4
1.Now Adam new Eve his wife, and she conceived and
bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.” v. 17 2.Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now
Able was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the
ground. 3:23
(H7014)
קין
qayin
BDB Definition:
Kenite = “smiths”
1) eldest son of Adam and Eve and the first murderer having murdered his brother Abel (noun proper masculine)
2) the tribe from which the father-in-law of Moses was a member and which lived in the area between southern Palestine and the mountains of Sinai (noun proper gentilic)
Part of Speech: see above in Definition
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: the same as H7013 (with a play upon the affinity to H7069)
So Eve, the mother of all living bore two sons: Cain the firstborn and Abel. Abel was a shepherd and tended to the livestock, while Cain was a farmer who grew the herbs and plants of the land. Some scholars believe that Cain and Abel were twins because of the fact that in verse one it says that Adam new his wife, and she conceived, however in verse two there is no mention of Eve conceiving again. The verse merely states that Eve bore again Cain’s brother Abel. The Bible is vague on this matter and I will not draw any conclusions to this fact. Just food for thought. Fact of the matter is we don’t know.
3. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain
brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the lord.
Lev. 23:39,40
4. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, Lev. 27:26; Num. 18:17; Heb. 11:4
5. but he did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
Cain brought to the Lord an offering of fruit as a sacrifice, whereas Verse four shows us that Abel gave his a firstborn of his flock (the cream of the crop) to the lord, whereas Cain may have just brought any old fruit, not his best(the first of the fruits). God is the Creator of all things, therefore all things belong to Him, including the first born of the animals or of the land. When the sacrifices were offered up top God, they were to be the firstborn, or firstfruits. Giving this offering is a show of respect to God for all He has done, and acknowledges His ownership of all things. Caine should be offering to the Lord what is rightfully His (The first of his fruits), but he didn’t. Cain took God for granted, and this attitude was of complete disrespect to God and all that He had done for him.
6. So the Lord said to Cain, “why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? James. 1:20
7. “if you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
Cain grew both angry and sad that God had not accepted his offering. Instead of asking God for forgiveness and repenting of his offering, he instead falls into the trappings of Satan and sin, and his emotions. God even warns him of this transgression and what lies ahead if he continues on with this type of behavior. God also tells Cain that he must learn to control his emotions and not let sin control him. Just as we Christians of today have to learn to do the same. When we get baptized, with the laying of hands, and have God’s spirit inside of us, we still are of the flesh and can and do get tempted daily by Satan and sin. However with God’s Spirit we learn to recognize sin, turn from it and do what the spirit wills us to do. It sounds easy enough, but because we are of the flesh we sometimes fall short just as Paul says in Rom. 7: 14-25, God is giving Cain assurances that if he does well then God would indeed accept the offering and reward him in a just and righteous way, but if Cain does not offer up to God in a manner that is pleasing to Him, then Cain needs to be careful, because this kind of attitude in the offering could lead to the sin nature, which is always there waiting to take over and lead us down the path of unrighteousness. unfortunately in this case this is exactly what happened to Cain, the more he thought about his offering not being accepted, the more he grew angry and eventually it (The sin nature), ruled over him instead of him ruling over it.
8. Now Cain talked with Abel his brother, and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Ex.20:13;1 John 3:12-15
Wouldn’t it be nice if we knew how the conversation went between Cain and Abel. We know that Cain ended up killing his brother later on after this conversation. I say “Later on because we are told “And it came to pass when they were in the field;” meaning sometime after the conversation. I think it would be safe to say that it probably wasn’t a very friendly conversation, with Cain being the instigator, maybe to try and provoke Abel to anger so he could have justification in his eyes to killing his brother. we can only speculate. Cain waited until the appropriate time and place to carry out his plan of revenge on his brother. All the while sin was taking control over him, where it came to a point that he had no control at all, it consumed his thoughts and actions, and he killed his brother in cold blood.
9. Then the lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brothers keeper?” 3:9; Deut. 15:7-9
God knows what happened to Cain. This is another rhetorical question. I believe that God is just simply testing Cain to see if he will confess his sin, repent from it, and ask for forgiveness. On the contrary, Cain tries to hide his sin by denying that he even knows what has happened to his brother. One sin leads to another and so on and so forth, like God said, “it” ( Sin), lies at it’s door and has started to overtake him in his actions and words. Cain even goes on to suggest that he is not responsible for his brother. However if we look at the referenced book (Deut. 15:7-9), we can clearly see that in God’s instruction to the Israelite s that indeed we are responsible for our brothers and sisters etc:
10. And he said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.
Again God knows what Cain did, he is simply trying to Make Cain realize the wickedness of his behavior. Trying to hide what he did to his brother he buries him in the ground to cover up his sin, hence the Lord says to him,”The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.” Just read on to the next verse.
11. “So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 3:17; 9:5,6
12. “When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on earth.”
Just as his parents didn’t show remorse and ask for forgiveness for what they did in the garden, so to Cain follows in their footsteps. Because Cain did not confess his sin, repent from it, and ask for forgiveness, God cannot let this go unpunished. I believe that had Cain done this, God, who is rich in mercy would have forgiven him. And the punishment wouldn’t have been so harsh. I say this because of the story of king David. In 2. Samuel chapters 11 we read how David committed many sins against God: including murder, However David recognized his sins, repented of them, confessed them to God, and asked for forgiveness. David would even fast for days at times. David had a pure heart and a true love for God and his ways. God knew David’s heart and recognized his sincerity and his true feeling of guilt for what he had done. This is why it is said that David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts. 13:22), as we see in verse 12 the curse upon Cain is to last until the day Cain dies. Cain must live his life on the run, never to settle, nor will he ever be able to farm the land again, for if he tries the land will not produce for him.
13. And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear!
14. “Surely you have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”
15. And the lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him seven-fold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him. v. 24; Ps. 79:11
Cain, as is his sinful nature, again shows no repentance, but is only concerned for himself. He mourns, not for the pain that he has caused on his parents by the killing of their son Abel, or for that matter the pain and sadness that he brought to God for the killing of his brother, We must remember here that we all are children of God, and it grieves Him in his heart to see such an abomination committed by His children (Gen. 6:6), Instead Cain mourns for himself without concern for anyone else who was affected by his sin. Cain go so far as to say “Woe is me, everywhere I go my family will want to kill me.” However God says “not so” I will make a mark on Cain that no one should kill you and if they do then I will take vengeance on them seven times worse. (Compare Rom 12:19, Heb 10:30). It is God, and only Him who can take vengeance against Cain. Either Abel had already had children at the time of his death, this would mean that Adam and Eve would have to have had daughters already in order for him to have children, since it appears that they had no other sons until after the death of Abel, the only other ones that would want to kill Cain would have been his own parents. There are laws God gave to the Hebrews in the exodus out of Egypt regarding murder and avenging the death of a family member. From the previous chapters we read that the laws of sacrifices, offerings, and atonement for sins were already being practiced by Adam and Eve, and surely it had been passed down to both Cain and Abel, in fact it was the law of sacrifices that brought Cain to commit his murderous act upon his brother. Let’s take a look at these laws. In Numbers chapter thirty five, beginning in verse nine, God proclaims these laws concerning how to treat the person who has killed someone either by accident or purposely. He even institutes the practice of having sanctuary cities for the person who has killed someone by accident. In the law of sanctuary cities we learn of God’s mercy, grace and righteousness in His judgements. In this chapter here we see How God has made Himself the avenger of the blood of Abel. His law states that if the person is found guilty of maliciously killing someone then it falls into the hands of the family of the slain to put to death the murderer, and the people of the sanctuary city shall hand the guilty one over to the avenger to slay him (Numbers 35: 9-24), In Cains case, no one saw him kill his brother, sure God new he did it but only He saw the act, for God is the all knowing, omnipresence, and all seeing God. ( Heb. 4:13, Job. 24:31), in His law the Hebrews were told that you could not condemn someone to death unless there were two witnesses who saw the act committed (Num. 35: 30), In my humble opinion I believe that because of there being no more than one witness to the murder of Abel, God Himself, being a very righteous God who judges in righteousness, is also bound to His laws for His namesake, and therefore can not condemn Cain to death by the avenger or anyone who would want to kill him for this crime. Instead He puts a mark on Cain to let it be known that no one can kill Cain, and if so God will punish that person seven times more severe.
16. Then Cain went out from the presence of the lord in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.
Cain left Eden never to return. He also left God, never to return to him and his holiness. Cain is now, and will always be against all that is of God. The Strong’s definition for (Nod), is wandering, hence Cain was in the land of wandering, wondering further and further away from God, ina sense he was alienated from God for the rest of his life.
17. And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son-Enoch. v.1; Ps. 49:11
Enoch (H2585)
חנוך
chănôk
BDB Definition:
Hanoch = “dedicated”
1) eldest son of Cain (noun proper masculine)
Since Adam and Eve are the parents of all mankind, then it is only logical that Cains wife was either his sister, or maybe a niece. So in the beginning of being fruitful and multiplying, There was incest. This form of incest though, is ordained by God himself, God being Holy and good, is the only one who can give blessings on the early marriages of men and women. What we must also understand is that God is holy, Therefore His children must be Holy. one day the promised seed of the Messiah will come thru the blood of Adam and Eve. The blood line must be pure all the way thru. the only way to ensure this, is for this bloodline to not mix with the seed of unholy men. Later on we will see that God chooses the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be the chosen people and a holy nation, thru which the Messiah will come. Cain, because of his actions has lost his holiness (If you will), so the seed of this Holy people will originate from Seth (The third born son of Adam and Eve). Exo 19:6, Exo 22:31, Lev 11:44-45, Lev 19:1-2, Lev 20:7. God, being God, with all his power, who can create Man from the dust of the earth, can also make sure that the deformities that come from incest over a period of time, will not be an issue in the beginning of His creation. The Hebrew meaning of Enoch is dedicated (H2585), therefore, Cain dedicated the city to his son Enoch. In my opinion. Since Cain was cursed to be a wanderer all his life, Then he probably didn’t settle in this city. Cain only lived there long enough to build it, and then turn the reigns’ over to Enoch as he grew older.
18. To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech.
Irad: (h5897) עירד; ‛ı̂yrâd:
BDB Definition: Irad = “fleet”
Mehujael: (h4232): מחיּיאל / מחוּיאל: mechûyâ’êl / mechı̂yyâ’êl: BDB Definition: Mehujael = “smitten by God”
Methushael: (h4967) מתוּשׁאל: methûshâ’êl:
BDB Definition: Methusael = “who is of God”
Lamech: (h3929) למך: lemek:
BDB Definition: Lamech = “powerful”
Apparently Cain only had one child and that is Enoch. It also appears that each child after the other had only one child down to the time of Lamech, who then preceded to have four children.
19. Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. 2:24
Adah: (H5711) : עדה : ‛âdâh
BDB Definition: Adah = “ornament”
1) the 1st of the 2 wives of Lamech and mother of Jabal and Jubal
Zillah: (H6741) :צלּה: tsillâh
BDB Definition: Zillah = “shade”
1) the 2nd wife of Lamech and mother of Tubal-cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron
20. And Adah bore Jabal.He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.
Jabal: (H2989): יבל: yâbâl:
BDB Definition: Jabal = “stream of water”
21. His brothers name was Jubal.He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.
Jubal: (H3106): יוּבל: yûbâl:
BDB Definition: Jubal = “stream”
22. And as for the Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsmen in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.
Tubal-Cain: (H423): תּוּבל קין: tûbal qayin:
BDB Definition: Tubal-cain = “thou will be brought of Cain”
Naamah: (H5279):נעמה: na‛ămâh:
BDB Definition: Naamah = “loveliness”
The children of Lamech were inventors, explorers and teachers.; with the exception of the one Daughter (Naamah). We have but a brief summary of the descendants of Cain; We are told about their contributions to mankind and nothing about their walk with God. Also we have no time frame as to how old Cain was when His son Lamech was born, or how old they were when they died as opposed to that of Seth’s descendants(which goes into greater detail) Being that Cain was cut off from the presence of God it appears that his descendants would also bare the burden of Cains action against his brother Abel, and would also be cut off from God.
If the ancestry of Cains descendants are of only one son (Enoch), then where did the wives of Lamech come from? There could have been enough time between Lamech having wives, and the time Seth had his daughters, in which they became old enough to marry him. In my opinion, There had to be some kind of intermingling going on between the two families of Cain, Seth and or Adam in the beginning. Because of this relationship, just as in any society, they learned from each other. Which also means that they took from one another, not only the good attributes, but also the bad ones.
23. Then Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
Wives of Lamech, listen to my
speech!
For I have killed a man for
wounding me.
Even a young man for hurting
me.
24. If Cain shall be avenged
sevenfold,
Then Lamech
seventy-sevenfold.” v.15
In my reading of these two verses there are two points of significance that I get. First I must say that the only thing we know of these two murders, is that they were both done in the act of self defense. I believe what God is telling us in this story is that there is a good reason for killing another human being: and that is for the purpose of self preservation. God does not expect man to let someone else harm him without defending themselves. This is why Lamech says that “If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.” Lamech’s killing was not premeditated, or out of envy, or of hatred. Because of this, Lamech feels if God would avenge anyone who killed Cain for what he had done, sevenfold, then all the more a curse be put upon anyone who would avenge Lamech, because his actions were out of self defense, unlike Cain.
The second point of significance that I see here is that Lamech’s reference to his patriarch Cain. Cain had to bear the burden of his sin, and a part of this burden is to pass this on to his descendants. Was it Cain who passed this story on to his descendants? or was it the descendants of Seth, whose daughters that were married into Cains family. In my opinion I would venture to guess the latter. I say this because Cain never felt any remorse or signs of repentance for what he did to Abel. Cain probably wanted to forget everything that happened that day.
25. And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” Luke.3:38
Seth: (h8352) שׁת: shêth;
BDB Definition: Seth = “compensation”
Hence we can see why Seth was named such.
26. And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then man began to call on the name of the Lord. Rom. 10:13
Enosh(h583): אנושׁ ‘ĕnôsh: BDB Definition: Enos = “man”
The reason i’m listing the Hebrew definitions of the names is because I think it fascinating to learn that there is more to a persons’ name than just the name. This verse doesn’t say that Enosh was the first to call on the Lord, it says that man then began to call on the name of the Lord. There is more to God than burnt offerings, or sacrifices (So much more) We should call on the Lord daily and not just at appointed times(Which I guess is what i’m suggesting here).
I think Adam and Eve have now come to realize that life will go on even after they are dead (that they are not the only ones who can produce of their own kind). Yes God is the true source of all living, but he does this through the process of conception between a man and a woman. One can only imagine the joy of Adam and Eve and Seth and his wife, by the birth of Enosh. they therefore gave God praise and glory for what he had blessed them with. From there on man would start calling on God in a more meaningful manner.