CPCC Bible Study: Genesis 4

Chapter 4

      Again, the text does not state if this event happened the evening after they were removed from the Garden, or years later. It is reasonable to assume that it was perhaps after they'd settled in their new place, wherever it was, East of Eden, as it were. In any case, we know that there is a period of several months between the beginning of the statement and when Cain joins the cast. Also, from here on in, the Jewish name for the CREATOR is used except for one interesting statement at the end of the chapter.

Verses 1 and 2
      And Adam "yada'" (knew (also: 'had relations')) 'with Eve' (this is the second, and Last, use of the name in the OT) his wife - and she "harah" (conceived), and "yalad" (bore / begot) "Qayin" (Cain), and said, I "qamah" (acquired) "ish" ('a' man) from YHWH.
      And she "yasaph" (again) bore "ach" (brother) "Habel" (Able). ...

      We do not know who named the boys. Their names are presented as a matter of fact. No other births are recorded in this passage. Also, the passage of time to the next sentence is not recorded.

      ... And was Habel a "ra'ah" (grazer / tender / keeper) of "tson" (flocks (includes goats and sheep)) but Qayin "hayah" (was / became) "'obed" (worker (different form) "adamah" (ground / land).

3
      And it came to pass, "qets" (later / course) "yom" (day / time)...
      Once again, significant time passes, but we have no idea how much. The only thing that is clear is that now 'the boys' are old enough to work on the farm and make their own offerings to GOD, and had been for some time.
      ... "bo" (brought) Qayin "peri" (fruit / produce) of the ground, "minchah" (gift / tribute / offering) to YHWH.
      The text here only says that Cain brought some produce to offer. But what it doesn't say is just as important, as we'll see in a minute.

4
      And Habel "bo" (brought) also of the "bekorah" (firstborn) "tson" (flock), and "cheleb" (fat). And "yisa" (looked at / gaze upon (implies: favorably)) YHWH "'el" (toward) Habel and his "minchah" (offering).

5
      But Qayin and his offering, "lo" (not) "shaah" (looked upon). And "charah" (burn (kindled) anger), Qayin "meod" (much / abundance), and "naphal" (fell / to fall) "panim" (face / appearance).

      And now comes the part that some retellings of the "Cain and Abel Story" forget about. The Creator has His first of two conversations with Cain:
6
      "way yomer" (and said) YWHW to Qayin, "ma" (why) "charah" ('angry')? and why "naphal" ('fallen') "panim" ('face')?
      The phrasing is as to separate questions. Also note, there is no answer recorded from Cain to either question, or to the statement that follows.

7
      Paraphrase: "if you do well, you will be accepted, and if you do not do well..."
      "pethach" (doorway / entrance) "chatta'ah" (sin / sinfulness) "rabats" (is laying / etc) ...

TIME OUT!
      This is the first use of That 'S'-Word in the Bible. Yes, it is.
      Go back to the previous chapter where Eve and her 'friend' have their conversation and the resulting vegan brunch. The term "sin" was never used. You have the "Fall of Mankind" and their expulsion from paradise, and there was no 'sin'. However, now, with Cain being angry, "sin is at the door".
      Once again, this is not a "play by play" real time commentary but was written by the inspired writer perhaps thousands of years later.
Time In
      ... and for you "teshuqah" (desire / longing) "we 'attah" (but you) "mashal bow" (rule / reign / etc 'over it').

8
      "way yomer" (and said / talked) Qayin with Habel "ach" (brother) - "way hi" (and became / to pass), "sadeh" (field / land)...

      The set-up: it is clearly stated that Cain was depressed, as well as being angry with his brother, and that he had been warned by GOD that things could go badly. Now, which is some time later, but we don't know how long, the two are out in a field, which could be a pasture, but it is stated as to imply that it is Cain's cropland.

      ... "qam" (arose) Qayin "'el" (toward) Habel 'his brother', "way" (and) "harag" (kill / slay).

      There is no mention of a weapon, or Cain disposing of the body, or anything else. The scene ends with the murder. However, at the time, what LAW was broken? The Ten Commandments are still way out over the horizon, the Code of Hammurabi (see below) isn't encoded yet, there is no local constabulary to report it to. So... did Cain break the law?

9
      "way yomer" (and said) YHWH to Qayin, "'ay" (where) Habel, 'your' "ach" (brother)?

      Stand by for one of the most famous (?infamous?) statements in entire Bible. People who don't know anything else about the overall story being told can quote Cain's answer. The 'he' in the answer is not identified other than by circumstance.

      Word for word: "way yomer" (and 'he' said), "lo" (not) "yada" (know), "shamar" (keeper / watcher) "ach" (brother) "'a noki" ('am' I)?

      You can probably recite the more familiar phrasing from memory.

10
      "way yomer" (and 'He' said) "mah" ((interrogative) what?) "asah" (done / accomplished)? "qol" (voice / sound) "dam" (blood) of your brother "tsaaq" (calls / cries out) to 'Me' "min" (from) "adamah" (ground / land)!

11
      We have the same scenario that occurred in the 'snake' episode in the previous chapter. There is no defense offered. The judgment is immediate, as is the meting out of the punishment.

      "attah" (now) "arar" (cursed (same word as used with the serpent)) "attah" (you) from "adamah" (earth / land), which/that "patsah" (parted / opened (same word/idea used in Numbers 16:30)) "laqach" (take from / recieve) blood of brother from your hand.

12
      When you "abad" (work) the "adamah" (earth / land) "lo" (no / not) "yasaph" (add / continue / increase) "nathan" (give) "koach" (ability / strength) to you - a "nua'" (the word is used to describe a wind driven wave on the sea) and "nud" (wander / 'move to and fro') you shall be "erets" (the earth as a planet)

13
      But then Cain does something unexpected, he addresses the Creator directly.
      "way yomer Qayin 'el YHWH" (and said Cain to YHWH) "gadol" (great) "avon" (punishment) "nasah" (carry / take).

14
      "hen" (behold) "garash" (drove away (same root word during exit from Eden)) me today from "panim" (face) "adamah" (earth / land) and 'from' Your "pana" (face) "sathar" (hidden) - and I shall be a "nua" and "nud" on the Earth - "hayah" ('come to pass') that "kol" (all) "matsa" (find) me "harag" (kill / slay (same word)) me.

      One of those questions you're not supposed to ask your Sunday School Teacher is right here. At the moment Cain makes his statement, there are three humans alive on the planet. Who is he afraid of? This comes to a sharp point in a few more verses.

15
      YHWH says "ken" (so / thus) "kol" (all) "harag" (kill) Qayin, "shibathayim" (seven fold / seven times)...

a Sevenfold tangent
      In Proverbs 6 we see that if a thief steals because he is hungry, he isn't to be hated, BUT, if he is caught, verse 31, he has to pay back sevenfold. Which is also seen in Leviticus 26 as the punishment for breaking the Covenant beginning at verse 18 through the rest of the chapter. But it isn't always 'seven'. In Exodus 22, there is five and four for livestock, and in Leviticus 5, verse 16 seems to imply a five-fold restitution. But the idea of "seven" has stuck around.
      We all remember the passage in Matthew where Peter asks about forgiving seven times. And Jesus answered with an even larger number, see Matthew 18 : 22, and compare that to verse 24 below.
      Others have gone into poetic ecstasy... no really, see Psalm 12 : 6, and 119 : 164... about the number seven and how it is spiritually, and mathematically, significant (Seven: days of Creation, heavens, things God hates, deacons, churches in Asia, and so on), see links below for more, so we'll skip that. However, it must be said that Seven is one of the most notable numbers in the Bible. That in hand, it is just a number, an important number certainly, but there is nothing thaumaturgic (miracle working) about it. So pardon us while we dust off our seven branched menorah and move on. And, yes, the 'seven thing' comes up again in a
end tangent

... sevenfold "naqam" (avenging / vengeance) 'on him'. "way yasim" (and set) YHWH on Qayin "'oth" (sign (includes banner and standard (as in 'a flag') so it was obvious)) "bilti" (except / should not) "nakah" ('smite') him....

      One has to wonder what sort of vengeance would be repaid for killing the killer, as well as exactly what the "mark of Cain" was. The epic movie The Bible released in 1966 by Dino De Laurentiis, used a mark on Richard Harris's forehead that resembled a tree that had been struck and killed by lightning. See link below.

16
      In short, Cain relocates to "East of Eden" in Nod.

.... time passes, we don't know how much.

17 through 22
      Summary: Cain gets married, they have a baby, and a city is built. Then Cain's kids have kids, and so on.
      Remember we mentioned questions you're not supposed to ask your Sunday School teacher? Here's another set. There is no mention of another woman on Earth besides Eve to this point. The standard line is that Adam and Eve had a girl somewhere along the line, but that isn't what is in the text up to the middle of chapter four. Yes, Later, Seth and company arrive, but that isn't what it says. If some details were left out, perhaps others were as well. Hang on for a moment, and we'll take a side trip down that alley. Also: there's a link below to an extensive look at other questions your shouldn't ask in Sunday School.

      It is in these verses that we see specialties come into being, as in 21 where you have musicians and in 22 a trades instructor.

Apocryphal note:
      The fact that there are no facts in Genesis didn't stop the ancient Jewish thinkers and writers from filling in the details. Most specifically in the Book of Jubilees, which was most likely compiled around 300 BC or perhaps before, and has been identified from extensive fragments and quotes found with the Dead Sea cache of manuscripts. See link to downloadable copy below. As well as in other historic writers such as Josephus, and even whoever wrote 1 Enoch, which we will look at later.
      Where did They get their information? Undoubtedly from even older oral traditions. How reliable is it? That's not even a realistic question, some of it may well be true, and there is no doubt that a lot of it is pure fantasy. However, it is interesting.
end note

23 and 24
      We are five generations removed from Cain when we meet Lamech, who had two wives, we join the action already in progress:
      'hear my voice' "azan" (listen) 'to me', I "harag" (have slain) 'a man', "petsa" (wound / injury) me, "yeled" (male child / youngster) for injuring me.
      If "shibathayim" (seven fold) "naqam" (avenged) Qayin, then Lamech "sib'im we sib'ah" (seven and seventy).
      No, Lamech isn't making a statement about the Power of God to avenge a wrong, he is mocking the promise made to Cain by God. This is the first glimpse at what comes up at the end of the chapter. Stay tuned.

... meanwhile, back at the ranch.

25
      Adam and 'his wife'.... "yalad" (begot / bring forth) a son, and named him Set, "shith" (make / lay / fix / etc) for me 'Elohim "zera" (seed) "acher" (another), instead of Hebel....
      The name of Adam's wife is not used in this verse in the Hebrew.

26

"Later, Seth had a son and named him Enosh.
About this time people started worshiping the Lord"
(CEV) see link below.

      This is an interesting statement. In most translations, such as in our opening quote from The Living Bible, and the one here from the Contemporary English Version, it gives the impression that they are calling upon the name of the Lord in reverence. Some section headings even say something like "true religion is restored".
      That is not (correction), that is NOT what the Hebrew says. The word for "begin" there is used in Genesis 49 : 4 as the start of an act of making something unclean. Later in Exodus we see it as the making of a tool 'profane', and then in Exodus 31, we come across the death penalty for such an act, see the word in verse 14. This is the same term used for Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord.... in Leviticus 19 : 12, and is used to refer to prostitution in 29. And so on throughout the OT it refers to the beginning of bad things, as we'll see in chapter 6 and then later in a vineyard.
      This error can be seen in the Vulgate, see link below.
"... iste coepit invocare nomen Domini" (men began 'to' invoke 'the' name of God)

      A more accurate reading of the Hebrew might be: "and this is when men began to take the name of the Lord in vain."
      Which would explain why chapter 5 is setting the stage for a year long cruise. Things got bad, and that line is where it started.

End Chapter Four

Selected resources for this chapter:

The Interlinear: Hebrew - English https://biblehub.com/interlinear/genesis/4.htm

The 1560 / 1599 Geneva Bible https://textusreceptusbibles.com/Geneva/1/1

The 1611 King James https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611_Genesis-Chapter-1/

"The Holy Bible In Latin Language With Douay-Rheims English Translation" https://vulgate.org/ot/genesis_4.htm

Contemporary English Version, American Bible Society, 1995 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%204&version=CEV

Three Links About Seven:
"The Sevenfold Peace of the Essenes was the summation of their inner teaching.
https://www.thenazareneway.com/sevenfold_peace.htm

"What is the meaning and significance of number 7 in the Bible?"
https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/what-is-the-biblical-significance-of-the-number-7.html

"Seven Reasons We Are Captivated by the Number Seven"
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201506/seven-reasons-we-are-captivated-the-number-seven

"The Code of Hammurabi was one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes and was proclaimed by the Babylonian king Hammurabi, who reigned from 1792 to 1750 B.C." https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-middle-east/hammurabi

The Text: The Code of Hammurabi https://avalon.law.yale.edu/ancient/hamframe.asp

The Bible: In The Beginning, 1966 release by Twentieth Century Fox: https://archive.org/details/The_Bible_In_The_Beginning (streamable)

The Book of Jubilees, sometimes called "Little Genesis" is an ancient work that is recognized as canon in several denominations. It is in it that we meet Cain's wife by name: http://www.pseudepigrapha.com/jubilees/4.htm

Other links:
An in depth article, and a follow-up of objections:
Questions you shouldn't ask your Sunday School Teacher! https://themediadesk.com/newfiles7/sundayschool1.htm

Genesis Study Index Page

NOTE: The Bible Study Lesson presented above is posted as a reference document to begin a conversation of the topic. And that's it. Please accept it at such.

http://centralparkchurchofchrist.org