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Introduction
The story of sibling rivalry between Cain and Abel is well known and embedded in both
the religious and secular mind. The account of jealousy, murder, and punishment is one which is
familiar to many. A close examination of the text from whence this tale originates, however,
reveals an intriguing conundrum of slight, but very important, differences in the way Gen 4:1-16
is rendered in the Masoretic Text (MT) and the Septuagint (LXX). Differences in the MT and
LXX renderings of Genesis 4:1-16 reveal important nuances in interpretation which are
subsequently reflected in the New Testament. This paper will seek to explore and examine the
differences between these texts, and to investigate the significance of these differences in terms
of how the text is used within the New Testament. To that end, this paper will begin with a brief
overview of the context in which Gen 4:1-16 occurs, and the literary considerations which apply
to the text. It will provide an exegesis of the MT rendering of the text, followed by a comparative
exegesis of the LXX rendering so as to highlight the differences between the texts. It will then
examine a selection of New Testament texts to substantiate the argument that the LXX rendering
of Gen 4:1-16 influenced the writers of the New Testament. Finally, this paper will seek to