evocative understanding of God ’ s reaction to the brothers ’ offerings . Finally , it adds a depth of despair to Cain ’ s reaction to God ’ s response .
Genesis 4:7 οὐκ , ἐὰν ὀρθῶς προσενέγκῃς , ὀρθῶς δὲ μὴ διέλῃς , ἥμαρτες ; ἡσύχασον , πρὸς σὲ ἡ ἀποστροφὴ αὐτοῦ , καὶ σὺ ἄρξεις αὐτοῦ . Is it not that if you rightly offer but do not rightly divide , you sin ? Be quiet ! His turning back will be to you , and you will rule him .’
There is significant deviation in the rendering of 4:7 between the LXX and MT . Whereas the MT seemed to address the entirety of Cain ’ s moral life , the LXX focuses more precisely on the moral implications of the offering that Cain presented to God . 169 “ Since the preceding narrative has already introduced the subject of sacrifice , the LXX reads the infinitive construct
, bring as a reference to Cain ’ s offering , which is expressed by the Greek προσθέρειν (‘ הת ֵּ֣ ׃־ ָֽ offer ’).” 170 The LXX thus suggests that the rejection of Cain ’ s sacrifice is due to a fault in the way in which the offering was made . 171
The LXX version of 4:7a ( ὀρθῶς δὲ μὴ διέλῃς ) provides an interpretive puzzle vis-à-vis the equivalent Hebrew phrase in the MT ( ַ ִֶָֽ֖ הי י ׃ וַ תא ׃ ֵָּֽ֣ ו ־י ו תֶ ה ). Specificially , ַ ִֶָֽ֖ תֶ ה becomes διέλῃς in the LXX . 172 The difficulty , as Scarlata explains , is that διέλῃς is used in the LXX to describe the cultic act of cutting and dividing an animal sacrifice , whereas Cain ’ s offering is from the fruit of the soil . 173 He argues that it is possible that the translator mistook ַ ִֶָֽ֖ תֶ ה for תתַָֽ , which means
169 Susan Ann Brayford , Genesis , Septuagint Commentary Series , ( Leiden : Brill , 2007 ), 251 . 170 M . W . Scarlata , Outside of Eden : Cain in the Ancient Versions of Genesis 4:1-16 , 83 . 171 Joel N . Lohr , The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 71 , no . 3 ( 2009 ): 489 . 172 M . W . Scarlata , Outside of Eden : Cain in the Ancient Versions of Genesis 4:1-16 , 83-84 . 173 Ibid , 83 .