment is more than I can bear.'
• Gen 19:21 : 21 He said to him, "Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of.
• Num 32:23 : 23 But if you do not do this, you will have sinned against the Lord. Be sure your sin will find you out.
• 2 Sam 24:23 : 23 Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king." Araunah also said to the king, "May the Lord your God accept you."
• 2 Kgs 8:28 : 28 Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to fight against Hazael, king of Aram, at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram in the battle.
• Job 29:4 : 4 I was as in the prime of my life, when the intimate friendship of God was over my tent.
• Job 42:8 : 8 So now, take seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken the truth about Me as My servant Job has.
• Prov 18:5 : 5 It is not good to show partiality to the wicked or to subvert the justice of the righteous.
• Rom 15:16 : 16 To be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
• Eph 1:6 : 6 to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved.
• 1 Tim 5:4 : 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show respect within their own family and repay their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.