Genesis 4:1-26 • Cain & Abel
- Steve Schott
- 2 hours ago
- 7 min read
Gen 4:1-26 → 1Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the LORD.” 2Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel.
• After the fall of mankind in Genesis 3, we'll see an almost constant downward spiral of greater and greater sinfulness. This passage is no exception to that, and is a very hard one to read.
• "The man", Adam in the Hebrew, and Eve his wife start off their time in exile having 2 kids. Cain 1st, then Abel. Maybe twins, but the text isn't clear in that regard.
• In the course of time, how much we don't know for sure, Abel becomes a shepherd and Cain becomes a farmer.
3So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground. 4Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; 5but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard.
• Somehow, not sure exactly how, the concept of worship involving an "offering" came into being.
• Cain brought "fruit of the ground"; Abel brought a lamb, which was sacrificed - the only way to get to it's "fat portions".
• It's not clear from the text why God would have "regard for Abel", but for "Cain... no regard."
• Commentators have some ideas/comments in regards to this...
1st → of all the ones I read, none stated that there was any preference to the offering because of where it came from. They all agreed that to be a farmer was no less significant than being a shepherd.
2nd → some of them suggested that perhaps the difference was in the finality of the offerings. Cain gave some plants, that most likely would grow back, but Abel had to kill an animal. No going back from that.
3rd → some also suggested that since it's stated that Abel "brought of the firstlings of his flock", meaning that he brought both from the first, as well as from the best, that his offering showed that he gave back to God his absolute best. Whereas Cain's offering was not of the "first fruits" (which would later be the standard of plant offerings in the law), but possibly just whatever was at hand.
• Whatever the reason, God didn't find Cain's offering acceptable.
So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. 6Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
• This upset Cain to the point of extreme anger.
• God tried to reason with Cain, and encouraged him to do better, and also to be careful of letting sin take control of his actions.
8Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
• Cain would have none of it, and in his anger toward the Lord, he killed his brother Abel.
• The text doesn't tell us how he did it, but it had to have been something with extreme violence to cause Abel's death.
• This is also the first recording murder of one person by another. Such a sad moment in history, partly because it hasn't stopped to this very day.
9Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.
• This dialogue reminds me of God walking in the garden of Eden after Adam and Eve had sinned.
• The Lord queries Cain, "where is Abel your brother?" It's not that God doesn't know - of course He knows.
• Can responds with the statement/question "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" Duh - yes you are! You are supposed to look out for one another! And the truth is, he DOES know, better than anyone else he knows.
11Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.” 13Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is too great to bear! 14Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
• God curses Cain, in that somehow, God is going to prevent, or at least inhibit, Cain's ability to farm. He's now going to have to wander and get what he can where he can.
• Cain responds to the curse by lamenting the severity of his punishment, and also expresses fear that he will be killed by "whoever finds me...".
15So the LORD said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.
• Somehow Cain is given a sign or a mark on his person, visible to any who would see him, that had the twofold effect or both preventing anyone from killing him, and also as a sign of his shame.
17Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son.
• Cain settled, got a wife, and became the father of Enoch, whom be named a city that he built after.
18Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael became the father of Methushael, and Methushael became the father of Lamech. 19Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah. 20Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22As for Zillah, she also gave birth to Tubal-cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
• Enoch begat Irad, Irad begat Mehujael, Mehujael begat Methushael, Methushael begat Lamech.
• Lamech, by his wife Adah, begat Jabal and Jubal. By his wife Zillah, he begat Tubal-cain and his sister, Naamah.
• Lamech now boasts that whatever punishment a person would receive for causing harm to Cain, that he will, and has already, inflict a punishment 77 times more severe.
• It's almost like Lamech seems to think the curse of God on Cain was something to be proud of, instead of the mark of shame which it was supposed to be.
25Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the LORD.
• Adam and Eve has another son, in fact they had "other sons and daughters" (Gen 5:4), but this particular son, Seth, is to take the place of Abel.
• Seth would be the 2nd step in the genealogy in the line of Christ.
• Then Seth has a son, Enosh.
• "Then men began to call upon the name of the LORD." It seems that this is the point where mankind begins to worship and/or supplicate God for provision and protection.
• This is a really tough passage to read, in that the effects of Adam and Eve's sin is growing worse by the day. It's not hard to understand just how messed up our world is when we see the awful beginning to it. And it's going to get worse in the next few chapters.
• But through it all, we should remember, that while death is the punishment for sin, it's not the immediacy of it, but the inevitability of it.
• God, even in our fallen state, destined for death, is constantly moving us toward redemption. A redemption that we can't attain for and/or from ourselves, but He will provide it through His Son Jesus Christ. And all along the way to the cross, we will see time and time again in the Scriptures, that what saves us is not what we do for God, but rather, what God has done, and is doing, for us. And the only part we play is to believe.
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