The opening part of the new story concerns the birth of two sons, Cain and Abel, who are born to Adam and Eve.
Now Adam knew Eve his wife: Now translates the Hebrew connective, which here serves to open a new development in the story. Good News Translation says “Then.” It may also be translated “Later, After some time, Sometime later.” Adam has the article in Hebrew and so is translated “the man” by many versions. However, in the context of the name Eve, it is appropriate to name the man too. See comments on 1.26.
Knew Eve his wife is the literal Hebrew. Knew in Hebrew is used figuratively to mean “had sex with.” Interpreters stress that the word means “to experience someone,” but that expression does not convey in English and in many other languages the sexual union necessary to have a child.
In translation it is important to select a term or expression for sex between spouses that can be read in public and in a mixed group without feelings of embarrassment, shock, or amusement. This may require the use of an inoffensive expression that only indirectly refers to the sexual act. For example, Bible en français courant says “from her union with Adam,” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “The man joined himself with his wife,” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “Adam slept with his wife.” Other expressions used are “to sit on the bed together,” “to cover themselves,” or “to lie down together.” Some languages will find it more natural to refer to the couple “living together,” with the child being born as a matter of course; for example, “Adam stayed with his wife, until the woman became pregnant.”
The birth process is said to occur in three steps: sexual union, conception or pregnancy, and childbirth. And she conceived means “she became pregnant” (Good News Translation). And bore Cain: that is, gave birth to Cain or gave birth to a son, as in Good News Translation. For a discussion of Cain’s name, see the next paragraph.
I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD: this shows Eve rejoicing in the same way as Adam did in 2.23. As the Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation notes show, there is a similarity in sound between the verb “to get” and the name Cain, and so this is the joyful mother’s explanation of the name. In some societies Cain’s name would be called a birth-event name, meaning that something said or done at the birth becomes one of the names of the child. Gotten translates a form of the Hebrew verb qanah, meaning “get, acquire,” as in Exo 15.16 “purchased,” and Psa 78.54 “Had won”; but this verb also means “create” in Gen 14.19, 22; Deut 32.6, and so it is not certain if Cain’s mother is referring to “getting” or “creating.” New English Bible says “I have brought a man into being,” Bible en français courant “I have created a man,” New American Bible “I have produced a man.” Either “got” or “created” is acceptable. However, in some languages “create” will not be a natural expression, and so it may be better to say, for example, “I have gotten…” or “I have given birth to….” If necessary a footnote may be added, as in Good News Translation “This name sounds like the Hebrew for ‘gotten.’ ” We should note that the words associated with Cain’s name are only similar in sound to the Hebrew form of Cain’s name. Cain is not derived historically from the word meaning “get, acquire.”
A man translates the Hebrew ʾish, which is used also in 2.23. The word refers to a human male adult. The mother is using the word man in a figurative sense, perhaps because she got him with the help of the LORD, which is literally “with Yahweh.” The sense of “with Yahweh” may be “together with Yahweh.” Bible en français courant translates with the verb “create” and says “I have created a man thanks to the Lord.” However, most translations retain some form of with the help of the LORD.
There are some languages in which the word “man” is naturally used for a male person of any age; however, in many languages it will be inappropriate to say “I have gotten, created, given birth to a man.” Some languages use the expression “little man” for a baby boy, and Revised English Bible and New Jerusalem Bible translate “male child.” Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch have “son,” and this can serve as a model for many languages.
The help of is more naturally expressed by a verb form in many languages: “The LORD helped me.” And there are different ways of linking this help with the birth of the son; the full sentence has been translated “Because the LORD helped me I have given birth to a son,” “Thanks to the LORD I have now got a son,” or “The LORD has helped me, and so I have given birth to a son.” For some languages simply linking the two events by “and” means that the second event happened as a result of the first: “The LORD helped me and I gave birth to a son.”
Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .