Words in italic type have been added for clarity. They are not found in the original Hebrew or Aramaic.

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Genesis 4

Cain Murders Abel

Genesis 4:¹ Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ).

Genesis 4:² Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Genesis 4:³ And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord (יְהֹוָה Yĕhovah)  .

Genesis 4:⁴ Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) respected Abel and his offering,

Genesis 4:⁵ but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

^{Genesis 4:6} So the Lord (יְהֹוָה Yĕhovah) said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?

Genesis 4:⁷ If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

• Note: Sin lies at the door for every one of us. In fact, sin is “hungry for a plate of man’s soul”.
  • Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, “Simon (Peter), Simon (Peter)! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.
    • Satan wants you so he can devour you.

• Sin is like Satan’s credit card. It has an unlimited amount available, usury interest rates, and when it comes due it demands your life.

• How does one rule over sin? By trusting God that He has our best interests at heart.

Genesis 4:⁸  Now 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 killed him.

• The blood on Cain’s hands became the blood on Jesus’ hands.

“Cain hated Abel as long as he was Abel”

“A rock in bad hands killed Abel. A rock in good hands killed Goliath. It’s not about the rock.”

Genesis 4:9 Then the LORD  (יְהֹוָה Yĕhovah) said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”

He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

• Doesn’t Cain’s reply have quite an attitude?
  
  • Cain as the eldest brother should be his brother’s keeper in the event his brother needed him. The eldest had the birthright and the duty to lead the family tribe. Instead Cain more or less refused his role and discarded his birthright when he killed his brother. He should have played the role of kinsman redeemer to avenge his brother’s killer. Instead, he WAS his brother’s murderer. Our birthright is our salvation. Cain, like Esau, gave up his birthright out of fleshly desires. Cain gave up his birthright out of envy and anger whereas Esau gave up his birthright out of hunger. Both were appeasing their worldly “appetite”

 Genesis 4:¹⁰ And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.

 Genesis 4:11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

• When a man kills another man, his blood calls out from the ground and curses the killer. When the killer dies and is buried, his rotting body is cursed by the ground he is buried in.
• Until he dies, that which comes from the ground also curses him.

 Genesis 4:¹² When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”

 Genesis 4:13 And Cain said to the Lord (יְהֹוָהYĕhovah), “My punishment is greater than I can bear!

Genesis 4:¹⁴ Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”

 Genesis 4:15 And the LORD  (יְהֹוָה  Yĕhovah) said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD (יְהֹוָה  Yĕhovah)  set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.

• Note: Speculation on what exactly is the “Mark of Cain” is fruitless. The one thing that is certain is that it is NOT a type of race. The descendants of Cain did not survive the flood.

• The only other “mark” put on an individual is when the Antichrist forces people to take his “mark” 666.

• The number for man is the number 6. It is an unfinished number. The story is not finished. Seven is the number for completion. In the book of Revelation, the seventh seal, trumpet, and bowl are all completed at the same time. In other words, everything is completed at 777. The anti-thesis of 666.

The Family of Cain

Genesis 4:16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord  (יְהֹוָה Yĕhovah) and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.

• To the Jews God gave the promised land.
• To Cain God gave the land of Nod, “East of Eden”.
• The historian Origen defined Nod as the land of trembling and wrote that it symbolized the condition of all who forsake God.

Genesis 4:¹⁷ And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son—Enoch.

• There are two Enochs. One from the line of Seth and one from the line of Cain. This Enoch is from the line of Cain.

Genesis 4:¹⁸ To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech.

Genesis 4:¹⁹Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah.

Genesis 4:²⁰ And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.

Genesis 4:²¹ His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.

Genesis 4:²² And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.

Genesis 4:²³ Then Lamech said to his wives:

• Note: There are two Lamechs, one through Cain’s line and one through Seth’s line. Both are just prior to the flood. This Lamech is the one who comes through Cain’s line. He and his family died in the flood.

“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;

Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech!

For I have killed a man for wounding me,

• “A young” man: One has the impression that the young man wounded Lamech’s feelings and Lamech killed him.

• “Even a young man for hurting me.”

Genesis 4:²⁴ If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

• Jesus said to forgive seventy times seven, or 490 times.
  • Matthew 18:22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven^.

• Daniel 9:25, there are seventy sevens or 490 years for the consummation of Jewish forgiveness.
  • The number 490 is the COMPLETE CYCLE OF TIME FOR FORGIVENESS.
  • We are to forgive up to 490 times, but God looks at “times” as years. (Revelation 12:14)

A New Son

Genesis 4:²⁵ And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God (‘ĕlōhîm) has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.”

• Cain lost his “birthright”, being the eldest son. Now, in God’s eyes the birthright goes to Seth.
• The birthright is the focus of honor on the family.
• The Messiah will now come through the lineage of Seth instead of Cain.

Genesis 4:²⁶ And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD (יְהֹוָה Yĕhovah).