The present paper examines the condition of Hebrew studies in the Age of the Reformation as typified by the controversy over Gen 4:1 and thus it is an enquiry into linguistic resources accessible to the Reformers, predominantly to Luther and Calvin, who were engaged in the discussion about that phrase. Despite Gen 4:1 apparent inconspicuousness, the exegetical and theological controversy over the verse encapsulates the state of Hebrew studies in the Age of the Reformation and illustrates a hermeneutical tension over the Reformation reading of the Tanakh which can be exemplified by Luther and Calvin. The former propounded an idiosyncratic interpretation of Gen 4:1 and his approach to the Hebrew Bible was one-sided, while the latter was the only Reformer who ventured to distance himself from Luther's claims touching Gen 4:1 and who attempted to interpret the Tanakh, paying heed to the Jewish exegetical tradition in its own right.