Genesis Chapters 4 and 5

Pastor Matt Davis, Commentary Genesis 4 and 5

Verses 1-7 Cain and Abel’s Offerings

“And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lordhad respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. [1]”

Verse 1

Knew – The word means to know by experience. In this case, and as is common in middle eastern languages, the word is used as a euphemism to describe sexual intercourse.

She conceived – The result of Adam knowing Eve is the fulfillment of the blessing bestowed upon man in Genesis 1. The process of multiplying and filling the earth has begun.

Cain – The first son named in the Bible is Cain. It is likely, with a high degree of certainty, that Cain is the first born of Adam and Eve. If Cain and Abel are not the first born, the incidence of their story here would then serve to tell of the first murderous act recorded.

Cains name has two meanings, one given, and one from which derives from a root word in Hebrew.

The first meaning, given of Eve, is “to acquire,” as said by Eve, “I have gotten a man from the Lord.” This is the only time a newborn babe is described as a man.

The second meaning, from it’s Hebrew root word, is “to wail/to mourn,” and foreshadows the wailing of Adam and Eve at the loss of Abel.

Verse 2

Conceived again – For some reason, some commentators write Cain and Abel as twins. The text does not support that conclusion. Abel is certainly the younger of the two brothers, and can be contrasted with God’s regular preference over the younger. (Jacob/Esau, Isaac/Ishmael)

Abel – His name in Hebrew means “vanity/mere breath,” and foretells of his existence as being cut short, as if a quick breath.

Keeper of the sheep – Abel’s trade is more inline with the original function of humanity, to have dominion over the creation.

Cain was a tiller of the ground – Cain, like his father, became a worker of the ground.

The descriptions of both brothers jobs proves one thing, men started off with domesticated animals and cultivated fields. This is contrasted to the science today which teaches men, for thousands of years, had no such experience.

Verse 3

In the process of time – Some commentators interpret this to mean “in a year.” However, this must remain nothing more than conjecture, with the ultimate timing unknown.

An offering of the fruit of the ground – Cain brought to the Lord an offering from his harvests.

Verse 4

And Abel, of his firstlings – The phrasing of the text will play an important indicator on interpreting the rest of the passage. Able went out of his way to please God, bringing to the Lord the choicest of his flock, whereas, Cain seemed to bring an offering as an afterthought, out of duty.

And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering – To be contrasted with the Lords reception of Cains offering in the next verse.

Hebrews 11:4 tells us of Abel’s offering “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. [2]”

Since we know that faith comes by hearing, we can conclude God taught Adam how to worship Him and Adam passed the knowledge down. The primary difference between the offering of Cain and the offering of Abel was the condition of the heart.

Verse 5

But unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect – While God respected Abel’s offering, He had not respected the offering of Cain. As mentioned previously, the contributing factor seems to be the motivation behind the offering. Where Abel offered of worship and faith, Cain offered whatever was left, motivated by duty.

1 John 3:12 tells us of Cains offering “Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. [3]”

And Cain was wroth, and his countenance fell – Rather than desire to fix the issue and please God, Cain became angry with his brother for doing well. This confirms the verdict from 1 John 3, the works of Cain were evil. Should the intent have been righteous, Cain would have asked God how to please Him. But the evil intent only desired to persecute the godly.

Verse 6

Why are thou wroth, and why is thy countenance fallen – God asks of Cain why he is angry and frowning. Of course, God knows the answers, but the dialogue is meant to encourage Cain into repentance.

Verse 7

If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted – Accepted here has a literal meaning of “lifted up.” The encouragement and advice of God is to do well, and his frown shall disappear. All would be well if he would only do right.

If thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door – God warns Cain, should he not perform well, sin is lying at the door, waiting to grab hold of him.

And unto thee shall be his desire – Sin would seek to dominate and consume him.

And thou shalt rule over him – Cain must become the master of his sin if he is to be happy, if it is not to consume him.

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Verses 8-10 Cain Murders Abel

“And 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 slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. [4]”

Verse 8

Cain talked with his brother – Heb. Lit. “told his brother.” The sense of the sentence is “Cain told his brother to go out to the field.”

It came to pass, when they were in the field – In the field, away from help. This demonstrates the premeditated aspect of the murderous act.

Rose up against Abel, and slew him – In the last passage, God encouraged Cain to do good and master the sin, or the sin would seek to master him. Rather than take the advice of God, Cain instead murdered Abel in jealousy.

This is the first recorded murder in human history.

Verse 9

Where is Abel thy brother – Like with the question God ask’s Adam in Genesis three, the question is rhetorical for God knows exactly where Abel is (as is identified in verse ten.) Rather, then, the question is to allow Cain to come forth in his sin to God.

I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper – In chapter three, Adam was at least truthful in some sense. Adam admitted to knowing he was naked and was afraid. Cain answers God with an outright lie, “I know not.”

Keeper – The word is used to describe a shepherd. The meaning behind Cains question of a statement is, “Am I the shepherd of the shepherd?”

Verse 10

What has thou done – Again, rhetorical, God knows the answer.

The voice of thy brothers blood crieth unto me from the ground – God then describes He is aware of Cains murderous act, and describes the voice of blood crying for vengeance. To the Hebrews, the statement was critical and understood. For life is in the blood. The life of Abel, then, cries. Since we are made in the divine image of God, the taking of human life cannot go unavenged.

Verses 11-16 Cains Punishment

“And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. [5]”

Verse 11

And now – The transition describes the act of dealing out divine punishment.

Thou art cursed from the earth – To be contrasted with the curse in chapter three. In the punishment of Adam, the curse was indirect, where the land became difficult to work. In the case of Cain, the curse is direct, as he is the one who is cursed.

Which opened her mouth to receive thy brothers blood – The land, which gave to the inhabitants, was now fed of the blood of Abel.

Verse 12

The punishments dealt upon Cain are two-fold, both described in this verse.

When thou tillest the ground, it shall not yield her strength – This is the nature of Cains curse from the ground. Notice, as with the punishments dealt upon those in the original fall, the punishment given Cain follows with his actions and line of work. The text means that the land will yield little results for his work.

A fugitive and a vagabond thou shall be – The second curse is that he shall be banished from his home. Vagabond has the definition of wanderer. The punishment is that he shall leave his family, his land, all he knows of his life, and he shall depart. The punishment shall serve as a continual reminder of his sin. Many interpret this to mean Cain would never settle down, and while the word meaning should indicate that, the next passage indicates Cain settled down and built a city. If the curse was intended to keep him continually on the move, then in rebellion, Cain outright defied God and the consequences of his actions. Some commentators however, see this as expulsion only from his family and land of origin.

Verse 13

My punishment is greater than I can bear – Cains complaint is the consequence is too severe, that he cannot bear it.

Bear – To bear is to pay the price, suffer the consequence.

Verse 14

Though God only gave two punishments in verse twelve, Cain sees four that he describes here.

Thou has driven me from the face of the earth – Cain, like Adam did, places blame upon God. “You, have driven me,” he says. This in reference to his curse, never to be a productive farmer again.

From thy face shall I be hid – The second punishment Cain sees, hiding from the Lord. Such is only true of the unrepentant and the unfaithful. The repentant and faithful can approach the grace of God. ***see notes on verse 16

I shall be a vagabond – Echoing the second punishment.

Everyone that findeth me shall slay me – The final punishment Cain sees, is fear of retaliation. Being separated from God can only lead to fear – Separation from God is a choice of the unrepentant.

Verse 15

Whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold – God extends a little mercy upon Cain, giving a promise of protection. Some see this as a lessoning of the punishment, but that does not seem to be the intent of God. However, God extends mercy and essentially becomes his divine protector. Sevenfold refers to complete and divine vengeance with God as the agent.

The Lord set a mark upon Cain, les any finding him should kill him – The mark upon Cain is often grossly abused in religion. The mark is often seen as the curse itself, and has often been interpreted as a darkening of skin. For many, they see the African race as the descendants of Cain as a result of this interpretation.

Two things to deal with:

1. Should the mark have been the curse upon Cain, we would not find any of his descendants today, all of which perished in the great and world wide flood. That removes any possibility of linking the two.

2. The mark upon Cain is never identified in the Bible. In what form we do not know. The same Hebrew word we have translated “mark,” also means “sign.” The mark or sign given Cain serves, not as a curse, but as a warning to others that they have to deal with God if they harm him.

Verse 16

Cain went out from the presence of the Lord – The author makes sure to include the detail that Cain abandoned the presence of the Lord. The Lord did not abandon Cain. The result is always on the part of the unrepentant sinner.

Dwelt in the land of Nod – The land of Nod is described here as being in the East of Eden. It is unclear if the Hebrews ever located the land, but the location is not important to the understanding of the text. Nod literally means, land of wandering.

Verses 17-24 Cains Descendants

“And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech. And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; Ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: For I have slain a man to my wounding, And a young man to my hurt. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.[6]”

Verse 17

Cain knew his wife – As with the beginning of the chapter, knew is used to describe sexual relationships. It has been suggested the text is indicative in that Cain was already married by this point. While such is only speculation, we know that Cain founded a family. As such, we see that only a biased account would attribute strictly bad will toward Cain.

Bare Enoch, and built a city, and named the city Enoch – Commentators debate back and forth over who built the city. The structure in the Hebrew is awkward. Enoch’s name means “to dedicate, dedicator,” and has been supposed that he is the dedicator of cities. The text also allows for Enoch to be the city founder, of which, removes the textual issue of Cain being condemned a wanderer. However, The text also makes it apparent that Cain is the city builder, who, “called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.”

Built a city - Many criticize this statement saying “how could he build a city, there weren’t many people yet” .... Thoughts for consideration - It isn’t mentioned how many people are born between their births and Abel’s murder. It isn’t mentioned how many were born prior to them (if any). It isn’t mentioned how long this verse takes place after Abel’s murder. Remember, lifespans were upwards of a thousand years, the population could be several thousand, to several hundred thousand by this point. A final point of consideration is what was defined as a city in Biblical times. For consideration, the city of Jerusalem, in King Solomon’s day, was about 40 acres with a max of 2,000 people. Of that 40 acres, only 15 were inhabited, the other 25 were set aside for the temple and operations. The city is said to have about 800-1200 people during King David’s rule.

Verse 18

Enoch and Lamech are the only two names in Cains recorded line that also appear in Adams line through Seth. They should not be confused and are described as different people.

Verse 19

Lamech took unto him two wives – God instituted marriage between one man and one women. Lamech, in the first mention of polygamy in the Bible, continues in Cains rebellion taking upon himself two wives.

Verse 20

Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-Cain – Each of these names, which will be addressed in verses twenty through twenty-two all derive from the same Hebrew root word which means “to produce.” Each are described as the father of a specific trade. Their names likely refer to their inventiveness.

Jabal, The father of such that dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle – The shepherding work of Abel is described as returning. However, this is more than a restoration of the work. Abel shepherded a minimal flock of which he lived off. Jabal’s description is of one who has sheep, goats, cattle, and all herd animals. He not only lived from his flocks, but could trade of them.

Verse 21

Jubal, the father of such that handle the harp and organ – He is the father of those who play musical instruments.

Verse 22

Tubal-Cain, the instructor of every artificer in brass and iron – He fathered those who were skilled in metal working and smithery.

In each of these cases, we see that the gifts and talents of this world are not reserved strictly to the believers.

Verse 23

For I have slain a man to my wounding, a young man to my hurt – The scene switches back to Lamech, who is now boasting of slaying a man. This describes an account where he slew a man for hitting or bruising him.

Verse 24

If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold – This describes a sharp contrast between Cain and Lamech. Cain sought protection, whereas, Lamech sought violence. The line of Cain shows how quickly sin progressed through the world, to such a point, man was boasting of his sin.

Verses 25-26 Seth is Born

“And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.[7]”

Verse 25

She bare a son, and called his name Seth – The final two verses transition back to the line of Adam, this time through a godly line in Seth. The reasoning for the name, given of Eve, “God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel.” The name literally means “(is) substituted, (is) appointed.” There seems a possible connection with Eve recognizing Seth as a substitution in place of Abel.

The birth of Seth occurs a hundred and thirty years into Adams life. While there are not others listed between Abel and Seth, it is understood and concluded there were others born in this period. Of the least of the evidences, we have Cain who has found for himself a wife.

Verse 26

Enosh – The third generation recorded through this line. Enosh has the meaning of “mortal, mortality.”

Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord – The translation, as is, shows us men beginning to worship God. The Hebrew root also has another definition, “began to call themselves by the name of the Lord.” The understanding from the root words become critical in the interpretation of Genesis six.

While men have been known to go to the Lord, both Cain and Abel brought offerings to Him, the tense in the sentence indicates a continual and regular worship practice sprung up.

Chapter 5

“This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died. And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan: And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died. And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel: And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died. And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died. And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died. And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed. And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died. And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.[8]”

Verse 1

Generations – Each of the major sections of Genesis begin with “these are the generations of, or this is the book of the generations of.” This begins a new section in the account.

Verses 21-24

Hebrews 11:5 tells us of Enoch’s Faith “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. [9]”

Some commentators have suggested the length of his life, three hundred and sixty-five years, either suggests a fulfilled life, or is suggestive of the length of a year. The latter case is unlikely, as the Jewish year had about three hundred and fifty-five days in it. In each case, this is only speculation.

Some religions, such as the Mormon church, teach that Enoch had built an entire city that was so righteous, the entire city was lifted up to heaven. Of such, the Bible makes no mention, and those teachings should not be regarded.

Verse 27

Methuselah was the oldest person to live, at nine hundred sixty-nine years. Also of interest, his name has a literally meaning of “his death shall bring,” and the year he died is the same year the flood occurred.

[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ge 4:1–7). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. [2] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Heb 11:4). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. [3] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 1 Jn 3:12). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. [4] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ge 4:8–10). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. [5] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ge 4:11–16). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. [6] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ge 4:17–24). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. [7] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ge 4:25–26). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. [8] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ge 5). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. [9] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Heb 11:5). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.