Bible Strands
Genesis 4:13
But Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Cain addresses Yahweh immediately after the pronouncement that the ground will withhold its yield and he will become a fugitive and wanderer.
The words — The Hebrew גָּדוֹל (gadol, "great") and עָוֹן ('avon, "punishment") pair with מִנְשֹׂא (min'so, "to bear") to state Cain’s claim that his penalty exceeds his capacity.
The thread — The pattern of overwhelmed suffering and unrepentant complaint reappears in Job 15:22 and Revelation 16:9–11.
Why it lands — The text records Cain’s own assessment of his penalty without validating it, requiring readers to distinguish between human complaint and divine justice.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
Cross-references
- Job 15:22 He despairs of his return from darkness; he is marked for the sword.
- Revelation 16:9 And the people were scorched by intense heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had authority over these plagues. Yet they did not repent and give Him glory.
- Revelation 16:11 and curse the God of heaven for their pains and sores. Yet they did not repent of their deeds.
- Revelation 16:21 And great hailstones weighing almost a hundred pounds each rained down on them from above. And men cursed God for the plague of hail, because it was so horrendous.