Cain, Abel and Seth

On leaving the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve began a new life in a world marked by sin. There their first children were born, and in their story we clearly see the consequences of the fall: envy, violence and death arrive in the very first generation. But we also see something stronger: God does not abandon humanity; he seeks out the guilty, protects life and raises up a new line through which the promise of the Saviour will continue.

“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.”

Genesis 4:1-2

Two brothers, two trades

Eve bore Cain and said: “I have gotten a man from the Lord.” The name Cain sounds in Hebrew like the verb qanah, to get or acquire. Then Abel was born, whose name, hevel, means breath, vapour or something fleeting, the same word repeated in Ecclesiastes: “vanity of vanities”. Perhaps without knowing it, his name foretold the brevity of his life.

Abel was a keeper of sheep and Cain a tiller of the ground. These are the two great trades of the ancient world: herdsman and farmer. Both kinds of work were good; the problem was not the profession but the heart.

Two offerings

In time, both brothers brought offerings to God. Cain brought of the fruit of the ground; Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. “And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect” (Genesis 4:4-5).

Why was one offering accepted and the other rejected? The text highlights that Abel gave the first and the best. The New Testament adds the key: “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain” (Hebrews 11:4). The difference lay in faith and inner attitude. John explains that Cain’s works were evil and his brother’s righteous (1 John 3:12). God looks not only at what we give, but at the heart with which we give it.

Sin at the door

Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. Then God spoke to him patiently, like a father warning his son before he falls:

“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.”

Genesis 4:7

This is the first time the word “sin” appears in the Bible, and it is described as a beast crouching at the door, ready to pounce. God offers Cain a way out: to do well. Sin can be mastered. But Cain did not listen.

The first murder

Cain talked with Abel his brother, and when they were in the field he rose up against him and slew him. In a single generation, disobedience in Eden had become violence between brothers. Then God asked: “Where is Abel thy brother?” And Cain answered with words that have echoed through history: “I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?”

God’s reply is solemn: “the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10). No crime goes unnoticed by God. The blood of the innocent has a voice before him. Cain was cursed from the earth that had received his brother’s blood, and he would be a fugitive and a vagabond.

The mark of Cain: judgment and mercy

Cain complained that his punishment was greater than he could bear and feared that whoever found him would kill him. Surprisingly, God set a mark upon Cain so that no one would harm him. The Bible does not say what that mark was, but its purpose was to protect his life. Even with the murderer, God showed mercy and set a limit on vengeance. Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. Nod means “wandering”.

Cain’s descendants: culture without God

Genesis 4 describes Cain’s family. Cain built a city and named it after his son, Enoch (not the Enoch of the next episode). Among his descendants appear the first advances of civilisation: Jabal, father of those who dwell in tents and keep cattle; Jubal, father of all who handle the harp and organ; and Tubal-cain, instructor of every artificer in brass and iron.

The Bible recognises the value of music, technology and urban life. But in the same line appears Lamech, the first man mentioned with two wives, who composed a song of revenge: if Cain would be avenged sevenfold, Lamech would be avenged seventy and sevenfold. It is the logic of violence growing unchecked. Centuries later Jesus would reverse that number when he taught forgiveness “until seventy times seven”.

Seth: a new beginning

But the story does not end in Nod. Adam and Eve had another son, and Eve called him Seth, saying: “God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew” (Genesis 4:25). The name Seth sounds like the Hebrew verb “to appoint” or “to set”. Through Seth, God established a new line of faith.

“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.”

Genesis 4:26

With Enos, Seth’s son, the public calling on the name of the Lord begins. While Cain’s line builds cities and cultivates the arts, Seth’s line is marked by something different: prayer and worship. From Seth will descend Enoch, Noah, Abraham, David and, finally, Jesus Christ (Luke 3:38).

The book of the generations of Adam

Genesis 5 presents “the book of the generations of Adam”, a genealogy from Adam to Noah. A pattern repeats: so-and-so lived so many years, begat sons and daughters, “and he died”. That repeated phrase recalls the sentence spoken in Eden. Yet the list also shows that life goes on and the promise advances from generation to generation. Adam lived 930 years, and Seth 912.

The story of Cain and Abel repeats itself in many forms throughout the Bible: brothers in rivalry, like Esau and Jacob, Joseph and his brothers, or the elder son in the parable of the prodigal son. In each case God’s question still stands: where is your brother?

Places in the story

Interesting facts

Lessons for our lives

God looks at the heart: true worship springs from faith and gratitude. Sin can be mastered: God warns in time and offers a way out. We are our brothers’ keepers: Cain’s answer is the opposite of love. Envy destroys: it began in Cain’s heart and ended in a crime. God protects life: even for the guilty he limits vengeance. There is always a new beginning: after tragedy God gives Seth, and people call on his name again.

On the road to Jesus

Abel’s blood cried out from the ground for justice. Centuries later another innocent blood would be shed outside the city, and that blood would cry out for forgiveness: “Father, forgive them.” Jesus, the elder Brother who did not kill his brother but gave his life for his brothers, is the final answer to Cain’s question. He truly is his brothers’ keeper. And the line of Seth, of those who called on the name of the Lord, will lead to him.

In the next episode we will meet one of the most mysterious figures in the Bible: Enoch, the man who walked with God and did not see death.

Prayer

Lord, deliver me from the envy and anger that ruled Cain. Give me a heart like Abel’s, offering you my best in faith. Teach me to be my brothers’ keeper. Thank you that the blood of Jesus speaks better than Abel’s and offers me forgiveness. As in the days of Enos, I want to call on your name. Amen.