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help of the Lord.’ 39 Collins argues that even if the reader allowed for the possibility that Eve
possibly meant that she believed her son to be the fulfillment of the promise of Genesis 3:15, on
reaching the end of Gen 4, the reader would be left in little doubt that this could not possibly be
true, and so we are left with the only possible interpretation – that ֶ‫ת‬ ‫ֶי‬
‫וה‬ ָֽ ‫׃ה‬ should be interpreted
as ‘with the help of the Lord.’ 40 This would also dovetail with other Biblical references to God’s
help in procreation, such as Gen 17:6. 41 42
Genesis 4:2
‫ֶא‬ ‫ת‬ ‫ת‬ ‫־‬ ‫׃הו־‬ ‫ִ֥ו‬ ֵּ֣ ‫יא‬ ִֶ֖ ‫ו־‬ ‫ֶ־‬ ‫י‬ ֶ ֹּ֕ ‫איה‬ ‫וי‬ ‫׃א‬ ‫א‬ ‫ן‬ ‫־‬ ֶ ֹ֣ ֵּ֣ ‫וא‬ ַ‫ת‬ ‫ה‬ ֶ ‫ה‬ ַ ‫ו‬ ‫ֶי‬ ‫תבוה‬ ‫י‬ ֶ ‫ת‬ ‫ה‬ ֶ ִ ‫־‬ ָֽ ‫׃ה‬ ‫וי‬ ַ ִ֖ ‫י‬ ‫׃־‬ ָֽ ‫׃ה‬ ָֽ ‫וה‬ ‫ת‬ ‫ה־‬ ‫ת‬ ‫־‬ ‫ו‬ ‫תה‬ ‫יֶמא‬
Again she conceived and gave birth to Cain’s brother, Abel. Abel was a shepherd of
sheep, and Cain was a tiller of the ground.
In Gen 4:2 we are introduced to Abel. Interestingly, Abel is presented