What did Eve say? A study of Genesis 4.1b
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The meaning of the verb קנה in Gen. 4.1 is vigorously debated. While a majority of scholars acknowledge that this verb has an economic-legal meaning ‘to acquire, purchase, come to possess or take into possession’, they have difficulty in accepting this meaning for Gen. 4.1. The construction of קניתי את־יהוה in Eve’s reported speech creates further uncertainties. The proposal of the present author is to focus on the clausal constructions in which the verb קנה is used in the Hebrew Bible. Based on this linguistic analysis and on a study of the textual context of the verse, the author argues that Eve does not speak about creating or begetting a child, but about her acquiring a man from YHWH.
Author: Ellen van Wolde
Language: English
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,650
OpenAlex ID: W4410888673