Genesis 4:14-26
Ge 4:14
Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of
the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a
vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that
findeth me shall slay me.
Cain continues his pity party and comes to the
realization of his punishment for slaying his brother.
He complains that he has been driven out from the face of the earth.
This does not mean he was taken from the earth but that no longer would
he live in peace on the earth as he did when he was living with his parents and
brother. Then he realizes that he
was also hidden from the face of God because of his sin.
But your iniquities have separated
between you and your God, and your sins have hid
his face from you, that he will
not hear. (Isaiah 59:2) Sin
causes God to turn his face from the sinner.
He realizes that he will be a wanderer all the days of his life and he
fears that if anyone finds him, that he would be slain by them when they find
out that he killed his own brother.
Ge 4:15
And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth
Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon
Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
Since this was the first murder to occur in the human
race, God had mercy upon Cain at this time and declared that anyone who kills
Cain will have vengeance taken upon him seven times.
Seven being the number of completeness means that if anyone slays Cain,
then the fullest measure of vengeance will be taken upon them by the LORD.
O LORD God, to whom vengeance
belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself. (Psalm 94:1)
As for the mark of Cain, it does not mean that he had some type of mark
upon his body but the word “mark” is also used as “token, sign, miracles” which
means the LORD probably gave some kind of token or miracle to Cain and that
assured him that he would not be slain by someone else.
It would be like the sign that God gave Israel when God was working the
miracles in Egypt.
And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and
multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. (Exodus 7:3)
(Same word) We don’t know what that mark or sign was and it would be
foolish to speculate.
Ge 4:16
And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and
dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
Then Cain, as an unregenerate sinner, goes out from the
presence of the LORD just as all unsaved do.
He then goes east to the land of Nod.
The name “Nod” means “wanderer.”
He did not settle there but was wandering around in that land. The
country was given that name because of Cain’s wandering.
He had gone further east from where his parents dwelled because he was no
longer allowed to dwell with them.
Ge 4:17
And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare
Enoch: and he builded a city, and
called the name of the city, after the name of his son,
Enoch.
The wife of Cain is unknown as he may have married one of
his sisters or his niece since Adam and Eve were procreating for 130 years at
this time. They had borne a son
named Enoch whose name means “dedicated, disciplined, or well-trained.”
Cain then built a city which was the first one and cities had become
centers of sin. Cain named the city
after Enoch because his name would have brought problems since by now everyone
knows what he did in slaying his own brother.
Ge 4:18
And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael:
and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.
Then in this verse we have five generations mentioned but
no ages are given of each of these men.
The name “Irad” means “Wild ass.”
He begat “Mehujael” which means “God is combating.”
He begat “Methusael” which means “man of God.” Who begat “Lamech” which
means “over thrower or strong young man.”
Ge 4:19
And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one
was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
Then Lamech had married two wives which is the first
mention of polygamy in the Bible.
One was named “Adah” which means “adornment, beauty, pleasure” and the second
wife was “Zillah” which means “protection or shadow of darkness.”
These two women are the next named ones in the Bible after Eve.
Ge 4:20
And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell
in tents, and of such as have cattle.
In the East, any originator of any custom is called the
father of it. His name means “a
river or moving, or what glides away.”
He was the first one to dwell in tents and have cattle.
Basically he was the first cattle rancher and because his name has to do
with moving or being mobile, he was probably the first one who moved cattle from
place to place. He probably also
taught others the art of shepherding since he was considered a “father.”
God is beginning to equip the human race with the needed elements as he
gifts certain people with those gifts which will become part of the human race’s
existence.
Ge 4:21
And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the
father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
The brother of Jabal was “Jubal” whose name means
“playing, a ram’s horn or a trumpet” and he was the inventor of musical
instruments. The name Jubal is
found in the name Jubilee in which a trumpet is blown to welcome the Jubilee
Year. He invented the harp which is
a stringed instrument played with the fingers or a quill.
The organ was a wind instrument or a reed instrument which required
breath to give it sound. Just as
man needed the breath of life to make him a living being, these instruments are
lifeless until they receive the breath of man and then they come alive with
sound.
Ge 4:22
And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, an instructer of
every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubal-cain was
Naamah.
Then Zillah bore a male child named “Tubal-cain” which
means “production of forged work or worldly possession.”
He taught men how to make weapons of war and how to melt metal and make
other things out of the metal, not only weapons but utensils such as pots and
other personal items. His sister’s
name was “Naamah” which means “pleasant or sweetness.”
Ge 4:23
And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my
voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my
wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
Now as the human race began to spread throughout the
world, sin spread with it. Here we
have Lamech confessing or boasting to his wives that he killed a man and a young
man, maybe it was a father and son.
He probably used one of his son’s weapons.
It is possible that Lamech had acted in self-defense because he might
have been attacked and he was now telling his wives in case the slain men’s
family would seek revenge upon him or his wives.
The particulars of this slaying is not given to us.
Ge 4:24
If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy
and sevenfold.
Then Lamech thinking he was justified in killing these
two men thought that if Cain would be avenged sevenfold then Lamech would be
avenged seventy-seven fold. He
might have also thought that killing someone would warrant the protection by God
in any circumstance. He may have
been arrogant enough to presume that he could speak for God on these matters and
that he would be justly exonerated.
Ge 4:25
And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and
called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed
instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
Then Eve bore another son whom they called Seth whose
name means “compensated, substituted or appointed.”
She proclaimed that God had given her another son instead of Abel who was
killed by Cain. Abel was to succeed
his father Adam but Cain slew him but now Seth will continue the line of Adam.
Eve called him “another seed” which references the seed, who is Christ,
that will come through the line of Seth.
And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age,
being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,
(Luke 3:23)
Which was the son of Enos, which was the son
of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.
(Luke 3:38)
Ge 4:26
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.