4:1Sexual union means oneness and total knowledge of the other person. Sexual intercourse is the most intimate of acts, sealing a social, physical, and spiritual relationship. That is why God has reserved it for marriage alone.
Life Application Study BibleGenesisChapter 4
Genesis 4
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 12, 13, 14
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4Genesis 4
2. Cain and Abel
1Now Adam* had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “With the LORD’s help, I have produced* a man!” 2Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel. When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. 3When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the LORD. 4Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his gift, 5but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected. “Why are you so angry?” the LORD asked Cain. 6Why do you look so dejected? 7You will 3:20 Eve sounds like a Hebrew term that means ‘to give life.” 3:22 Or the man; Hebrew reads ha-adam. 4:1a Or, the man; also in 4:25. 4:1b Or / have acquired. Cain sounds like a Hebrew term that can mean “produce” or “acquire.” be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do whatis right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” 8QOne day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let's go out into the fields.”* And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him. 9Afterward the LORD asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?” “I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?” 10But the LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! 11Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother's blood. 12No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.” 13Cain replied to the LORD, “My punishment* is too great for me to bear! 14You have banished me from the land and from your presence; you have made me a homeless wanderer. Anyone who finds me will kill me!” 15The LORD replied, “No, for I will give a sevenfold punishment to anyone who Kills you.” Then the LORD put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him. 16So Cain left the LORD’s presence and settled in the land of Nod,* east of Eden.
The Descendants of Cain
1717Cain had sexual relations with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain founded a city, which he named Enoch, after his son. *8Enoch had a son named Irad. Irad became the father of* Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of Methushael. Methushael became the father of Lamech. 19Lamech married two women. The first was named Adah, and the second was Zillah. 20Adah gave birth to Jabal, who was the first of those who raise livestock and live in tents. 21His brother’s name was Jubal, the first of all who play the harp and flute. 22Lamech’s other wife, Zillah, gave birth to a son named Tubal-cain. He became an expert in forging tools of bronze and iron. Tubal-cain had a sister named Naamah.
23One day Lamech said to hiswives,“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;listen to me, you wives of Lamech.Thave killed a man who attacked me,a young man who wounded me.
24If someone who kills Cain is punished seven times,then the one who kills me will be punished seventy-seven times!”
The Birth of Seth
2525Adam had sexual relations with his wife again, and she gave birth to another son. She named him Seth,* for she said, “God has granted me another son in place of Abel, whom Cain killed.” 26When Seth grew up, he had a son and named him Enosh. At that time people first began to worship the LORD by name.
Textual footnotes
- into the fields.”
- 4:8 As in Samaritan Pentateuch, Greek and Syriac versions, and Latin Vulgate; Masoretic Text lacks “Let’s go out
- 4:13 Or My sin. 4:16 Nod means “wandering.” 4:18 Or the ancestor of, and so throughout the verse. 4:25 Seth
Life Application Notes 10 notes
4:2Who created God? To ask that question is to assume there was another creator before God. At some time, however, we are forced to stop asking that question and realize that there had to be something that has always existed. God is that infinite Being who has always been and who was created by no one. This is difficult to understand because finite minds cannot comprehend the infinite. For example, we can try to think of the highest number, but we can’t do it. Likewise, we must not limit the infinite God by our finite understanding.
4:2No longer was everything provided for Adam and Eve as it was in the Garden of Eden, where their daily tasks were refreshing and delightful. Now they had to struggle against the elements in order to provide food, clothing, and shelter for themselves and their family. Cain became a farmer, while Abel was a shepherd. In parts of the Middle East today, these ancient occupations are still practiced much as they were in Cain and Abel’s time.
4:3-5The Bible does not say why God did not accept Cain’s gift. Perhaps Cain’s attitude was improper, or perhaps his gift was not up to God’s standards. Proverbs 21:27 says, “The sacrifice of an evil person is detestable, especially when it is offered with wrong motives.” God evaluates both our motives and the quality of what we offer him. When we give to God and others, we should have a joyful heart because of what we are able to give. We should not worry about how much we are giving up, for all things are God’s in the first place. Instead, we should joyfully give to God our best in time, money, possessions, and talents.
4:6,7How do you react when someone suggests you have done something wrong? Do you move to correct the mistake or deny that you need to correct it? After Cain’s gift was rejected, God gave him the chance to right his wrong and try again. Gad even encouraged him to do this! But Cain refused, and the rest of his life is a startling example of what happens to those who refuse to
4:8-10Adam and Eve’s disobedience brought sin into the human race. They may have thought their sin—eating a piece of fruit—wasn’t very bad, but notice how quickly their sinful nature developed in their children. Simple disobedience quickly degenerated into outright murder. Adam and Eve acted only against God, but Cain acted against both God and other people. A small sin has a way of growing out of control. Let God help you with your “tittle” sins before they turn into tragedies.
4:11-15Cain was severely punished for this murder. God judges all sins and punishes appropriately, not out of vengeance, but because he desires to correct us and restore our fellowship with him. When you’re corrected, don’t resent it. Instead, renew your fellowship with God.
4:14We have heard about only four people so far—Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel. Two questions arise: Why was Cain worried about being killed by others, and where did he get his wife (see 4:17)? Adam and Eve had numerous children; they had been told to “fill the earth” (1:28). Cain's guilt fear over killing his brother was heavy, and he probably feared repercussions from his family. If he was capable of killing, so were they. The wife Cain chose may have been one of his sisters or a niece. The human race was still genetically pure, and there was no fear of side effects from marrying relatives.
4:15The expression “sevenfold punishment” means that the person’s punishment would be complete, thorough, and much worse than that received by Cain for his sin.
4:19-26Unfortunately, when left to themselves, people tend to get worse instead of better. This short summary of Lamech’s family shows us the variety of talent and ability God gives humans, It also presents the continuous development of sin as time passes. Another killing occurred, presumably in self-defense. Violence was on the rise. Two distinct groups were emerging: (1) those who showed indifference to sin and evil, and (2) those who worshiped the LORD (the descendants of Seth, 4:26). Seth would take Abel’s place as leader of a line of God’s faithful people.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Personality profile · page 13
Profile: Eve
We know very little about Eve, the first woman in the world, yet she is the mother of us ail. She was the final piece in the intricate and amazing puzzle of God's creation. Adam now had another human being with whom to fellowship—someone with an equal share in God’s image. Here was someone alike enough for companionship, yet different enough for relationship. Together they were greater than either could have been alone. Eve was approached by Satan in the Garden of Eden, where she and Adam lived. He questioned her contentment. How could she be happy when she was not allowed to eat from one of the fruit trees? Satan helped Eve shift her focus from all that God had done and given to the one thing he had withheld. And Eve was willing to accept Satan’s viewpoint without checking with God. Sound familiar? How often is our attention drawn from the much that is ours to the little that isn’t? We get that “I’ve got to have it” feeling. Eve was typical of us all, and we consistently show we are her descendants by repeating her mistakes. Our desires, like Eve's, can be quite easily manipulated. They are not the best basis for actions. We need to keep God in our decision-making process always. His Word, the Bible, is our guidebook in decision making.
• First wife and mother
• First female. As such she shared a special relationship with God, had co-responsibility with Adam over creation, and displayed certain characteristics of God
Strengths and accomplishments
• Allowed her contentment to be undermined by Satan
• Acted impulsively without talking either to God or to her mate Not only sinned, but shared her sin with Adam
• When confronted, blamed others
Weaknesses and mistakes
@ The female shares in the image of God
• The necessary ingredients for a strong marriage are commitment to each other, companionship with each other, complete oneness, absence of shame (Genesis 2:24, 25)
• The basic human tendency to sin goes back to the beginning of the human race
Lessons from her life
• Where: Garden of Eden
• Occupation: Wife, helper, companion, co-manager of Eden
• Relatives: Husband: Adam. Sons: Cain, Abel, Seth. Numerous other children.
Vital statistics
“Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him’ ” (Genesis 2:18).
Key verse
Eve's story is told in Genesis 2:18-4:26. Her death is not mentioned in Scripture.
admit their mistakes. The next time someone suggests you are wrong, take an honest look at yourself and choose God’s way instead of Cain's. 4:7 For Cain to subdue the sin that was waiting to attack and destroy him, he would have to give up his jealous anger so that sin would not find a foothold in his life. Sin is still waiting to attack and destroy us today. Like Cain, we will be victims of sin if we do not master it. But we cannot master sin in our own strength. Instead, we must turn to God to receive faith for ourselves and turn to other believers to receive encouragement and strength. The Holy Spirit will help us master sin. This will be a lifelong battle that will not be over until we are face to face with Christ. 4:8-10 This is the first murder—taking a life by shedding human blood. Blood represents life (Leviticus 17:10-14). If blood is removed from a living creature, it will die. Because God created life, only God should take life away.
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Study feature · page 14
5:1 Gen 1:26; 6:9 1Chr 1:1 $:2 Gen 1:27 tMatt 19:4 tMark 10:6
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