Genesis 4:7

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.

📖 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

• 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.'

• 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.

• 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 when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin: and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
• Rom 7:8-9 : 8 But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, worked in me all kinds of covetousness. For without the law, sin was dead. 9 For I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
• Heb 11:4 : 4 By faith Abel offered to 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 still speaks.
• Isa 3:10-11 : 10 Say to the righteous, that it shall be well with him; for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. 11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given to him.
• Mal 1:13 : 13 You said also, Behold, what a weariness it is! and you have sneered at it, says the LORD of hosts; and you brought what was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus you brought an offering: should I accept this from your hand? says the LORD.
• Rom 2:6-9 : 6 Who will render to each person according to his deeds: 7 To those who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life: 8 But to those who are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10 But glory, honor, and peace, to every man who works good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
• Rom 6:16 : 16 Do you not know that to whom you yield yourselves as servants to obey, you are the servants of the one whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
• Mal 1:10 : 10 Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nothing? Neither do you kindle fire on my altar for nothing. I have no pleasure in you, says the LORD of hosts, nor will I accept an offering from your hand.
• Rom 12:1 : 1 I implore you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
• 1 Pet 2:5 : 5 You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
• Acts 10:35 : 35 But in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is accepted by him.
• Jer 6:20 : 20 To what purpose does incense come to me from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor are your sacrifices pleasing to me.
• Mal 1:8 : 8 And if you offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now to your governor; will he be pleased with you, or accept you? says the LORD of hosts.
• Prov 21:27 : 27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with an evil intent?
• Eccl 8:12-13 : 12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and his days are prolonged, yet surely I know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. 13 But it will not be well with the wicked, nor will he prolong his days, which are like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.
• Gen 3:16 : 16 To the woman He said, I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.
• Gen 4:8-9 : 8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and killed him. 9 And the LORD said to Cain, Where is Abel your brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? 10 And he said, What have you done? the voice of your brother's blood cries to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened her mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand; 12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength; a fugitive and a wanderer you shall be on the earth. 13 And Cain said to the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
• Gen 19:21 : 21 And he said to him, See, I have accepted you in this matter also, that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken.
• Num 32:23 : 23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.
• 2 Sam 24:23 : 23 All these things Araunah, as a king, gave to the king. And Araunah said to the king, May the LORD your God accept you.
• 2 Kgs 8:28 : 28 And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramothgilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram.
• Job 29:4 : 4 As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tent;
• Job 42:8 : 8 Therefore take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering, and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your foolishness, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.
• Prov 18:5 : 5 It is not good to show partiality to the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
• Rom 15:16 : 16 That I should be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
• Eph 1:6 : 6 To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.
• 1 Tim 5:4 : 4 But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents, for this is good and acceptable before God.