question echoes through the ages as we have sought ways to live together in peace and harmony. His story raises pertinent questions about equity, justice, retribution, anger management, sibling rivalry, and conflict resolution. His exchanges with God invite us to consider our own relationship with a God who sometimes seems capricious and unfair.
Further, Cain’s story raises some troubling questions: Where are his parents in this scenario? Why does God reject his offering? Where did the rest of the population come from if Adam and Eve were the first parents? What is the mark that God placed on Cain for his protection? Some of these questions will remain unanswerable. Let us explore, however, to see what we can learn.
On the surface, Cain’s story seems fairly straightforward. Cain is the firstborn son of Adam and Eve. He is born after his parents have been evicted from the Garden of Eden. Both parents now live under the consequences of having eaten the forbidden fruit. Cain’s father is portrayed as a passive, whiny man who seeks to blame others for his bad judgment (review Gen. 3:8–13). Cain’s mom is depicted as a verbal, knowledgeable, assertive, adventurous decision-maker (review Gen. 3:1–6).
The two are held accountable by God for their decision to eat the forbidden fruit (review Gen. 3:14–19). As a result, both must live with the harsh realities of life and are expelled from the idyllic environment of the garden. In the “real” world, they must eke out a living and produce a family.
Life outside the garden moves right along—the man and the woman have two sons, Cain and Abel. Adam and Eve continue the creation of humankind. Notice that Eve speaks but Adam (again) does not. But things are different. The parents have lost their innocence and now know good and evil. They also know consequence, rejection, and exile. They have been cast out and are forbidden to reenter the garden. They are forced to make their own way in the world. They know hardship, limitation, sorrow, and pain. It is into this changed world that Cain and Abel are born.
The narrator of the story explains Cain’s birth: Eve “conceived and bore Cain.” Eve makes a declaration that explains Cain’s name; the Hebrew Qayin likely means “to produce, acquire, create.” We are forced to pay attention to the firstborn son of the first family. Note that little elaboration is afforded Abel—“Next she bore his brother Abel.” The relationship between the two boys is established early: Abel is Cain’s brother. The name Abel is likely connected to the Hebrew hebhel and carries the connotation of vapor, breath, and transitoriness. It may signify the fleeting, temporary, even meaningless of Abel.
Cain is a farmer and his brother is a shepherd. Both continue the vocation of their father, Adam. There is no implication that one vocation is better than the other; together they represent the realm of vocational possibilities at that time. Cain and Abel are both connected to the land. Both recognize a power greater than themselves and bring offerings to God. This act of worship expresses gratitude. God “has regard” for Abel and his offering, but God rejects Cain and his offering. This sets the stage for the drama of this story.
There is no indication why God rejects Cain and his offering. Likewise there is no indication of how Cain learned of his rejection. Cain probably could have dealt with merely having his offering rejected, but God rejects Cain, too. How could God reject the product of the divine command to Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply? How could God reject the fruits of the earth that Cain has tilled as commanded by God? We are told that “Cain was very angry and his countenance fell.” The fallen countenance indicates the inner turmoil he must have been feeling; he is depressed and understandably so. Imagine bringing the best that your vocation affords and placing it before the Creator who created everything and called everything good! Cain has gathered the fruit of the land as an offering of worship and thanksgiving, and both he and his gift are rejected. Cain does not question God about the divine choice. Cain does not argue with God; he is silent in the face of God’s decision. As a character in the narrative, God appears arbitrary and uncaring. God chooses the younger brother over the older; God chooses animal offerings over the agricultural. And God provides no explanation for the choice.
Cain feels dejected, rejected, and ejected from God’s ring of grace and care. Interestingly, though, God interacts with him. As in the earlier story of Adam and Eve, God has human qualities and speaks to humans. God begins the conversation by taking note of Cain’s reaction to God’s choice of Abel and his offering. Already knowing what ails Cain, God nevertheless asks Cain why he is in a bad mood. Can you imagine how this makes Cain feel? God goes on to tell Cain that his reaction to the divine choice will have great consequences for his life:
YHWH said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.” (Gen. 4:6–7)
God acknowledges Cain’s anger and dejection. God does not apologize but pushes on with alternatives for Cain to consider. God does not explain the divine choice but instead offers Cain the opportunity to react to reverse his situation. God implies that the way Cain deals with this current situation will determine his future. If Cain accepts God’s choice with grace and works to do well, God will accept and have regard for him, and Cain will be able to lift his countenance.
However, if Cain continues to be angry and dejected, he will be overcome by sin. Notice that in verse 7 the word “sin” is mentioned—for the first time in the Bible. “Sin,” as used here, connotes an offense and its subsequent penalty. Sin is characterized as active, lurking, sneaky, waiting to pounce, consume, and overwhelm Cain. Sin is waiting to overtake him, but Cain is admonished to master sin. There are no clues about how to do this except that Cain should “do well.” God seems to assume that it is within Cain’s power to ward off sin and do well despite its lure and his inability to resist it up to this point. Is the implication that he has not done well? The text does not say but implies such. Here Cain has another opportunity to ask God about the divine choice of the younger brother; again, though, Cain does not question or argue with God. Cain stands passive in the face of God’s choice.
Cain, however, does not seem to heed God’s warning. Instead, he invites Abel into an open field—his territory. Then Cain kills his brother in cold blood! This is the first murder in the Bible. There are no details about the incident; it is revealed in a matter-of-fact manner in Genesis 4:8: “And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him.” We are not told how Cain killed his brother; we have no sense of whether Abel put up a fight or was caught off guard; and there is no indication of whether Cain was anguished after the dastardly deed. We might conclude, though, that Cain attacked his brother in the same way that sin waits to attack him. He acts out what sin will do to him if he does not change his attitude.
The storyteller is bent on outlining God’s reaction to the deed. God asks the simple question: “Where is your brother Abel?” (Gen. 4:9a). A simple question assumes a simple answer, but Cain continues to seethe in his emotions. Rather than confess his deed, Cain turns the question back on God. His lack of responsibility and remorse mirrors that of his father. When God confronts Adam about eating of the forbidden tree, Adam places the blame on God and Eve: “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate” (Gen. 3:12).
Adam’s way of coping with a difficult situation was to shift the blame from himself onto someone else. Rather than own up to his complicity in the act, he passes the responsibility to God and the woman God created and gave to Adam. Unfortunately, Cain has learned nothing from his father’s situation, nor has Cain heeded the warning of God to do well. Cain’s reaction heightens the tension in the story, and we suspect that nothing good can now emerge from the situation. Cain spouts the now infamous line of familial distress: “. . . am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen. 4:9b)
The Hebrew word translated “keeper” is from a verb whose meanings include: “to eye,” “to lie in wait for,” “to hedge about,” “to guard,” “to protect,” “to attend to,” and “to keep.” Thus, a range of possibilities is open for God to consider. Cain’s response has a double edge to it. Cain, produced by Eve with the help of YHWH, asks whether it is his job to watch over the weaker, younger, transitory brother. Cain may be implying that it is God’s