Genesis 4:15-16 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ κύριος ὁ θεός Οὐχ οὕτως , πᾶς ὁ ἀποκτείνας Καιν ἑπτὰ ἐκδικούμενα παραλύσει . καὶ ἔθετο κύριος ὁ θεὸς σημεῖον τῷ Καιν τοῦ μὴ ἀνελεῖν αὐτὸν πάντα τὸν εὑρίσκοντα αὐτόν . ἐξῆλθεν δὲ Καιν ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ᾤκησεν ἐν γῇ Ναιδ κατέναντι Εδεμ .
Then the Lord God said to him , ‘ That will not come to pass . Any who kill Cain will be paralyzed with vengeance seven times over .’ And the Lord God laid a sign on Cain so that all who found him would not kill him . / Cain went out from the presence of God and dwelt in the land of Nod , opposite Eden .
־ תֵֹּ֣אַ The LXX begins God ’ s response to with an exclamation ( οὐχ οὕτως ) as opposed to (“ therefore , thus ”) in the MT . Scarlata observes that ־ תֵֹּ֣אַ has similarly been rendered elsewhere in the LXX as an exclamation of negation , 195 such as in Gen 30:15b . 196 Rather than being a negation of Cain ’ s sentence , this exclamation would seem instead to be directed at negating Cain ’ s fear that he will be killed by anyone he encounters . 197 The LXX ’ s rendering of God ’ s promise of vengeance against anyone who attempts to kill Cain presents an interesting deviation from the MT . The MT ’ s promise of sevenfold vengeance ( יא ה ־ ֶ ִ֖ ָֹֽ֣ יוו וָּ֑ ־ ִ ו ) becomes sevenfold paralyzing vengeance in the LXX ( ἑπτὰ ἐκδικούμενα παραλύσει ). Scarlata observes that the use of παραλύσει in the context of vengeance within the LXX is unique to this instance . 198
195 Ibid , 184 . 196 Gen 30:15b : ־תֵֹּ֣אַ יו האֶֹּ יֹ֣ ־ ללַ ֶ ־ ֶ הו ־תֶ מֶ ִ֖ ֶַָֽ י ־ ־ו ִֵּ֥֣ ׃ו ה תֵּ֣תבל ( MT ) Οὐχ οὕτως · κοιμηθήτω μετὰ σοῦ τὴν νύκτα ταύτην
ἀντὶ τῶν μανδραγορῶν τοῦ υἱοῦ σου ( LXX ) 197 M . W . Scarlata , Outside of Eden : Cain in the Ancient Versions of Genesis 4:1-16 , 184 .
198 Ibid , 185 .