Too Familiar

Cain talked to his brother Abel; and it happened that when they were in the field Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.  Genesis 4:8 NASB

Talked – The verb translated “talked” is ʾāmar.  Here it’s a Qal vav-consecutive + imperfect.  So, it should really be “Cain speaking to his brother.”  But because we are so familiar with this tragic encounter, we don’t ask the obvious question, “What did he say?”  Guess what?  The text does tell us.  In fact, by translating ʾāmar as the past tense completed action, we don’t think to raise the question.  The translation really leaves us with two complete thoughts.  Cain said something to Abel, and, secondly, Cain killed Abel.  But the Hebrew leaves us with a gap.  A lacuna.  A break in the narrative.  Jewish commentators have no end to explanations.  Here are the words of the Ramban:

AND CAIN SPOKE TO ABEL HIS BROTHER. He began a conversation of argument and contention with him in order to seek a pretext against him and so kill him. This is the language of Rashi. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said that the interpretation that appears most likely to him is that Cain related to Abel all the chastisements with which G-d had reprimanded him [and Cain accused Abel of having brought them upon him].
But in my opinion it is connected with the following words of Scripture: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, meaning that Cain said to Abel, “Let us go forth into the field,” and there he secretly killed him.
It is possible that his intention in killing Abel was that the world be built up from himself for he thought that his father would not have any more children. He also feared that the main building up of the world might be from his brother, [which seemed likely since it was he] whose offering had been favorably accepted.[1]

Sforno treats the lacuna as if Cain ambushed Abel, citing Deuteronomy 19:11.  Da’at Zekenim adds:

“Kayin said to his brother Hevel;” seeing that the Torah does not elaborate on the content of Kayin’s words, we must assume that he told his brother about what G–d had said to him. (verse 6-7) He made it plain to his brother that he was very upset that G–d had not seen fit to accept his offering as He had done with Hevel’s offering. Hevel reacted to G–d having criticised Kayin with joy. When Kayin saw that his brother had been glad that he had been criticised by G–d, he arose with the intent of killing him. (second half of this verse). His motive was plain jealousy.[2]

Or HaChaim has yet another perspective:

The addition of the word “his brother” indicates that Cain spoke in a friendly manner. Cain had made it plain previously that he was jealous of Abel. He did not want Abel to think that he also hated him on account of that. Therefore he stressed the brotherhood they had in common so as not to put Abel on guard against him. He deceived his brother into thinking that he did not harbour hatred in his heart. Verse 8 should really have been two verses, the first half concluding after the word אחיו. The Torah wrote it as one in order to make us understand why Abel was not on his guard.[3]

There are at least a dozen more Hebrew commentaries on this unusual break.  But perhaps there is another reason for the lacuna; one not theologically motivated.  What happens to you when you read “Cain speaking to his brother . . .”  Aren’t you immediately confronted with the unspoken words.  Doesn’t the gap actually heighten what follows?  You simply don’t know why Cain killed his brother.  The act is not only unjustified.  It’s unexplainable.  There is a huge moral pause that causes us to examine the words we add.  The lacuna reveals how we think about the circumstances and what we put in that gap says more about how we explain motive than any particular phrase would.  It’s a break of self-reflection. Perhaps that’s why the verb form is an imperfect, an incomplete action.  Whatever was spoken continues to be silently heard by everyone who reads this text.

Topical Index: lacuna, ʾāmar, Cain, Genesis 4:8

[1] https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.4.8?lang=bi&with=Ramban&lang2=en

[2] https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.4.8?lang=bi&with=Da%27at%20Zekenim&lang2=en

[3] https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.4.8?lang=bi&with=Or%20HaChaim&lang2=en