Raising Cain - Cain kills Abel and the Escalation of Violence – Genesis 4:1-16 (17-26)

1 Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

In the previous chapter, Adam accused God through Eve for his own sin. In this verse, Eve gives credit to God for the birth of Cain.

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

Sacrifice – The Hebrew identifies this as minha sacrifice. Leviticus 2 translates minha as “grain offering”. Minha sacrifices were given in honour of deity, and grain was considered acceptable, and was actually more common.

This means that the text does not give us a reason for why Cain’s sacrifice was unacceptable. Interpretations that point to blood, or death of an animal, or the fat of Abel’s offering are incorrect, since minha sacrifices do not require meat or blood. This was not an atonement sacrifice. Since the text does not tell us, we don’t need to know to understand the story. The original audience would not have been moved by this detail. We know that Cain knew what was right, and that is enough.

Hebrews 11 says that Abel offered his sacrifice in faith. This is important for the context and message of Hebrews, but not for this passage.

(Some interpretations suggested -

Abel HAD flocks. Cain WORKED the soil.
Hunter-gatherer vs. Farming reference?
(Ishmael by Daniel Quinn – Abel the Leaver and Cain the Taker)
Or Abel offers from what God provides, while Cain offers fruit from which he worked?
Or Abel offers the best (fat from the best of the flock) and Cain offers less than the best?
Cain was offering cursed fruit because God cursed the ground?)

What matters most is not why Cain’s offering was unacceptable. The point of the story is the murder.

6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”

In any case, God clearly tells Cain that he did wrong. He is downcast because of his own sin.

8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Cain kills his brother because of jealousy.

9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Cain denies responsibility for family, and is then denied his family.

10 The LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.

ABEL’S BLOOD CRIES TO GOD FROM THE GROUND
God always hears the cry of the oppressed. This is the same cry he heard of Ishmael and Hagar, the same cry he heard of Israel in Egypt.
God is the MASTER AVENGER.



11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

Unlike Adam and Eve, Cain himself is cursed for his sin.

Let us take serious note and consideration of the fact that God DOES NOT take Cain’s life. Though God directed Noah’s family that a murderer should be put to death by man, and he directs Israel to put murderers to death, clearly he does not take this route in every single case. As terrible as Cain’s actions were, God is merciful. Cain is removed from family, and his punishment is severe, but not even as severe as eye for eye. Capital punishment is not necessarily a Godly biblical response to murderers.
God is merciful and compassionate.

Like Adam and Eve before him, and all of humanity after him, God leaves open the possibility for redemption. The mark of Cain is not necessarily shame. It represents that God is looking out for him.

13 Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

Is Cain afraid of his parent’s vengeance, or are there other people already in the world?

15 But the LORD said to him, “Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the LORD’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Like the reason for the rejection of Cain’s sacrifice, who Cain married is not an important detail of the text. We can offer solutions or possible ideas, but it does not matter. The text of Genesis does not intend to be exhaustive. If Adam and Eve were the only people alive before Cain and Abel, they may have married their sisters. This was not yet prohibited. A looser interpretation allows for other human families besides the ones mentioned, however this leads to difficulty when considering genealogies of the Old and New Testaments. It also creates difficulty for theological interpretations later when the New Testament refers to Adam and Eve’s historicity, and describes the consequences of their sin.

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Genesis 3:25-26 - Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.” Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.
At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.


Violence follows sin.

Sin leads to death.

God banishes Cain.

God is just.

Sin and violence lead to separation and broken relationships.

Cain is afraid that his banishment will make him vulnerable.

Sin leads to fear.

God protects Cain.

God is merciful.

Adam and Eve have another son.

God redeems and restores to Adam and Eve what was lost.

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Genesis 4:17-24

For the rest of chapter four, sin and violence are shown escalating in the descendants of Cain.

After the invention of weapons, violence escalates, along with arrogance.

Sin, violence, unjust judgment, and revenge always escalate. They are a cycle that cannot be broken without mercy, forgiveness, and the true justice of a Sovereign God.