Cain and Abel (Genesis 4-5)

Episode 2a: Cain and Abel

(Genesis 4-5)

Cain kills his brother Abel

4 ^1-2 Adam knew Eve and she conceived. The result was Cain, who became a farmer. Then came Abel, a shepherd.

³ Cain brought some of his produce to God. ⁴ And Abel brought the firstlings of his flock, along with some fat. God respected Abel and his offering, ⁵ but he had no respect for Cain's. Cain was angry and looked sad.

⁶ God said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why do you look sad? ⁷ If you do well, you'll be accepted. If not, you'll be guilty of sin."

⁸ Cain said to Abel, "Let's go out into the field."

When they got arrived at the field, Cain killed Abel.

The life of Cain

⁹ God said to Cain, "Where's your brother Abel?"

Cain answered, "I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?"

¹⁰ God said to him, "What have you done? Your brother's blood cries out from the ground."

^11-12 "Now you are cursed. You won't be as successful a farmer as you would have been. And you'll be a fugitive and a vagabond."

¹³ Cain said, "My punishment is more than I can bear. ¹⁴ I'll be a fugitive and a vagabond, and whoever finds me will kill me."

¹⁵ God said to Cain, "Whoever kills you will suffer a seven-fold vengeance."

And God put a mark on Cain, so that whoever found him wouldn't kill him.

¹⁶ Cain went where God isn't present: the land of Nod, east of Eden.

¹⁷ And Cain knew his wife, and she had a son named Enoch. Cain built a city and named it Enoch after his son. ¹⁸ Enoch had a son named Irad, who had a son named Mehujael, who had a son named Methusael, who had a son named Lamech.

Lamech, a bigamist, and a murderer

¹⁹ Lamech took two wives, Adah and Zillah. ²³ He said to them, "I have killed a man. ²⁴ If Cain will be avenged sevenfold, then I'll be avenged 77-fold."

Adam and Eve have another boy: Seth

²⁵ Adam had sex again with his wife, and she had another son, whose name was Seth. ²⁶ Seth had a son named Enos.

Adam's family

5 ¹ This is the book of Adam's family.

² God made male and female humans. He called their name Adam.

³ When Adam was 130 years old he had a son that looked like him. He called him Seth.

⁴ Sometime in the next 800 years, Adam begat some daughters.

⁵ Adam died when he was 930 years old.

From Seth to Noah

⁶ Seth was 105 years old when his son Enos was born. ⁷ In the next 807 years, he had other sons and daughters. ⁸ He died when he was 912.

⁹ Enos was 90 years old when his son Cainan was born. ¹⁰ In the next 815 years he had other sons and daughters. ¹¹ He died when he was 905.

¹² Cainan was 70 years old when his son Mahalaleel was born. ¹³ In the next 840 years he had other sons and daughters. ¹⁴ He died when he was 910 years old.

¹⁵ Mahalaleel was 65 years old when his son Jared was born. ¹⁶ In the next 830 years he had other sons and daughters. ¹⁷ He died when he was 895.

¹⁸ Jared was 162 years old when his son Enoch was born. ¹⁹ In the next 800 years he had other sons and daughters. ²⁰ He died when he was 962 years old.

²¹ Enoch was 65 years old when his son Methuselah was born. ²² In the next 300 years he walked with God and had other sons and daughters. ²³ When he was 365 he quit walking with God, ²⁴ because God took him.

²⁵ Methuselah was 187 years old when his son Lamech was born. ²⁶ In the next 782 years he had other sons and daughters. ²⁷ He died when he was 969.

^28-29 Lamech was 182 years old when his son Noah was born. ³⁰ In the next 595 years he had other sons and daughters. ³¹ He died when he was 777.

Lamech holding the infant Noah by James Tissot

³² Noah was 500 years old when he had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

A few more words about this episode

Adam knew Eve (4:1)

This is the first sexual intercourse mentioned in the Bible.

The mark of Cain (4:15)

Although there is nothing in the text of Genesis 4:15 that suggests that the mark of Cain in involved a change in skin color, it was commonly believed in the 18th and 19th centuries that God cursed Cain with dark skin, and this was often used to justify racism and slavery.

This interpretation is made explicit, however, in the Mormon scriptures, which says "the seed of Cain were black" in Moses 7:22 of the Pearl of Great Price.

But if the mark of Cain was a black skin and it was passed on to his descendants, then how could there be black people today, since only Noah (who was a descendant of Shem) and his family survived the flood? Well, the Mormon Scriptures have the answer to that too.

According to Abraham 1:21-25 in the Pearl of Great Price, Ham (one of Noah's sons) married a woman named Egyptus who was a descendant of Cain. And so the seed of Cain (and black skin) was preserved through the flood.

And Cain knew his wife (4:16)

That's nice, but where the hell did she come from? The Bible doesn't mention any of Cain's sisters. Well, maybe he married his mom. In any case, Cain and the mysterious Mrs. Cain have a son (another blue cigar!). His name is Enoch and he builds a city (population 3).

Every one that findeth me shall slay me. (4:14)

Cain is worried after killing Abel and says, "Every one who finds me shall slay me." This is a strange concern since there were only two other humans alive at the time -- his parents!

Lamech took two wives (4:19)

Lamech is the first of a long line of biblical men with more than one wife.
Does the Bible approve of polygamy?

I have killed a man. (4:23)

The Bible doesn't say who Lamech killed, but that didn't stop the Rabbis from saying.

Rashi came up with a story that claimed that Lamech, who was blind at the time, shot his great-great-great grandfather Cain, with the help of his son Tuabl-Cain.

Here's a picture to help you sort this all out.

Adam begat some daughters (5:4)

These nameless ones are the first girls born in the Bible.

Methuselah was 187 years old when his son Lamech was born. (5:25)

When Lamech was born, nine generations were alive at once.

Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, and Lamech were all alive at the time of Lamech's birth.

Adam lived to see his great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson.

Noah's three sons (5:32)

Apparently, Noah waited 500 years to have kids. Then he had three boys in one year.

Were they all with the same (nameless) wife?

Were gestation periods shorter back then? Were they triplets, perhaps? Did Noah and Mrs. Noah every have any daughters? (If so, why didn't Noah let them on the ark?)