Parashat Bereshit — Fourth Aliyah

Torah with Onkelos · Bereshit 3:22 – 4:18 · פרשת בראשית, רביעי

The expulsion from Eden, Kayin and Hevel, and the line of Kayin, read through Targum Onkelos

Contents

• Orientation
• How this page is laid out
• Unit 1 — Bereshit 3:22–24: The man sent out of the Garden
• Unit 2 — Bereshit 4:1–9: Kayin and Hevel
• Unit 3 — Bereshit 4:10–18: Kayin’s sentence, his departure and his descendants
• Conclusion of the aliyah
• Aramaic word list for the aliyah
• Source note

Orientation

What happens in this aliyah. Hashem God declares that the man has come to know good and evil and must not take from the Tree of Life. He sends him out of the Garden of Eden to till the soil and stations the Cherubim and the sword to guard the way to the tree. Chavah bears Kayin and Hevel; both bring offerings, and only Hevel’s is regarded. Hashem warns the angry Kayin, but Kayin kills his brother in the field and denies knowing where he is. Hashem confronts him over Hevel’s blood, curses him from the ground and condemns him to wander. Kayin protests, receives a protective mark, and settles east of Eden, where his line continues through Chanoch to Lemech.

What Onkelos is. Targum Onkelos is the classical Aramaic translation of the Torah, read for centuries alongside the Hebrew; the Talmud speaks of reviewing the weekly portion “twice in the Hebrew and once in the Targum”. Because it is a translation, it rarely adds explanation in so many words. Its interpretation lies in its choices: which Aramaic word it uses, where it adds or omits a word, how it handles a difficult phrase, and where it departs from a word-for-word rendering.

How this page reads Onkelos. The notes compare the Aramaic with the Hebrew and nothing else. No later commentators are brought in. Where a note draws a conclusion about what Onkelos meant, it is stated as an inference from the text, not as established fact.

What to look out for in this aliyah.

• Language that sets man beside God. “Like one of us” (כְּאַחַד מִמֶּנּוּ) becomes “unique in the world, from himself” (יְחִידַי בְּעַלְמָא מִנֵּהּ), and the man “taken” from the soil becomes the man “created” from it (דְּאִתְבְּרִי).
• “Before” Hashem. Phrases that relate a person or an act directly to Hashem are recast with קֳדָם, “before”: a child obtained “(from) before Hashem”, an offering “before Hashem”, speech and crying “before” Him, and Kayin leaving “from before Hashem”.
• Actions of God recast. Hashem “paying regard” becomes “there was favor from before Hashem” (4:4, 4:5), and Kayin’s “from Your face I am to be hidden” becomes “from before You it is not possible to be hidden” (4:14).
• An expanded warning. The terse Hebrew of 4:7 becomes an explicit statement about deeds, forgiveness, the day of judgment and repentance.
• Crime and punishment spelled out. The blood of the descendants destined to come from Hevel (4:10), a sin “too great to forgive” (4:13), retribution over seven generations (4:15), and Nod as “the land of exile and wandering” (4:16).
• Steady word choices. One Aramaic root each for “till” (לְמִפְלַח), “guard” (לְמִיטַר) and “kill”, and one noun, אַרְעָא, for both “ground” and “earth”.
• Close renderings. Much of the narrative, the murder, Kayin’s reply and the closing genealogy, is almost word for word, and the sound-link of Kayin’s name with קָנִיתִי is kept.

How this page is laid out

For each verse:

• Torah — the Hebrew verse, with vowels and cantillation, followed by an English Translation of the Hebrew (Metsudah Chumash).
• Onkelos — the Aramaic of Targum Onkelos, followed by Onkelos in English, a close translation of the Aramaic. It uses the same wording as the Torah translation wherever the Aramaic says the same thing, so that the differences from the Hebrew can be seen. Words in square brackets are added for sense.
• What Onkelos tells us — editorial notes comparing the Aramaic with the Hebrew: what is translated literally, what is changed or added, and what that suggests about how Onkelos read the verse. Selected Aramaic words are listed with their Hebrew equivalents.

Each unit ends with a short Unit summary. The page ends with a review of the aliyah and an Aramaic word list.

Divine Names in the Hebrew and Aramaic are printed as ה׳ and אלקים. In English, God’s proper Name is rendered Hashem, and Elokim is rendered God.

Unit 1 — Bereshit 3:22–24: The man sent out of the Garden

Hashem God declares that the man has come to know good and evil and must not take from the Tree of Life. He sends him out of the Garden of Eden to till the soil and stations the Cherubim and the sword to guard the way to the Tree of Life.

Bereshit 3:22

Torah

Translation

Hashem God said, Behold, the man has become like one of us to know [what is] good and [what is] evil. Now he must be prevented from reaching out his hand and also taking from the Tree of Life and eat [from it] and live forever.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Hashem God said, Behold, the man has become unique in the world, from himself, to know good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the Tree of Life and eat and live forever.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Unique in the world”. The Hebrew says the man has become “like one of us” (כְּאַחַד מִמֶּנּוּ). Onkelos has יְחִידַי בְּעַלְמָא, “unique in the world”. The comparison (“like”) is gone, and so is any phrase setting the man beside a plural “us”. In its place the Aramaic says that the man stands alone in the world. This may indicate a wish to avoid language that could be read as likening a human being to God or as implying more than one divine being.
• “From himself”. The Hebrew מִמֶּנּוּ is a homograph: it can mean “from us” (first person plural, as in the reading “one of us”) or “from him” (third person singular). Onkelos renders מִנֵּהּ, “from him”, so that the man is unique in knowing good and evil of himself. This suggests that he read the word as third person singular.
• “Lest he reach out”. פֶּן is דִּילְמָא, “lest”. For יִשְׁלַח, “send forth”, Onkelos has יוֹשִׁיט, “reach out”, from a different root. In the Hebrew the root שלח links the man reaching out his hand here with Hashem sending him out in the next verse (וַיְשַׁלְּחֵהוּ); in the Aramaic only the second keeps שלח (וְשַׁלְּחֵהּ), so the wordplay is partly lost.
• “The Tree of Life”. Otherwise the verse is literal: עֵץ is מֵאִילָן (with the prefix “from”), the Aramaic word for tree, and וְיֵכוּל וִיחֵי renders “and eat and live”.

Words to note: יְחִידַי yehidai — unique (כְּאַחַד) · בְּעַלְמָא be-‘alma — in the world · מִנֵּהּ minneh — from himself (literally “from him”) (מִמֶּנּוּ) · דִּילְמָא dilma — lest (פֶּן) · יוֹשִׁיט yoshit — he reach out (יִשְׁלַח) · מֵאִילָן me-ilan — from the Tree (מֵעֵץ)

Bereshit 3:23

Torah

Translation

[Therefore] Hashem God sent him out of the Garden of Eden, to till the soil from which he was taken.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Hashem God sent him out of the Garden of Eden, to till the soil from which he was created.

What Onkelos tells us

• “From which he was created”. The Hebrew says the man “was taken” (לֻקַּח) from the soil. Onkelos has דְּאִתְבְּרִי, “which he was created”, from the root ברא. The image of the man being taken from the earth becomes a statement that he was created from it; this may reflect a reluctance to describe God’s act in physical terms.
• “To till”. לַעֲבֹד is לְמִפְלַח, from פלח. The same Aramaic root renders עֹבֵד in 4:2 (פָלַח), and in 4:12 (תִפְלַח), so Onkelos uses one root for all three occurrences of עבד “till” in this aliyah (3:23, 4:2, 4:12).
• “Sent him out”. וְשַׁלְּחֵהּ keeps the Hebrew root שלח; see the note on 3:22.
• Textual note. For יַת אַדְמְתָא, “the soil”, the Yemenite text reads בְּאַרְעָא, “in the land”, with the general Aramaic word for land or earth (the same phrase as in 4:2). The printed text keeps אַדְמְתָא, a word that corresponds directly to the Hebrew הָאֲדָמָה; the note on the root פלח holds for both texts.

Words to note: וְשַׁלְּחֵהּ ve-shalleheh — sent him out (וַיְשַׁלְּחֵהוּ) · לְמִפְלַח le-miflah — to till (לַעֲבֹד) · אַדְמְתָא admeta — the soil (הָאֲדָמָה) · דְּאִתְבְּרִי de-itberi — from which he was created (לֻקַּח)

Bereshit 3:24

Torah

Translation

He banished the man [from the Garden] and at the east of the Garden of Eden He stationed the Cherubim and the flame of the rotating sword, to guard the way to the Tree of Life.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

He banished the man, and from before, at the Garden of Eden, He stationed the Cherubim and the edge of the rotating sword, to guard the way to the Tree of Life.

What Onkelos tells us

• “From before”. The Hebrew מִקֶּדֶם can mean “at the east” or “from before” (in time or place). Onkelos has מִלְּקַדְמִין, from the root קדם, which in Aramaic means “before” and “first”. The word may point to time (“from of old”) rather than direction; the translation “from before” keeps the ambiguity. In 4:16, however, the same word renders the place-word קִדְמַת, “east of”, so the temporal reading here remains only a possibility.
• “The edge of the rotating sword”. The Hebrew לַהַט is a “flame”. Onkelos has שְׁנַן, “edge” (literally “sharpness”), of the sword. The fiery image becomes the blade itself, perhaps reading the “flame” as the sword’s gleaming edge.
• “To guard”. לִשְׁמֹר is לְמִיטַר, from נטר. Onkelos uses the same root for הֲשֹׁמֵר, “keeper”, in 4:9 (הֲנָטֵר).
• “He banished”. Otherwise literal: וַיְגָרֶשׁ is וְתָרִךְ, וַיַּשְׁכֵּן is וְאַשְׁרֵי, “stationed” (literally “caused to dwell”), and דֶּרֶךְ is אוֹרַח, “the way”.

Words to note: וְתָרִךְ ve-tarikh — He banished (וַיְגָרֶשׁ) · וְאַשְׁרֵי ve-ashrei — He stationed (וַיַּשְׁכֵּן) · מִלְּקַדְמִין mi-le-kadmin — from before [or: east of] (מִקֶּדֶם) · שְׁנַן shenan — edge (לַהַט) · לְמִיטַר le-mitar — to guard (לִשְׁמֹר) · אוֹרַח orah — the way (דֶּרֶךְ)

Unit 1 summary

In this unit Onkelos makes several careful changes to language that touches on God and on the man’s origin. “Like one of us” (כְּאַחַד מִמֶּנּוּ) becomes “unique in the world, from himself” (יְחִידַי בְּעַלְמָא מִנֵּהּ): the comparison with a plural “us” disappears, and the ambiguous מִמֶּנּוּ is read as “from him” rather than “from us”. The soil from which the man “was taken” becomes the soil from which he “was created” (דְּאִתְבְּרִי). The “flame” of the sword becomes its “edge” (שְׁנַן), and the Hebrew מִקֶּדֶם is rendered with מִלְּקַדְמִין, a word that can point to time as well as place. The Hebrew wordplay on שלח, the man reaching out his hand and then being sent out, survives only in part, since the hand is “reached out” with a different verb. Elsewhere the rendering is close: עבד “till” becomes פלח, and שמר “guard” becomes נטר.

Unit 2 — Bereshit 4:1–9: Kayin and Hevel

Chavah bears Kayin and Hevel; both bring offerings, and only Hevel’s is regarded. Hashem warns the angry Kayin, but Kayin kills his brother in the field and denies knowing where he is.

Bereshit 4:1

Torah

Translation

The man knew his wife, Chavah. She conceived and she gave birth to Kayin, and she said, I have obtained a man with Hashem.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

The man knew his wife, Chavah. She conceived and she gave birth to Kayin, and she said, I have obtained a man (from) before Hashem.

What Onkelos tells us

• “(From) before Hashem”. The Hebrew אֶת ה׳ is usually understood as “with Hashem”. Onkelos has (מִן) קֳדָם ה׳, “from before Hashem”. Instead of the woman obtaining a man together “with” Hashem, the child comes “from before” Him; this may indicate a wish to avoid language that seems to make a human a partner of God. The word (מִן) stands in parentheses in the printed text.
• “I have obtained”. The verb קָנִיתִי is identical in the Hebrew and the Aramaic, so the sound-link between Kayin’s name (קַיִן) and this verb is kept.
• “A man”. אִישׁ is גַּבְרָא, and וַתַּהַר is וְעַדִּיאַת, “she conceived”. Otherwise literal.
• Textual note. The Yemenite text has מִן, “from”, without parentheses, so it reads plainly “from before Hashem”.

Words to note: וְעַדִּיאַת ve-‘addi’at — she conceived (וַתַּהַר) · קָנִיתִי kaniti — I have obtained (קָנִיתִי) · גַּבְרָא gavra — a man (אִישׁ) · קֳדָם kodam — before (אֶת)

Bereshit 4:2

Torah

Translation

She gave birth again, to his brother Hevel. Hevel became a shepherd, but Kayin was a worker of the soil.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

She gave birth again, to his brother Hevel. Hevel became a shepherd, but Kayin was a worker in the soil.

What Onkelos tells us

• “A worker in the soil”. The Hebrew construct עֹבֵד אֲדָמָה, “a worker of the soil”, becomes פָלַח בְּאַרְעָא, a participle with the preposition “in”. As in 3:23, עבד “till” is rendered with פלח. For אֲדָמָה Onkelos uses the general Aramaic word for land or earth, here and in 4:3 (דְאַרְעָא), while the printed text of 3:23 has אַדְמְתָא.
• “Gave birth again”. Otherwise literal: וַתֹּסֶף לָלֶדֶת is וְאוֹסִיפַת לְמֵילַד, “she continued to give birth”, and רֹעֵה צֹאן is רָעֵי עָנָא, “a shepherd of the flock”.

Words to note: וְאוֹסִיפַת ve-osifat — again (literally “she continued”) (וַתֹּסֶף) · רָעֵי ra’ei — a shepherd (רֹעֵה) · פָלַח falah — a worker (עֹבֵד) · בְּאַרְעָא be-ar’a — in the soil (אֲדָמָה)

Bereshit 4:3

Torah

Translation

In the course of time, Kayin brought some fruit of the soil as an offering to Hashem.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

In the course of time, Kayin brought some fruit of the soil as an offering before Hashem.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Before Hashem”. The Hebrew לַה׳ is “to Hashem”. Onkelos has קֳדָם ה׳, “before Hashem”: the offering is brought into Hashem’s presence rather than directly “to” Him. Together with 4:1 and 4:4, this is one of three places in this unit (4:1-9) where Onkelos adds קֳדָם in a phrase about Hashem.
• “An offering”. מִנְחָה is תִּקְרוּבְתָּא, a noun from a root meaning “bring near”. In 4:4 and 4:5 the printed text renders מִנְחָתוֹ with a different noun from the same root, וּבְּקוּרְבָּנֵהּ.
• “In the course of time”. מִקֵּץ יָמִים is מִסּוֹף יוֹמִין, literally “at the end of days”, a literal rendering; מִפְּרִי is מֵאִבָּא, “some fruit”.
• Textual note. For תִּקְרוּבְתָּא the Yemenite text reads קוּרְבָּנָא, the same noun that both texts use in 4:4 and 4:5. In the Yemenite text, therefore, one Aramaic noun renders מִנְחָה throughout; the contrast of two nouns noted above holds for the printed text only.

Words to note: מִסּוֹף missof — in the course of (literally “at the end of”) (מִקֵּץ) · וְאַיְתִי ve-aiti — brought (וַיָּבֵא) · מֵאִבָּא me-ibba — some fruit (מִפְּרִי) · תִּקְרוּבְתָּא tikruvta — an offering (מִנְחָה)

Bereshit 4:4

Torah

Translation

Hevel also brought from the firstborn of his flock, from the best thereof. Hashem paid regard to Hevel and to his offering.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Hevel also brought from the firstborn of his flock, and from their fat ones. And there was favor from before Hashem with Hevel and with his offering.

What Onkelos tells us

• “There was favor from before Hashem”. The Hebrew וַיִּשַׁע ה׳ אֶל has Hashem as the subject of a verb, “paid regard to”. Onkelos recasts it impersonally: וַהֲוַת רַעֲוָא מִן קֳדָם ה׳, “there was favor from before Hashem”. The action is no longer described as Hashem turning toward Hevel; this suggests a wish to soften language that portrays God physically turning or looking.
• “From their fat ones”. The Hebrew וּמֵחֶלְבֵהֶן is “from their fats”, from the root חלב, the fat of an animal. Onkelos has וּמִשַׁמִּנְהוֹן, from a root meaning “fat” or “rich”, “from their fat ones”, which may refer to the fattest animals rather than to their fat portions.
• “From the firstborn of his flock”. Otherwise literal: מִבְּכֹרוֹת is מִבַּכִּירֵי, and גַם is אַף, “also”.

Words to note: מִבַּכִּירֵי mi-bakkirei — from the firstborn (מִבְּכֹרוֹת) · וּמִשַׁמִּנְהוֹן u-mi-shamminhon — and from their fat ones (וּמֵחֶלְבֵהֶן) · רַעֲוָא ra’ava — favor

Bereshit 4:5

Torah

Translation

But to Kayin and his offering He paid no regard. Kayin became very angry and depressed.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

But with Kayin and with his offering there was no favor. And it was very grievous to Kayin, and his face was pressed down.

What Onkelos tells us

• “There was no favor”. As in 4:4, the Hebrew verb שָׁעָה becomes the impersonal לָא הֲוַת רַעֲוָא, “there was no favor”. The Hebrew uses אֶל, “to”, before Kayin and his offering; the Aramaic, as in 4:4, uses ב, “with”.
• “It was very grievous to Kayin”. The Hebrew וַיִּחַר is literally “it burned”. Onkelos has וּתְקֵף, from תקף, “it was strong” or “grievous”. The image of heat is replaced by one of harshness. The same pair occurs in 4:6, where חָרָה is תְּקִיף.
• “His face was pressed down”. The Hebrew וַיִּפְּלוּ פָּנָיו is “his face fell”. Onkelos has וְאִתְכְּבִישׁוּ אַפּוֹהִי, from a root meaning “press down” or “subdue”. The idiom of a downcast face is kept, with a different verb; the same rendering occurs in 4:6.

Words to note: רַעֲוָא ra’ava — favor · וּתְקֵף u-tekef — it was grievous (וַיִּחַר) · לַחֲדָא lahada — very (מְאֹד) · וְאִתְכְּבִישׁוּ ve-itkevishu — was pressed down (וַיִּפְּלוּ) · אַפּוֹהִי appohi — his face (פָּנָיו)

Bereshit 4:6

Torah

Translation

Hashem said to Kayin, Why are you angry? Why are you depressed?

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Hashem said to Kayin, Why is it grievous to you? And why is your face pressed down?

What Onkelos tells us

• “Why is it grievous to you”. The verse follows 4:5 exactly: חָרָה is תְּקִיף, “it is grievous” (from תקף), and נָפְלוּ פָנֶיךָ is אִתְכְּבִישׁוּ אַפָּיךְ, “your face is pressed down”. Otherwise a literal rendering.

Words to note: תְּקִיף tekif — grievous (חָרָה) · אִתְכְּבִישׁוּ itkevishu — is pressed down (נָפְלוּ) · אַפָּיךְ appaikh — your face (פָנֶיךָ)

Bereshit 4:7

Torah

Translation

Is this not so—if you improve, there is forgiveness, but if you do not improve, sin rests at the opening. Its desire is unto you, but you can dominate it.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Is this not so—if you improve your deeds, it will be forgiven you, but if you do not improve your deeds, your sin is kept for the day of judgment, which is destined to be exacted from you if you do not repent; and if you repent, it will be forgiven you.

What Onkelos tells us

• An expanded verse. The Hebrew is terse and difficult; Onkelos turns it into an explicit moral statement. Only the frame “Is this not so” (הֲלָא), the two conditions אִם תּוֹטִיב and וְאִם לָא תּוֹטִיב, and the word for sin correspond closely to the Hebrew. The rest is interpretive:
  • “your deeds” (עוֹבָדָךְ) is added as the object of “improve”, twice;
  • שְׂאֵת becomes יִשְׁתְּבֵק לָךְ, “it will be forgiven you”;
  • “sin rests at the opening” becomes “your sin is kept for the day of judgment”;
  • “its desire is unto you, but you can dominate it” has no direct counterpart; instead the Aramaic speaks of punishment if Kayin does not repent and forgiveness if he does.
• “Your deeds”. The Hebrew תֵּיטִיב, “improve”, has no object. Onkelos supplies עוֹבָדָךְ, “your deeds”, so that the improvement is understood as a matter of conduct.
• “It will be forgiven you”. The Hebrew שְׂאֵת is a single word, literally “lifting” or “bearing”. Onkelos renders it with a full clause, יִשְׁתְּבֵק לָךְ, from the root שבק, “leave, pardon”. The same clause closes the verse, so the Aramaic begins and ends with forgiveness.
• “Kept for the day of judgment”. The Hebrew לַפֶּתַח חַטָּאת רֹבֵץ pictures sin lying at the “opening” or door. Onkelos has לְיוֹם דִּינָא חֶטְאָךְ נְטִיר, “for the day of judgment your sin is kept”. The spatial image of the doorway becomes a point in time, and רֹבֵץ, “rests” or “crouches”, becomes נְטִיר, “kept”, from נטר, the root that renders “guard” in 3:24 and “keeper” in 4:9. The sin is also made Kayin’s own: חֶטְאָךְ, “your sin”.
• “If you do not repent”. The closing clauses, built on תְתוּב and תְּתוּב, “repent” (root תוב), have no word that corresponds to them in the Hebrew. Onkelos may have read “you can dominate it” as the power to overcome sin by repentance, but the Aramaic does not state the link.
• Textual note. For דִיעֲתִיד, “which is destined”, the Yemenite text reads עֲתִיד without the relative prefix, “destined”; the sense is unchanged.

Words to note: עוֹבָדָךְ ovadakh — your deeds · יִשְׁתְּבֵק yishtevek — it will be forgiven (שְׂאֵת) · חֶטְאָךְ hetakh — your sin (חַטָּאת) · נְטִיר netir — is kept (רֹבֵץ) · לְאִתְפָּרְעָא le-itpar’a — to be exacted · תְתוּב tetuv — you repent

Bereshit 4:8

Torah

Translation

Kayin said [something] to his brother Hevel, and it happened when they were in the field, that Kayin rose up against his brother, Hevel, and killed him.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Kayin said to his brother Hevel, and it happened when they were in the field, that Kayin rose up against his brother, Hevel, and killed him.

What Onkelos tells us

• A literal rendering. Like the Hebrew, the Aramaic does not report what Kayin said.
• “Said to” and “rose up against”. The Hebrew uses אֶל in both places. Onkelos distinguishes them: לְהֶבֶל, with the prefix ל, “to Hevel”, for speaking, and עַל הֶבֶל, “against Hevel”, for the attack.
• “In the field”. בַּשָּׂדֶה is בְּחַקְלָא, and וַיַּהַרְגֵהוּ is וְקַטְלֵהּ, “and killed him”.

Words to note: בְּמֶהֱוֵיהוֹן be-mehevehon — when they were (בִּהְיוֹתָם) · בְּחַקְלָא be-hakla — in the field (בַּשָּׂדֶה) · עַל ‘al — against (אֶל) · וְקַטְלֵהּ ve-katleh — and killed him (וַיַּהַרְגֵהוּ)

Bereshit 4:9

Torah

Translation

Hashem then said to Kayin, Where is your brother, Hevel? [Kayin] said, I know not, am I my brother’s keeper?

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Hashem then said to Kayin, Where is your brother, Hevel? He said, I know not, am I my brother’s keeper?

What Onkelos tells us

• “My brother’s keeper”. A literal rendering. הֲשֹׁמֵר is הֲנָטֵר, from נטר, the root Onkelos also uses for לִשְׁמֹר, “to guard”, in 3:24. אֵי is אָן, “where”, and יָדַעְתִּי is יָדַעֲנָא, “I know”.

Words to note: אָן an — where (אֵי) · יָדַעֲנָא yada’ana — I know (יָדַעְתִּי) · הֲנָטֵר hanater — keeper (הֲשֹׁמֵר)

Unit 2 summary

The narrative of the two brothers is rendered closely, and Onkelos keeps even the sound-link between Kayin’s name and Chavah’s word קָנִיתִי, which stands unchanged in the Aramaic. His changes cluster around language about God and around Hashem’s warning to Kayin. Three times a phrase relating a person or an act directly to Hashem is recast with קֳדָם, “before”: “with Hashem” becomes “(from) before Hashem”, “to Hashem” becomes “before Hashem”, and Hashem “paying regard” becomes “there was favor from before Hashem”. The idioms of Kayin’s distress are rendered consistently: חרה becomes תקף and the falling face becomes a face “pressed down” in both 4:5 and 4:6. In 4:7 the terse Hebrew warning becomes an explicit statement about deeds, forgiveness, the day of judgment and repentance. The murder itself and Kayin’s reply are almost word for word, with נטר again rendering שמר.

Unit 3 — Bereshit 4:10–18: Kayin’s sentence, his departure and his descendants

Hashem confronts Kayin over Hevel’s blood, curses him from the ground and condemns him to wander; Kayin protests, receives a protective sign, and settles east of Eden, where his line continues through Chanoch to Lemech.

Bereshit 4:10

Torah

Translation

He said [to Kayin], What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

He said, What have you done? The voice of the blood of the descendants who were destined to come forth from your brother cry out before Me from the ground.

What Onkelos tells us

• “The blood of the descendants who were destined to come forth from your brother”. The Hebrew says simply “your brother’s blood”, using the plural noun דְּמֵי (literally “bloods”). Onkelos has the singular דַם and adds a whole phrase: זַרְעִין דִעֲתִידִין לְמֵפַק, “descendants who were destined to come forth”. The crime is thus presented as the loss not only of Hevel but of the generations he would have fathered. The plural form of the Hebrew noun may be what prompted the expansion, though the Targum does not say so.
• “Cry out”. The Hebrew participle צֹעֲקִים is plural, agreeing with the plural “bloods”. Onkelos keeps a plural participle, קַבְלִין, although his noun “blood” is now singular; the plural may now attach to the added “descendants”.
• “Before Me”. Hebrew “to Me” (אֵלַי) becomes קֳדָמַי, “before Me”, the Targum’s usual way in this unit of speaking of address to God (compare 4:13); in 4:16 קֳדָם likewise marks Kayin’s departure “from before Hashem”.
• “The ground”. Hebrew הָאֲדָמָה is rendered אַרְעָא, the same Aramaic word that also renders Hebrew “earth” in 4:12, 4:14 and 4:16.

Words to note: זַרְעִין zarin — descendants · דִעֲתִידִין di-atidin — who were destined · לְמֵפַק le-mefak — to come forth · קַבְלִין kavlin — cry out (צֹעֲקִים) · קֳדָמַי kodamai — before Me (אֵלַי)

Bereshit 4:11

Torah

Translation

Now you are cursed from the ground that had to open its mouth to accept your brother’s blood from your hand.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Now you are cursed from the ground that opened its mouth and received the blood of your brother from your hand.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Opened its mouth and received”. The Hebrew has a purpose clause with an infinitive, “to accept” (לָקַחַת). Onkelos turns it into a second finite verb, וְקַבִּילַת, “and received”, so that the ground’s opening and its receiving are told as two events in sequence.
• “The blood of your brother”. Again the Hebrew plural דְּמֵי is rendered by a singular, דְּמֵהּ (literally “his blood”), followed by דְּאָחוּךְ, “of your brother”, the normal Aramaic way of expressing possession. Here, unlike 4:10, nothing is added about descendants.
• “Cursed”. לִיט is the regular Aramaic for Hebrew אָרוּר; the rest of the verse is literal, with פּוּמַהּ for “its mouth”.

Words to note: לִיט lit — cursed (אָרוּר) · דִּפְתָחַת di-ftahat — that opened (פָּצְתָה) · פּוּמַהּ pumah — its mouth (פִּיהָ) · וְקַבִּילַת ve-kabbilat — and received (לָקַחַת)

Bereshit 4:12

Torah

Translation

When you work the ground, it will no longer give you of its strength. You will be unsettled, and a wanderer on the earth.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

When you work in the ground, it will no longer give you of its strength. You will be wandering and exiled on the earth.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Work in the ground”. The Hebrew “work the ground” takes a direct object; Onkelos uses the verb תִפְלַח with the preposition “in”, בְאַרְעָא, the usual Aramaic construction for tilling.
• “Wandering and exiled”. The Hebrew pair נָע וָנָד (“unsettled and a wanderer”) is rendered by two words of different sense: מִטַלְטֵּל, “moving about, wandering”, and וְגָלֵי, “exiled”. The second word turns the Hebrew picture of restless roaming into one of exile. Onkelos uses the same pair for the same Hebrew in 4:14.
• One word for “ground” and “earth”. The Hebrew distinguishes הָאֲדָמָה (“the ground”) from בָאָרֶץ (“on the earth”); Onkelos renders both with בְאַרְעָא, so the contrast between the soil Kayin tills and the earth he roams is not marked in the Aramaic.
• “Its strength”. חֵילַהּ renders כֹּחָהּ; the construction “will no longer give” (לָא תוֹסִיף לְמִתַּן) follows the Hebrew literally.

Words to note: תִפְלַח tiflah — you work (תַעֲבֹד) · חֵילַהּ heilah — its strength (כֹּחָהּ) · מִטַלְטֵּל mitaltel — wandering (נָע) · וְגָלֵי ve-galei — and exiled (וָנָד)

Bereshit 4:13

Torah

Note in the Masoretic edition: (בספרי ספרד ואשכנז מִנְּשֽׂוֹא)

Translation

Kayin said to Hashem, My sin is too great to bear.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Kayin said before Hashem, My sin is too great to forgive.

What Onkelos tells us

• “Too great to forgive”. The Hebrew מִנְּשֹׂא means “to bear” or “to carry”, and the same verb is also used of bearing away sin, that is, forgiving it. Onkelos chooses the second sense: מִלְּמִשְׁבָּק, from the root שבק, “to leave, let go, forgive”. Kayin’s words thus speak of forgiveness rather than of endurance; the Aramaic, like the Hebrew, does not show whether this is a lament or an appeal.
• “Before Hashem”. Hebrew “to Hashem” (אֶל ה׳) becomes קֳדָם ה׳, “before Hashem”, as with “before Me” in 4:10.
• “My sin”. חוֹבִי renders עֲוֺנִי; the Aramaic word also carries the sense of guilt or debt. סַגִּי, “great”, renders גָּדוֹל.

Words to note: קֳדָם kodam — before (אֶל) · סַגִּי saggi — great (גָּדוֹל) · חוֹבִי hovi — my sin (עֲוֺנִי) · מִלְּמִשְׁבָּק mi-le-mishbak — to forgive (מִנְּשֹׂא)

Bereshit 4:14

Torah

Translation

Behold, today You have banished me from the face of the earth, and from Your face I am to be hidden. I am to be unsettled and a wanderer on the earth; whoever finds me, will kill me.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Behold, today You have banished me from the face of the earth, and from before You it is not possible to be hidden. I will be wandering and exiled on the earth, and it will be [that] whoever finds me will kill me.

What Onkelos tells us

• “From before You it is not possible to be hidden”. The Hebrew reads “from Your face I am to be hidden” (וּמִפָּנֶיךָ אֶסָּתֵר), which could be read as though Kayin would be out of God’s sight. Onkelos reverses the statement: וּמִן קֳדָמָךְ לֵית אֶפְשָׁר לְאִטַּמָּרָא, “from before You it is not possible to be hidden”. The change suggests a wish to avoid any implication that someone can hide from God; the Hebrew phrase “Your face” also becomes “before You”, as elsewhere in the unit.
• “Wandering and exiled”. The Hebrew pair נָע וָנָד is again rendered מְטַלְטֵל וְגָלֵי, as in 4:12.
• “Kill”. Hebrew יַהַרְגֵנִי (from הרג) is rendered with the root קטל, יִקְטְּלִינַנִי. The same Aramaic root also renders both “kills” and “strike” in 4:15.
• “Banished”, “today”. תָרִיכְתָּא renders גֵּרַשְׁתָּ, and יוֹמָא דֵּין, “this day”, renders הַיּוֹם; both are literal. The Hebrew “ground” and “earth” are once more both אַרְעָא / בְּאַרְעָא.
• “And it will be”. The Hebrew וְהָיָה (left untranslated by the published translation) is kept by Onkelos as וִיהֵי.

Words to note: תָרִיכְתָּא tarikhta — You have banished (גֵּרַשְׁתָּ) · לֵית leit — it is not · אֶפְשָׁר efshar — possible · לְאִטַּמָּרָא le-ittammara — to be hidden (אֶסָּתֵר) · דְּיִשְׁכְּחִנַנִי de-yishkehinani — whoever finds me (מֹצְאִי) · יִקְטְּלִינַנִי yiktelinani — will kill me (יַהַרְגֵנִי)

Bereshit 4:15

Torah

Translation

Hashem said to him, Therefore, whoever kills Kayin, revenge will be taken on him [Kayin] sevenfold. Hashem placed a mark on Kayin, so that whoever would find him would not kill him.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Hashem said to him, Therefore, whoever kills Kayin, for seven generations [punishment] will be exacted from him. Hashem placed a mark on Kayin, so that whoever would find him would not kill him.

What Onkelos tells us

• “For seven generations”. The Hebrew שִׁבְעָתַיִם means “sevenfold”, a multiple. Onkelos renders it לְשַׁבְעָא דָּרִין, “for seven generations”, turning a measure of severity into a span of time. As in the Hebrew, the Aramaic does not say plainly to whom “from him” (מִנֵּהּ) refers; one possible reading is that Kayin’s own punishment would be deferred for seven generations.
• “Will be exacted”. Hebrew יֻקָּם, “will be avenged”, becomes יִתְפְּרַע, a reflexive form meaning “will be exacted, will be paid”. The language of vengeance is replaced by the language of retribution, perhaps to soften the attribution of vengeance to God.
• “Kills” and “kill”. The Hebrew uses two verbs: הֹרֵג (“kills”) and הַכּוֹת (literally “to strike”). Onkelos uses the one root קטל for both: קָטִיל and לְמִקְטַל.
• “A mark”. אָתָא is the Aramaic form of Hebrew אוֹת; וְשַׁוִּי, “placed”, renders וַיָּשֶׂם.
• Textual note. The Yemenite text reads לָכֵן (the Hebrew word itself) for “therefore”, and קָטוֹלַיָּא, “the killer of”, in place of the participle “kills”. Neither changes the sense of the verse; the point about one root for “kill” and “strike” holds for both texts.

Words to note: בְּכֵן bekhen — therefore (לָכֵן) · קָטִיל katil — kills (הֹרֵג) · דָּרִין darin — generations · יִתְפְּרַע yitpera — will be exacted (יֻקָּם) · אָתָא ata — a mark (אוֹת) · לְמִקְטַל le-miktal — to kill (הַכּוֹת)

Bereshit 4:16

Torah

Translation

Kayin exited from the Presence of Hashem and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Kayin exited from before Hashem and settled in the land of exile and wandering, which had been made [so] on account of him, east of the garden of Eden.

What Onkelos tells us

• “The land of exile and wandering”. The Hebrew name נוֹד, Nod, is formed from the same root as “wanderer” (וָנָד) in 4:12. Onkelos does not keep it as a name but translates it: בְּאַרְעָא גָּלֵי וּמִטַּלְטַל, “the land of exile and wandering”, the same two words he used for Kayin’s sentence in 4:12 and 4:14, here in reverse order. The wordplay of the Hebrew becomes an explicit statement that Kayin’s dwelling-place embodied his punishment.
• “Which had been made [so] on account of him”. The clause דַּהֲוָה עֲבִידָא עֲלוֹהִי has no counterpart in the Hebrew. It presents the land’s character as something that came about because of Kayin; the precise sense of עֲלוֹהִי (“on him”, “on account of him”) is not certain.
• “East of the garden of Eden”. Hebrew קִדְמַת is rendered מִלְּקַדְמִין, a word that can mean “in front of, to the east” or “from earlier times”; here it most naturally renders the place. Onkelos also adds “the garden”, דְּגִינְתָא, so that the reference is to the garden rather than to Eden as a region.
• “From before Hashem”. Hebrew מִלִּפְנֵי, “from the Presence of”, becomes מִן קֳדָם, “from before”, as throughout the unit.
• Textual note. For דְּגִינְתָא the Yemenite text reads כְּגִנְּתָא, “like the garden of Eden”: the land of exile is then compared to the garden rather than located beside it. The reading “east of the garden of Eden” holds for the printed text only.

Words to note: וּנְפַק u-nefak — exited (וַיֵּצֵא) · וִיתֵיב vitev — and settled (וַיֵּשֶׁב) · גָּלֵי galei — exile · וּמִטַּלְטַל u-mittaltal — and wandering · מִלְּקַדְמִין mi-le-kadmin — east of (קִדְמַת) · דְּגִינְתָא de-ginta — of the garden

Bereshit 4:17

Torah

Translation

Kayin knew his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Chanoch. [Kayin] was building a city, and he named the city after his son Chanoch.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

Kayin knew his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Chanoch. He was building a city, and he named the city after his son Chanoch.

What Onkelos tells us

• A literal rendering. The verse follows the Hebrew word for word, with וְעַדִּיאַת for “conceived” and קַרְתָּא for “city”. The Hebrew progressive וַיְהִי בֹּנֶה, “was building”, is matched by וַהֲוָה בָּנֵי, the same construction in Aramaic.

Words to note: וְעַדִּיאַת ve-addi’at — and she conceived (וַתַּהַר) · בָּנֵי banei — building (בֹּנֶה) · קַרְתָּא karta — a city (עִיר) · בְּרֵהּ bereh — his son (בְּנוֹ)

Bereshit 4:18

Torah

Translation

To Chanoch was born Irad. Irad had a son Mechuyael, Mechuyael had a son Mesushael, and Mesushael, had a son Lemech.

Onkelos

Onkelos in English

To Chanoch was born Irad. Irad had a son Mechuyael, Mechuyael had a son Mesushael, and Mesushael had a son Lemech.

What Onkelos tells us

• A literal rendering. The names are carried over unchanged, including the Hebrew’s two spellings of the same name, מְחוּיָאֵל and וּמְחִיָּיאֵל.
• “Had a son”. The Hebrew uses the simple verb יָלַד of a father; Onkelos uses the causative form אוֹלִיד, “begot”, three times, the regular Aramaic way of expressing fatherhood. The passive וַיִּוָּלֵד at the start is matched by the passive וְאִתְיְלִיד.

Words to note: וְאִתְיְלִיד ve-ityelid — was born (וַיִּוָּלֵד) · אוֹלִיד olid — had a son (יָלַד)

Unit 3 summary

Through most of this unit Onkelos stays close to the Hebrew, but several of his changes cluster around the crime and its punishment. The blood that cries out becomes the blood of the descendants who were destined to come from Hevel (4:10), and Kayin’s ‘too great to bear’ becomes ‘too great to forgive’ (4:13). The sevenfold vengeance becomes retribution over seven generations (4:15), and the place-name Nod is turned into a description, ‘the land of exile and wandering’ (4:16), echoing the pair of words he used for the sentence itself in 4:12 and 4:14. Language about God is handled with care: speech and crying go ‘before’ Hashem rather than ‘to’ Him (4:10, 4:13), Kayin leaves ‘from before Hashem’ (4:16), and his fear of being hidden ‘from Your face’ becomes a statement that it is not possible to hide from before Him (4:14). Throughout, one Aramaic noun, ארעא, serves for both Hebrew ‘ground’ and ‘earth’, and one root, קטל, for both Hebrew ‘kill’ and ‘strike’. The genealogy at the end is rendered literally, with its two spellings of Mechuyael kept.

Conclusion of the aliyah

The movement of the aliyah

The aliyah moves from the closing of the Garden to the first murder and on to the first city. Onkelos follows that movement closely, and his departures cluster at the points of greatest weight. At the expulsion they touch the description of the man in relation to God and to the soil. In the story of the brothers they touch the way Hashem is spoken of, recast again and again with “before”, and Hashem’s warning to Kayin, which becomes a statement about deeds, judgment and repentance. In the sentence on Kayin they touch the crime and its punishment: the lost descendants, forgiveness, seven generations, and a land named for exile and wandering. Around these points the Aramaic stays near the Hebrew, and in the genealogy that ends the aliyah it is literal, down to the two spellings of Mechuyael.

What Onkelos tells us in this aliyah

1. “Unique in the world” (3:22). יְחִידַי בְּעַלְמָא מִנֵּהּ removes the comparison with a plural “us” and reads the ambiguous מִמֶּנּוּ as “from him”.
2. “Created” (3:23). The man was not “taken” from the soil but “created” from it (דְּאִתְבְּרִי), which may reflect a reluctance to describe God’s act in physical terms.
3. “The edge of the sword” (3:24). The “flame” (לַהַט) becomes the sword’s “edge” (שְׁנַן), perhaps reading the flame as the gleaming blade.
4. “(From) before Hashem” (4:1). Chavah does not obtain a man “with” Hashem; the child comes “from before” Him, which may indicate a wish to avoid making a human a partner of God.
5. “There was favor” (4:4). וַהֲוַת רַעֲוָא מִן קֳדָם ה׳ turns Hashem’s “paying regard” into an impersonal statement, suggesting a wish to soften language of God turning or looking.
6. “Your sin is kept for the day of judgment” (4:7). The sin lying at the doorway becomes a sin held for a point in time, and the verse begins and ends with forgiveness (יִשְׁתְּבֵק לָךְ).
7. “Descendants who were destined to come forth” (4:10). The crime is presented as the loss not only of Hevel but of the generations he would have fathered.
8. “Too great to forgive” (4:13). מִנְּשֹׂא is read in its sense of bearing away sin: מִלְּמִשְׁבָּק.
9. “Not possible to be hidden” (4:14). Kayin’s fear of being hidden from God’s face is reversed into a statement that no one can hide from before Him.
10. “For seven generations” (4:15). “Sevenfold” becomes a span of time, and “avenged” becomes “exacted” (יִתְפְּרַע), perhaps to soften the attribution of vengeance to God.
11. “The land of exile and wandering” (4:16). Nod is translated rather than kept as a name, with the same two words used for Kayin’s sentence in 4:12 and 4:14.

Recurring features

• קֳדָם, “before”. In phrases about Hashem it appears in 4:1, 4:3, 4:4, 4:10, 4:13, 4:14 and 4:16, in place of “with”, “to”, “Your face” and “the Presence of”, or in an impersonal recasting.
• One Aramaic word for two Hebrew words. בְאַרְעָא renders both “ground” and “earth” in 4:12, and the root קטל renders both “kills” and “strike” in 4:15, so contrasts in the Hebrew are not marked in the Aramaic.
• Consistent roots for key verbs. פלח renders עבד “till” in 3:23, 4:2 and 4:12; נטר renders שמר in 3:24 and 4:9, and also gives the “kept” of 4:7.
• Repeated idioms rendered the same way. The burning anger and the fallen face are rendered with the root תקף and a face “pressed down” in both 4:5 and 4:6; “wandering and exiled” renders נָע וָנָד in 4:12 and 4:14 and returns, reversed, as the name of the land in 4:16.
• Wordplay kept and lost. The link between Kayin and קָנִיתִי survives intact; the play on שלח in 3:22-23 survives only in part; the play on Nod is turned into plain statement.
• Literal narrative around the changes. The murder (4:8), Kayin’s reply (4:9), the birth of Chanoch and the city (4:17) and the genealogy (4:18) are rendered almost word for word.

Aliyah takeaway

In this aliyah Onkelos is a close translator whose changes are concentrated rather than scattered. Where the Hebrew speaks of the man becoming like “one of us”, of a child obtained “with” Hashem, of Hashem turning toward an offering, or of hiding from His face, the Aramaic recasts the language, most often with “before”. Where the Hebrew speaks of Kayin’s sin and sentence, the Aramaic makes the stakes explicit: deeds and repentance, forgiveness, lost descendants, seven generations, exile. Reading the two side by side shows both how much of the Hebrew Onkelos carries over unchanged and where he chose to say more.

Aramaic word list for the aliyah

Source note

Aliyah boundary. Bereshit 3:22 – 4:18, following the aliyah divisions in Sefaria’s index of Bereshit (the next aliyah begins at Bereshit 4:19).

Torah text. Miqra according to the Masorah (CC-BY-SA), the Masoretic text based on the Aleppo Codex, from Wikisource via Sefaria .

Targum Onkelos. The Aramaic is the commonly printed text, from the Torat Emet edition (Public Domain), via Sefaria .

Comparison text. “Targum Onkelos, vocalized according to the Yemenite Taj” (CC-BY-SA), from Wikisource via Sefaria. Its readings were compared with the printed text word by word; only differences that change a word or the meaning are noted.

Translation of the Torah. Metsudah Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009 (CC-BY), via Sefaria, with the Divine Names rendered Hashem and God.

Translation of Onkelos, notes and summaries. New, prepared for this page. The Onkelos translation follows the wording of the Torah translation wherever the Aramaic agrees with the Hebrew, so that the differences stand out.

Divine Names. In the Hebrew and Aramaic, the Tetragrammaton and the Aramaic abbreviation of the Name are printed as ה׳, and Elokim as אלקים.

Notes. The notes compare the Aramaic with the Hebrew only. No later commentaries on Onkelos have been used. Where a note suggests why Onkelos translated as he did, this is presented as an inference from the text.

Licence. The Hebrew and Aramaic texts are shared under their own licences as stated above; CC-BY-SA material remains under CC-BY-SA.

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