Bible Strands
Genesis 4:20
Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and raise livestock.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records Lamech’s lineage immediately after describing his marriage to Adah and Zillah, documenting the birth of their first son.
The words — אֲבִ֕י ('a.Vi) = [the] father of; יֹשֵׁ֥ב (yo.Shev) = dweller[s] of.
The thread — The verse continues the pattern of tracing post-fall cultural development found in Genesis 4:2 and Genesis 4:21, and parallels the occupational distinctions later seen in Genesis 25:27.
Why it lands — The text states that Jabal is the originator of tent-dwelling pastoralism, requiring the reader to note the genealogical marker of early human economic adaptation without assigning moral value to the practice.
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 Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.
Cross-references
- Genesis 4:2 Later she gave birth to Cain’s brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, while Cain was a tiller of the soil.
- Genesis 4:21 And his brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and flute.
- Genesis 25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home.
- 1 Chronicles 2:50 These were the descendants of Caleb. The sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim,
- 1 Chronicles 4:4 Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were the descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and the father of Bethlehem.
- Jeremiah 35:9 Nor have we built houses in which to live, and we have not owned any vineyards or fields or crops.
- John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
- Romans 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.
- Hebrews 11:9 By faith he dwelt in the promised land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.