Digital Continent Digital Continent_Template amended | Page 49

σου ἐκ τῆς χειρός σου, ὅτι ἐργᾷ τὴν γῆν, καὶ οὐ προσθήσει τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτῆς δοῦναί σοι, στένων
καὶ τρέμων ἔσῃ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.
And God said, ‘What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries to me out of
the land. / And now cursed are you upon the land which opened its mouth to accept the blood of
your brother from your hand, / because you will work the land, and it will not continue to give
you its strength. You will moan and tremble upon the land.
4:10-12 in the LXX is broadly similar to the corresponding text in the MT. 4:11 contains
a slight difference in that God curses Cain upon t he land (ἐπί τῆς γῆς) rather than from the land
( ֶַ ‫ת־‬ ‫ו־‬ ‫׃ה‬ ֶ ‫ת‬ ‫־‬ ‫א‬ ‫)ת‬.
This difference was interpreted by some ancient commentators as suggesting that
Cain’s curse would endure for the entirety of his life upon the earth. 186 Brayford observes that
“[as] a matter of poetic justice, the earth that was cursed as a result of Adam’s disobedience and
that ‘opened its mouth’ to receive the blood of one with no voice now plays an active role in
Cain’s punishment.” 187
4:12 in the LXX presents Cain’s curse making him moan and tremble upon the land
(στένων καὶ τρέμων ἔσῃ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς), whereas it results in Cain becoming a vagrant upon the
earth in the MT (‫מ‬ ‫ו‬ ‫ה‬ ‫׃‬ ‫ת‬ ‫־‬ ‫־‬ ִֶ֥ ‫וה‬ ֶ ‫ה‬ ‫מ‬ ‫ת‬ ‫י‬ ‫ִ֖ו‬ ‫י־ת־‬ ‫ִ֥י‬ ‫)ת־‬. The curse in the LXX would seem to represent an inner
anguish in Cain resulting from his sinfulness. 188 This represents, in essence, two different modes
of punishment, one which is emotional or psychological (LXX), and one which is physical
(MT). 189 Scarlata again sees echoes of Gen 3:16 in this deviation. “In LXX Gen 3:16, another
aspect of Eve’s punishment is that she will groan (στεναγμός) from the pain of childbirth which
186
M. W. Scarlata, Outside of Eden: Cain in the Ancient Versions of Genesis 4:1-16, 140.
Susan Ann Brayford, Genesis, Septuagint Commentary Series, (Leiden: Brill, 2007), 253.
188
M. W. Scarlata, Outside of Eden: Cain in the Ancient Versions of Genesis 4:1-16, 141.
189
Ibid.
187