Introduction (this chapter is currently under construction)
v.1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.”
v. 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.
v. 3 In the course of time Cain brought the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground,
v.4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,
v. 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.
v.6 The said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?
v. 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. its desire is contrary to you, but you must rul over it.”
v. 8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
v. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” he said, ” I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”
v. 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.
v. 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
v.12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to your its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”
v. 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.
v. 14 Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whover finds me will kill me.”
v. 15 The the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengenance shall be taken on him seveenfold.” And the Lord ut a mark on Cai, lets any who found him should attack him.
v. 16 The Cain went away from teh presence of the and settle in teh of Nod, east of Eden.
Life outside the garden was different.
Eve desperately wanted back in, Adam felt the same, but there was no getting around a cherubim angel with a flaming sword.
Humans became sexual.
The phrase “Adam knew his wife Eve” means what you think it means.
Eve’s phrase at Cain’s birth might not speak well of Adam, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord,” she said, then named him “Cain” which means “Possession.” Eve is either saying Adam is not a real man, or most likely, Eve is thinking about the prophecy given in the previous chapter—that one of her sons will rise up and defeat Satan.
Abel was born, and his name is related to the idea of “breath.”
The boys were farmers, one with animals and the other with plants. Most commentators are urbanites and not familiar with country life. Working with plants and animals are complementary jobs, one needs the other, so the brothers often worked together.
In a nod toward vegans (I am not one), people likely did not eat meat. The ground was pure and produced the best of the best, and the earth had a liquid canopy around it that lasted until Noah’s flood. The canopy set off colorful lighting and blocked the negative effects of the sun, allowing people to live in great health for hundreds of years.
Both Cain and Abel brought offerings to the Lord, and maybe even near the tree of life.
As the brothers came before God, a bitterness was exposed in Cain when he brought an offering “the Lord had no regard for.”
Abel brought a lamb, and Cain something from the ground.
Cain gave an offering with a bad heart, and treated God as secondary by bringing a cheap offering.
God was insulted.
Abel brought “the first born of his flock,” emphasis on first, Abel gave God his best, something costly, the first of what he produced and not the last.
That pleased God.
But murder was around the corner.
Cain was angry and killed Eve’s son, and soon Abel’s blood cried out from the ground. Cain whined as God disciplined him, so God relented and marked him. We have no idea what that mark was, it was designed only for Cain, was not hereditary, and the mark was to keep others from killing Cain. Some liars think the mark refers to people of color, but only a heretic thinks that.
The mark was so no man would kill Cain.
Adam and Eve knew each other again and gave birth to another son, and they named him Seth.
The last line is the chapter is striking, “At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.”
