창세기 Chapter 4

Translation: ESV

1

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, "I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD."

Key Message

The birth of life is God's grace; faith that acknowledges God even in the midst of pain is the starting point of human history.

▸This is the record of the first birth after the creation, as Eve gives birth to her son Cain and confesses, 'I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.

This is the record of the first birth after the creation, as Eve gives birth to her son Cain and confesses, 'I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.' This confession shows that Eve recognizes God as the source of life. The name 'Cain (Qayin)' derives from the Hebrew verb 'qanah' meaning 'to get, to create,' and is phonetically linked to Eve's declaration of gratitude. Even after the fall, God's blessing (Gen 1:28) continues so that life is born.

Related Verses

The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
2

And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.

Key Message

All honest labor is good before God; what matters is not the occupation but the attitude of worship toward God.

▸The name 'Abel (Hevel)' means 'breath, vanity, fleeting' in Hebrew, as if foreshadowing his brief life.

3

In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground,

Key Message

Worship is humanity's oldest act; bringing the results of one's labor to God is a natural expression of faith.

▸The expression 'in the course of time' implies that some time has passed, showing that bringing offerings to God was a longstanding human practice.

4

and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,

Key Message

The worship that God accepts comes from the genuine attitude of faith that brings one's best.

▸That Abel brought 'the firstborn (bekhorot)' and 'their fat portions (helvehem)' means he brought the best, the most precious.

5

but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.

Key Message

The reaction revealed when worship is rejected shows the true depth of a person's faith.

▸When Cain's offering is not accepted, he becomes 'very angry (hara leQayin)' and his face falls.

6

The LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?"

Key Message

God does not abandon the angry Cain but speaks to him first, giving him the opportunity for self-reflection.

▸God does not ignore or simply judge Cain's anger; he directly speaks to him.

7

"If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it."

Key Message

Sin seeks to dominate humans, but God declares that humans have the ability and responsibility to rule over sin.

▸This verse is where the word 'sin (hattat)' first appears in the Bible.

8

Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

Key Message

When the impulse of sin is not mastered, it ultimately leads to catastrophe that destroys even the closest relationships.

▸The first murder in human history is recorded.

9

Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?"

Key Message

We are meant to be each other's keepers; denying responsibility for our neighbor's life and wellbeing is contrary to the created order.

▸God's question follows the same pattern as the one he asked Adam in Genesis 3: 'Where are you?' God is not unaware of what Cain has done; he is giving him the opportunity to face responsibility.

10

And the LORD said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground."

Key Message

Innocently shed blood cries out to God; God's justice necessarily exposes and judges sin.

▸'The voice of your brother's blood (qol demey)' is written in the plural in Hebrew, interpreted as encompassing Abel's blood and all the descendants who could not be born from him.

11

"And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand."

Key Message

The guilt of murder even destroys one's relationship with the ground — the foundation of life — and the price of sin is severance from community.

▸The curse pronounced on Cain is an intensification of the curse on Adam (Gen 3:17).

12

"When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth."

Key Message

The judgment resulting from sin takes away our work, relationships, and place of rest; separation from God affects every area of life.

▸The two contents of the specific curse pronounced on Cain are agricultural failure and a wandering life.

13

Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear."

Key Message

Appealing against the heaviness of punishment is not true repentance; the consequence of sin is as heavy as the sin itself.

▸Cain's first response is not repentance but an appeal about the heaviness of the punishment.

14

"Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."

Key Message

Sin causes simultaneous loss of God's presence and the community's protection; the greatest punishment is expulsion from before God.

▸Cain's fear consists of two layers.

15

Then the LORD said to him, "Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.

Key Message

God is one who judges the sinner while simultaneously protecting him; God's mercy coexists with his justice.

▸The 'mark of Cain (ot Qayin)' is a mark that God gives to protect Cain.

16

Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Key Message

Going away from God's presence is the most tragic choice; sin ultimately distances us from God, the source of life.

▸'Cain went away from the presence of the LORD (wayyetse Qayin millifney Yahweh)' is one of the saddest sentences in the Bible expressing separation from God's presence.

17

Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.

Key Message

The human attempt to build security without God is a recurring temptation of humanity that continues with the development of civilization.

▸It is ironic that Cain, sentenced to be a wanderer, builds a 'city (ir).

25

And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, "God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him."

Key Message

God gives new life even after evil and death; the history of salvation continues even over human wickedness.

▸After Abel's death, Eve experiences God's grace through the birth of the new son Seth.

26

To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD.

Key Message

Calling upon the name of the LORD is the starting point of true worship; recognizing human weakness and depending on God is the essence of faith.

▸The expression 'people began to call upon the name of the LORD' means the beginning of formal and communal worship.