Genesis 4
4
1Adam slept with his wife Eve and she became pregnant. She gave birth to Cain, and said, “With the Lord's help I have made a man.” 2Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel became a shepherd, while Cain was a crop farmer.
3Sometime later Cain brought some of the produce he'd grown as an offering to the Lord. 4Abel also brought an offering: the firstborn lambs of his flock, selecting the very best parts to offer. The Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering, 5but he wasn't pleased with Cain and his offering, which made Cain very angry and he frowned in annoyance.
6The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you so angry? Why do you look so annoyed? 7If you were doing what's right, then you'd be looking happy.#4:7. “Looking happy”: literally, “lifted up.” In the previous verse, the literal meaning is that Cain's “face fell.” So the opposite would be for his face to be “lifted up,” in other words, he would look happy. But if you don't do what's right, then sin will be like an animal crouching outside your home, ready to pounce on you. It wants to have you, but you must be the one in control.”
8Later, when Cain was talking with his brother Abel#4:8. The Septuagint and some other ancient versions add here, “Let's go out into the fields.” The way the sentence is structured in the Hebrew does suggest some words are missing. they went out into the fields where Cain attacked his brother and killed him.
9“Where is your brother Abel?” the Lord asked Cain.
“How should I know?” he replied. “Am I supposed to be my brother's care-giver?”
10“What have you done?” the Lord asked. “Your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground. 11Consequently you are more cursed than the ground because you soaked it with your brother's blood. 12When you cultivate the ground, it won't produce crops for you. You'll be always on the run, wandering all over the earth.”
13“My punishment is more than I can take,” Cain replied. 14“Look! You're driving me away right now—cursing the ground and banishing me from your presence. I'm going to have to hide and always be on the run, left to wander all over the earth. Anyone who finds me is going to kill me!”
15But the Lord replied, “No, Cain. Anyone who kills you will be punished seven times over.” The Lord placed a mark on Cain so that no one who came across him would kill him.
16So Cain left the Lord's presence and went to live in a land called Nod, east of Eden.#4:16. “Nod” means “wandering.”
17Cain slept with his wife and she became pregnant. She had a son named Enoch. At that time Cain was building a town, so he named it after his son Enoch. 18Enoch had a son named Irad. Irad was the father of Mehujael, Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech. 19Lamech married two women. The first was named Adah, and the second was named Zillah. 20Adah had a son named Jabal. He was the father#4:20. “Father” can also mean “ancestor.” of those who live in tents and have livestock. 21He had a brother named Jubal; he was the father of all those who play stringed and wind instruments. 22Zillah also had a son. He was named Tubal-cain and he was a blacksmith, making different kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-cain's sister was named Naamah.
23At one time Lamech told his wives, “Adah and Zillah, listen to me. You wives of Lamech, pay attention to what I have to say. I killed a man because he wounded me; I killed a young man because he injured me. 24If the sentence for killing Cain was to be punished seven times over, then if someone kills me, Lamech, the punishment should be seventy-seven times.”
25Adam slept with his wife again, and she had a son and named him Seth,#4:25. “Seth,” meaning “substitute,” or “given.” explaining that, “God has given me another child to replace Abel, the one Cain killed.” 26Later Seth had a son named Enosh,#4:26. “Enosh,” meaning “mankind” or “people.” because at that time people began to worship the Lord by name.
Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Genesis 4
4
Cain and Abel
1#Ge 3:15Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived, gave birth to Cain and said, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2#Ge 47:3Then she gave birth again to his brother Abel.
And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3#Nu 18:12In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. 4#Heb 11:4; Ex 13:12Abel also brought the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had respect for Abel and for his offering, 5but for Cain and for his offering, He did not have respect. And Cain was very angry and his countenance fell.
6The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your countenance fallen? 7#Ge 3:16; Ecc 8:12–13If you do well, shall you not be accepted?#Or uplifted. But if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must rule over it.”
8#Mt 23:35; Jude 1:11Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
9#Jn 8:44The Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”
He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10#Heb 12:24And then He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to Me from the ground. 11#Ge 3:14; Dt 28:15–20Now you are cursed from the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12#Lev 26:36; Dt 28:23–24From now on when you till the ground, it will not yield for you its best. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”
13Then Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14#Nu 35:19; Job 15:20–24You have driven me out this day from the face of the earth, and from your face will I be hidden; and I will be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”
15#Eze 9:4; 9:6So the Lord said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” Then the Lord put a mark upon Cain, so that no one finding him would kill him. 16#Ge 4:14; 2Ki 24:20Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
17#Ps 49:11Cain had relations with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. He built a city and called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. 18To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.
19#Ge 2:24Lamech took two wives. The name of 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 harp and flute. 22Zillah gave birth to Tubal-Cain, a forger of every tool of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.
23Lamech said to his wives:
“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice,
you wives of Lamech, and listen to my speech.
For I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man who hurt me.
24#Ge 4:15 If Cain will be avenged sevenfold,
then truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
25#Ge 4:8Adam had relations with his wife again, and she had another son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has granted me another offspring instead of Abel because Cain killed him.” 26#Ps 116:17; Zep 3:9To Seth also was born a son, and he called his name Enosh.
At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.
Military Bible Association