Eve’s sons: Cain and Seth

Different Names or Different Worldviews?

The name Cain in Hebrew קַיִן (kayin) carries the meaning of something being “acquired”. This name referred to Eve’s action: she was the one who “acquired” something. Probably, waiting for the fulfillment of the promise of Genesis 3, she thought that she had to do something; that it was her responsibility to remedy the situation. That’s why Eve called Cain by this name: she thought she “acquired” him from the LORD to fix the situation.

On the other hand, the name Seth expresses an altogether different worldview. In Hebrew שֵׁת (shet) means something like “provided”; the Hebrew verbלָשִית means “to appoint” or “to provide”. Pay close attention: in this case, the name refers to God’s action, not Eve’s. This difference is extremely significant and shows that by this point, Eve knows: it’s not her efforts, it’s God’s grace alone, that can help them. Enroll in our course Discovering the Hebrew Bible, in order not to miss all these meaningful nuances of His Word.