Cain and Abel: the biblical story of the first murder in brief

Bible history and who wrote it

We often hear that there are many more bad stories in the Old Testament than good ones. And even words with a negative connotation prevail over those that awaken good and bright feelings in the heart.

The book of Genesis is like that. The story of the happy life of the first people quickly ends, and the story of pain, suffering and tears begins. In the fourth chapter of the book, Moses writes about how Cain destroyed his brother Abel.

“And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.” Cain and Abel in the Bible, Genesis 4, 8.

This happened after Cain sacrificed earthly fruits to the Almighty, and Abel sacrificed firstborn lambs. To the disappointment of the older brother, God accepted the younger brother’s sacrifice and rejected his gifts. Overwhelmed by selfish jealousy, Cain called Abel into the field and took his life there.

State of the human race before the flood

When Cain became the ancestor of a special tribe, he passed on to him both his wickedness and his vices. – The great-great-grandson of Cain’s son Enoch, Lamech, was the first to set an example of polygamy. He “took himself two wives, whose names were Ada and Selah. This is where polygamy began." 174. "And Lamech said to his wives: Ada and Zillah! listen to my voice, wife of Lamech. And listen to my words: I killed a man for my wound and a boy for my wound. If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then Lamech is avenged seventy times sevenfold.”175 Various explanations have been given for this passage. “Some, according to St. Ephraim the Syrian, say that the wives were from the tribe of Seth and advised Lamech to become pious. But he says to them: what do you see in me that is vile and similar to what my father Cain did? Did I kill my husband as a plague to me, like Cain?... etc.”... “Others, believing that vengeance on Cain should extend to the seventh generation, and based on the words: “all flesh made its way,” say that Lamech He was wicked, and since his wives saw that the succession of their generation was ending, because those born to them were not male, but female, according to what was said (Gen. VI, 1) ..... then Lamech encourages the wives with his cunning answer and says: “I killed my husband, etc.” If God extended the punishment of Cain so that seven generations would perish with him, then for me, who killed two, he will extend it even more, so that the seventy generations taken seven times must perish with me. But while these seven times taken seventy generations continue, we will die and, having tasted the cup of death, we will be delivered from the punishment that will extend for me, will be up to 7 times the 70th generation.”

“Others say that Lamech, being cunning and cunning, saw that his family was diminishing, but the descendants of Seth did not agree to enter into alliances with them, because of the shame lying on his ancestor Cain, so that ..... would not disappear at all his family became jealous of the good of their tribe and killed Cain and one of his sons, who most resembled his father, so that the resemblance of this son to his father would not cast a shameful stain on his entire tribe. So, having killed Cain and thus, as it were, destroyed the barrier that separated the generations of Cain and Seth and prevented them from entering into family ties with each other, Lamech, as if for a secret, said to his wives: the husband and the young man were killed, adorn your daughters for the sons of Seth...... . And the wives of Lamech decorate their daughters for the sons of Seth; Jobil delights them at feasts with the flesh of animals. Jubal captivates them with the sweet sounds of his harps; The sons of Seth rush towards them, forgetting the wonderful covenant bequeathed to them by their father... With such a cunning, Lamech brought both families into confusion, reasoning: if God has mercy on the Seth family, which has entered into unity with us, and saves it from destruction, then He will also show mercy to us, and through this we will be freed from punishment for murder for the sake of those innocent of murder and entered into marriage unions with us." 176. Having mentioned the wicked descendant of the wicked Cain - Lamech, the Genesis writer again turns his gaze to Adam and says: "Here is the genealogy of Adam: when God created man, in the likeness of God he created him, male and female he created them, and he blessed them and called their name “man” on the day of their creation. Adam lived 130 (230) years, and begat a (son) in his likeness (and) in his image, and called his name: Seth”177. “Look,” St. John Chrysostom notes on this occasion, how Moses (having spoken about the atrocity of Cain and his further fate) turned his word to the beginning and, as it were, wants to begin the story again. For what and why? He saw that those who had already lived showed great ingratitude (before God) and did not even manage the fate of the primordial, but plunged into the very abyss of evil (for the son of Adam immediately, out of envy, committed fratricide..... and his descendants, not being brought to their senses by his punishment , fell into even greater sins, as we heard about Lamech telling his sin to his wives and determining his punishment); so, he saw that their corruption was gradually increasing, like harmful moisture, ready to spread throughout the body: therefore, he stops the desire of evil and does not even deign to mention the generations that were from Cain to Lamech (and beyond), but, as if constituting the beginning (of his book) and wanting to console Adam and Eve in the grief that the fratricide dared to inflict on them, ..... begins (again) the story and says: “this is the book of the existence of man...” 178, moving from the story of Cain’s tribe to the story of tribe of Seth.

Briefly about the brothers' father and mother

The brothers' parents were the first people on earth, Adam and Eve. God settled them in the best place on the planet - the Garden of Eden. However, Satan sneaked into heaven under the guise of a serpent and deceived Eve.

He declared that people would be much happier if they resisted God's authority and gained independence from Him. Believing Satan, Eve ate the forbidden fruit and involved her husband in rebellion. After this, God kicked Adam and Eve out of Eden, and Cain and Abel were born with inherited sin.

Adam and Eve in world painting. Medieval miniature "Adam and Eve after the expulsion"

Brothers' story

The story of the brothers is probably known to everyone; it tells about the life of the first people, the children of Adam and Eve outside paradise, as well as about the first murder, betrayal and deception. According to the Bible, Cain became the first murderer on earth, and his brother Abel was the first murdered victim.

Cain and Abel brought gifts to God, the fruits of their labors. Abel respected and loved God, so he brought gifts from a pure heart. But Cain did not love God, so his gifts were not gracious, he gave them because it was necessary. Then the Lord rejected Cain’s sacrifice, realizing that it was not given from a pure heart.

Cain became embittered with his brother, because the Lord loves him more, so he thought. Then he killed his brother with a stone. The killer tried to hide his sin, thereby only making the situation worse. God hoped that Cain would repent and realize his sin, then he would be forgiven, but this did not happen.

Because of the murder, the elder brother was cursed and banished to the land of Nod. God deprived him of his strength, and so that he would honestly bear his punishment, he made a sign that said that anyone who deprived Cain of life and torment would be cruelly avenged.

This story has come down to us in 24 different interpretations, it is described in detail in the Book of Genesis, chapter 4. The oldest version of the retelling of the story of the life and death of Cain and Abel dates back to the first century BC. It is recorded in the Kurman manuscripts.

Some scholars connect this story with ancient Sumerian tales, which tell of quarrels between farmers who tended and improved the land year after year, and herders who roamed the fertile lands to feed their livestock.

Why God Didn't Accept Cain's Sacrifice

According to the exact expression of John Chrysostom , conscience itself prompted Cain and Abel to thank God for His generosity.

“After some time, Cain brought a gift to the Lord from the fruits of the ground,

and Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord looked upon Abel and his gift,

but he did not look upon Cain and his gift. Cain was greatly saddened, and his face fell.”

(Gen.4:3-5)

At first glance, it is difficult to see the difference in their sacrifices, because of which God rejected the gifts of the older brother and accepted the offering of the younger.

Some have concluded that Abel's sacrifice demonstrated faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, who gave his life for us. That is, the firstborn animals were a symbol of the future sacrifice of Christ. Cain did not have such faith, and therefore his gift was rejected. Of course, Abel believed in the promised Messiah, but it cannot be said unequivocally that his sacrifice was connected precisely with faith in Him.

In addition, God commanded the Israelites to offer thanksgiving sacrifices. It is obvious that Cain's gift was not rejected because he did not believe in the Messiah. Most likely, the matter is different. The clue is found in the words about Abel's sacrifice:

“Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat.”

(Genesis 4:4)

He was the only member of the first family who showed sincere faith in the Creator and gratitude to Him. And Cain's offering was imbued with pride, vanity, arrogance and formal ritualism.

Of course, God does not need sacrifices. He is the Creator of everything we have. When we sacrifice something for Him, then, in essence, we are only returning what He gave. This is similar to how grateful and loving children give their parents the most delicious candy from a New Year's gift. But selfish children, who believe that their parents are obligated to provide for them, can, at best, give a couple of sticky caramels.

For parents, it is not the material value of the gift that is important, but the motives of the children.

“ Look how Scripture shows us his God-loving intention and what he brought not just from the sheep, but the “firstborn,” that is, dear, chosen, further, what from these firstborn (he brought) the most precious: “and from the fat them,” it is said, from the most pleasant, the best. Scripture does not notice anything like this about Cain, but only says that he brought “a gift from the fruits of the earth,” which, so to speak, came across, without any effort or analysis. I say again and will not stop saying: God accepts our offerings not because He needs them, but because He wants our gratitude to be expressed through them.”

John Chrysostom

Tradition preserves some details about Cain's sacrifice. These could be unripe grains and unripe fruits, unsuitable for food. Such gifts are not given out of ardent love for God.

Abel was aware of the sad situation in which humanity found itself. But it seems that he was primarily concerned not with the physical consequences of sin, but with the rupture of relations with God, the loss of people’s divine nature.

For Cain, sin was not a great tragedy. Perhaps at the moment of the sacrifice he first received a negative assessment of his personal qualities.

Noel Coypel, "Cain after the murder of Abel", 1663

Versions: Cain was the son of the Tempter Serpent

The parable of Cain and Abel is the most famous episode of Holy Scripture. It is with him that the history of human enmity and crimes begins. But this parable is fraught with many mysteries, getting to the innermost essence of which is not at all easy...

As you know, after being expelled from paradise, Adam and Eve had two children - Cain and Abel.
According to the Book of Genesis, Cain was history's first murderer and Abel was history's first murder victim. The Hebrew name Cain is similar to the words "kain" (smith) and "kana" (to create). The name Abel (in Hebrew - Hevel) possibly goes back to the Hebrew word "hevel" (breath). Their difference begins not with behavior, and not even with occupation, but with the name received in those biblical years when blacksmithing did not exist at all. Meanwhile, the pagan gods already had Hephaestus, or Vulcan, in short - a blacksmith, the lord of fire, and perhaps the Sun, who became a sorcerer, the owner of secret powers, black magic and secret knowledge.

And it is quite obvious that their further actions were dictated by the absolute difference in professions and characters.
And one day, when both decided to offer a sacrifice to God, all this came out. Whose sacrifice is better?
Each of the brothers built identical altars, and each offered a sacrifice. It must be said that both had a good idea of what the Lord expected from them: both their parents and numerous commandments said that the sacrifice should be of animal origin - most often a sheep or ram was killed for this purpose.

And Abel did as he was instructed: he brought a sacrifice from his flock according to God’s requirement. “And the Lord looked upon Abel and his gift,” says the Bible. Fire came down from heaven and consumed the victim. But Cain turned out to be a man with a difficult character - he went his own way. The eldest son of Adam and Eve ignored the direct command of God and sacrificed not a lamb, but “the fruits of the earth.” It is not surprising that the sky looked indifferently at his offerings - no sign was sent from above indicating the acceptance of the sacrifice.

Seeing this, Abel asked his brother to obey God's command. But Cain turned out to be even more stubborn: these requests only embittered him more. Taking advantage of his older brother's superiority, he rejected Abel's advice. Moreover, he became very angry not only with his brother, but even with the Lord, so that even the Lord advised him to calm down.

But Cain did not want to listen to anyone. Moreover, he decided to take revenge on his brother for being more successful than him. Cain called Abel with him into the field, took him as far as possible from his parents’ hut and killed him there. It must be assumed that Cain believed that a secret act could be hidden both from the eyes of people and from the Lord himself. Based on this, it can be assumed that he did not really believe in God, that is, he actually demonstrated the beginnings of atheism. And this was when there were very few people on earth and the Lord was present every day in earthly life as a creator and parent!

So what kind of person was Cain? Why does he have such an abyss of unbelief, bitterness and self-will? It’s probably worth taking a closer look at the figure of Cain.

Voice of Blood

Let's return to the fact of the Fall. From ancient times to the present day, the blacksmith was considered to have the same magical powers as the shaman. His main helping spirits were his ancestors, from whom he inherited the magical profession.

But blood is a biological matrix that carries the imprint of the entire sum of human qualities, external and internal information, memory and human intellect. Therefore, it is extremely interesting from whom these qualities came into Cain’s blood: disobedience, self-will, envy?

As is known, in the apocryphal materials of antiquity, the Serpent, who lived in paradise, initially tempted Adam. But realizing the futility of this activity, he turned to Eve. Things got easier: he soon taught the woman how to use the forbidden fruits. Do you remember how he once appeared before her as a handsome young man? Based on the allegorical nature of biblical texts, it can be assumed that this unusual creature, who could speak, also knew the science of human intercourse.

So it is quite possible that as a result of the communication between Eve and the Serpent, Cain was born with his gene pool, which was completely different from the “blood” gene pool of his younger brother, Abel. The Serpent, who opposed himself to God, turned into an exile, like the fallen angels, passed on knowledge and information to the children of Adam and Eve. They became the heirs of this dangerous knowledge. So it is not surprising that blacksmiths, shamans, priests, magicians, sorcerers, and witches soon appeared among people. And perhaps that is precisely why the volcano of these base passions suddenly awoke in an ordinary blacksmith, who had merely made a sacrifice “unworthy of God.” Although it is possible that the “undignified sacrifice” was made by Cain on purpose - it was, so to speak, a test balloon launched in order to test the reaction of the Creator.

But, as you know, all these “pranks” were not in vain for Cain. And even more so fratricide. True, even after shedding the blood of his younger brother, Cain behaved extremely aggressively and even hostilely, using the tactic “the best defense is an attack.” When the Lord asked: “Cain, where is your brother Abel?”, instead of feigning elementary ignorance, he rudely suppressed the “inadequate” questions of the Creator, declaring: “How should I know! Am I my brother’s keeper?”

From this, and from Cain’s entire behavior, it is quite obvious that the tragedy that occurred was the result of a premeditated plan. It was neither a spontaneous murder, nor a random outburst of emotions, but a mechanically precise, well-thought-out “ideal” murder. It is possible that Cain’s calculation was precisely aimed at breaking with the Lord - he made a conscious choice, wanting to leave the environment that bored him with the disgusting work and dominance of traditions, and begin a different life, in accordance with his own ideas and dictated by powerful egoism. After all, pay attention to how Cain reacted to the fact that the Lord convicted him of a crime, cursed him and sent him into the big world.

"Cain! Cain!.. And because you dared to kill your own brother, I curse you, says the Lord. “Don’t you dare stay here, leave your parents and run away from here.” But wherever you go, there will be no peace for you anywhere. Your conscience will torment you everywhere because you killed your innocent brother!”

And then Cain, instead of tearing his hair out from what he had done, completely calmly answers: “Yes, God, now I see that I have sinned greatly, and you cannot forgive me for this sin.” And that’s all - no tears, no repentance, no regret about the fate of the murdered brother! Is this how normal people react to a verdict? No, Cain was ready for what the Lord would do to him. He completely calmly (and even joyfully!) went to where the Creator had sent him.

Father of Cities

After breaking up with the Lord, Cain wandered for a long time until he came to the land of Nod, where he built the very first city on earth. He had many descendants who moved further and further away from God: for example, his great-great-grandson Jubal was “the father of all who play the harp and pipe,” and his brother Tubal-Cain became the world’s first blacksmith, who laid the foundation for the Iron Age.

The serpent, who “gave” Eve an apple, is depicted in ancient drawings with a human head. And the same assumptions about the presence of biological information in Cain’s blood that turns him into an unusual person receive further confirmation.

It so happened that one of the two biblical Enochs (“sanctified”) was precisely the son of Cain. It seems surprising that it was Enoch who was brought closer to Elohim (one of the names-epithets of God). He not only recorded the history of the “fallen angels,” but also had a strong connection with God, as a result of which he was famous among his people and even resolved disputes between people and God. But for such a function it was simply necessary to possess special qualities - a priest, a magician, a sorcerer.

It is also noteworthy that the seraphim described by Enoch - the creatures surrounding the throne of the Lord - are sometimes compared to “fiery serpents” who were able to fly, predict the future and even change appearance. But this is very close to the qualities of the Tempter Serpent, who passed on a piece of his knowledge to Eve. So it is possible that Cain gained mystical experience and all his extraordinary skills and sacrificed his brother for this. But whether this sacrifice was made in atonement or in payment for acquired knowledge, we will most likely never know.

Yuri GOGOLITSYN “Mysteries of History” September 2012

In simple words about why Cain killed Abel

Because the offering of the shepherd Abel turned out to be pleasing to God, in contrast to the gifts of his older brother, the farmer Cain. The reason is envy and more.

The cold-blooded murder of an innocent person, and even a brother, clearly goes beyond the limits of an adequate human reaction. It is also striking that he committed murder after God himself prompted him to renounce sin.

“And the Lord [God] said to Cain: Why are you upset? and why did your face droop?

If you do good, don’t you lift your face? and if you do not do good, then sin lies at the door; he attracts you to himself, but you dominate him.

And Cain said to Abel his brother, Let us go into the field. And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.” .

(Gen.4:6-8)

The name "Cain" is translated as "acquisition." This may have expressed the great hope placed on the child by his parents. The name "Abel" means "breath", "nothingness", "vanity". Apparently, by the time their second son was born, his parents had already given up hope of a quick return to Eden.

Be that as it may, in the biblical narrative, the first son of Adam and Eve appears as a fully formed sinner, whose conscience has long ceased to suggest the right decisions and actions, as well as to condemn its bearer for the crimes committed.

Here is what the Apostle John wrote about the reason for the murder of Abel:

“For this is the gospel which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,

not like Cain, who was of the evil one and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his deeds were evil, but his brother’s deeds were righteous.”

(1 John 3:11,12)

What evil deeds is John talking about? The apostle thinks in the categories of Christian philosophy, where thoughts and feelings displeasing to God are equated with sinful actions. Christ spoke about this in the Sermon on the Mount, asserting that he who is angry with his brother in vain is subject to judgment.

Cain most likely despised his brother even before the murder. In deeply wicked people, hatred of the righteous is formed on an instinctive level. The reason is that the righteous is a living reproach to the conscience of the sinner.

Interesting fact

his extravagant friend Alcibiades the Greek philosopher
Socrates and declared that he hated him, because every time he met him, he understood what he himself should be like.
God's approval of Abel's sacrifice was the last straw for the first child born on earth and accepting the idea of his great future.

In such a painful situation, Cain could begin to follow his brother's example and lead a righteous life. But he solved the problem differently, eliminating the source of his remorse. Cain experienced not repentant sorrow for his own sin, but a spirit of unbridled envy and enmity towards Abel. This led him to crime.

David Scott, The Expulsion of Cain, 1831

How Cain died

There are several versions of the circumstances due to which Cain lost his life. According to the first, he lost his life in his own house, was buried under stones when his house collapsed. He was killed by what he used to kill his younger brother.

According to the law of justice, the evil that we commit to our neighbors will return to us several times stronger. When he died, according to some legends, he was 860 years old.

According to another version, he failed to escape the flood. The scriptures say that every year God sent him trials as punishment for his sin, and saved him from water and flood many times. But during the global flood, God had mercy and allowed Cain to die so that he could finally find peace.

The third version is associated with his descendants. There is a legend that Cain was killed by his relative Lamech; he was blind, but loved to hunt. When hunting, he took his son with him, who guided his hands towards the prey. Cain had horns on his head, so from afar between two hills, the boy mistook him for an animal and pointed his father’s weapon in his direction.

The arrow reached its target, when they approached, the boy said that he was mistaken and Lamech recognized his ancestor from the description. Then he killed the boy with his clasped hands.

Cain's life in exile

After killing his brother, Cain heard the voice of God asking him where Abel was

“And the Lord [God] said to Cain: Where is Abel your brother?”

(Genesis 4:9)

Alas, Cain felt no remorse. He boldly responded to God:

"…Don't know; Am I my brother’s keeper?”

(Genesis 4:9)

According to the Lord, the voice of Abel's blood demanded vengeance:

“And [the Lord] said: What have you done? the voice of your brother's blood cries to Me from the earth;

and now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened its mouth to receive the blood of thy brother at thy hand;

when you cultivate the land, it will no longer give its strength to you; you will be an exile and a wanderer on earth.”

(Gen.4:10-12)

Cain reacted to his just punishment with predictable cowardice:

“And Cain said to the Lord [God], “My punishment is more than can be endured;

behold, You are now driving me from the face of the earth, and I will hide from Your presence, and I will be an exile and a wanderer on the earth; and whoever meets me will kill me.”

(Gen.4:9-16)

Cain did not want to atone even through a well-deserved exile for the severity of his terrible sin. Instead, he expressed fear that he himself might become a victim of murder.

The fratricide was afraid that someone from his own family would take revenge on him, in the present or future. To prevent lynching, God gave Cain a special sign.

“And the Lord said to him: For this reason, whoever kills Cain will have sevenfold vengeance. And the Lord made a sign for Cain, so that no one who met him would kill him.

And Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod, east of Eden.”

(Gen. 4:15,16)

The fratricide became a hermit. He moved to the land of Nod, located east of Eden. Some interpreters believe that “Nod” is not a proper name, but conveys the idea of the nomadic lifestyle of Cain and all his descendants.

One day, in a new place, Cain built the city of Enoch, naming it in honor of his firstborn. It is noteworthy that the main element of the civilization that began to develop after the Fall was created by the first murderer.

Cain builds the city of Enoch. 1675 - 158.5 x 109.5 cm. Canvas. Baroque. France. Budapest. Hungarian Museum of Fine Arts.

Crime and Punishment

If you carefully analyze everything that the Bible says about Cain, then the key word in determining his place in history will be “first.” Cain is the first child of Adam and Eve. That is, the first man, not directly created by God, but born of people. In addition, he is the first builder - the creator of the first city on our planet. But, alas, it is not for this primacy that people have been remembering his name for several millennia. Cain became the culprit of the first death on Earth. He killed his brother.

The reason for this murder was a feeling that subsequently many times pushed people to commit crimes - envy. The Bible says that Cain was a farmer and his younger brother Abel was a sheep herder. When the time came, each of them brought the results of their labors as a gift to God: Cain - part of the harvest, and Abel - the best animals of his herd. But God did not accept Cain's sacrifice. According to legend, fire sent by the Lord descended on Abel’s sacrifice and it, engulfed in flames, rushed to the sky. But the fire, signifying that the sacrifice was pleasing to God, never descended on Cain’s gift. And Cain was very upset. Obsessed with envy, he lured his brother into a field and killed him. For which he was cursed, branded and expelled from the place where he then lived.

But why, in fact, did God not accept Cain’s sacrifice? It is clear that it is impossible to kill your brother in any case. And yet, didn’t Cain have, so to speak, extenuating circumstances? After all, both worked, each brought to God what they had, and suddenly such a different attitude towards sacrifices! Maybe Cain just needed to give up his farming and take up cattle breeding, since God wanted sheep to be sacrificed to Him, and not wheat and corn? But, if you look at it, it turns out that God doesn’t need sacrifice at all. Well, indeed, everything that a person can bring to Him as a gift was essentially created by Him. And to suggest that God needs lamb more than vegetables is, at the very least, frivolous. The meaning of sacrifice is completely different.

After all, when a child treats his parents to sweets from a New Year's gift, which they themselves bought for him, he can choose for them the most delicious sweets, or maybe a couple of sticky caramels. But if he regretted sharing what was better, parents have reason to be upset. Of course, the point is not that they won’t get sweets. It's just that a child exchanged love for a chocolate hare.

So it is with a sacrifice to God - the person himself needs it in order to show his love for Him. By sacrificing the best, a person seems to say: look, Lord, how I have multiplied what You have given me! This is how he responds to Divine love and care with his love and gratitude. So Abel brought the best sheep of his flock as a gift to God.

And Cain, it seems, performed his sacrifice according to the principle: “It is on you, O God, that it is not good for us.” In the canonical biblical text there is only an indirect indication of this, but the Tradition of the Church has preserved a more detailed story about his sacrifice. According to one version, it was unripe grain and unripe fruits that could not be eaten; according to another, it was empty corn cobs. In any case, there is no need to talk about love here.

Moreover, even after killing his brother, Cain was not horrified by what he had done. To the direct question: “Where is Abel, your brother?” - asked by God to give him the opportunity to repent, he cynically replied: “I don’t know, am I my brother’s keeper?” But only a person with a completely darkened mind and a perverted moral sense can try to deceive God.

And God condemned him to exile from his native places and wandering, marking him with a special sign, which later became known as the “seal of Cain.” It is difficult to say what it was. There are all sorts of assumptions. The Bible only says that God himself gave this sign to Cain. Hence the saying: “God marks the rogue.”

The “seal of Cain” began to be understood as a kind of mark, similar to those burned on the forehead of convicted criminals. But the Bible says something completely different.

The sign God gave to Cain was not a punishment at all, but evidence that, despite the crime he had committed, he was under the protection of the Lord. Moreover, God applied this sign to him at the request of Cain himself. Having opened the account of human deaths, he was very afraid that in exile he himself might be killed. “And the Lord made a sign for Cain, so that no one who met him would kill him.” So God immediately stopped a possible series of murders based on blood feud, which could have flared up among the first people. So the “seal of Cain” is not a sign of anger, but of God’s mercy, with which He treats all people without exception. Even to people like the first killer Cain...

Wives and children

The descendants of Cain were evil, depraved, hating God and people.

But among them there were many talented people who became the founders of some crafts and arts:

Jabal - nomadic lifestyle of shepherds;
Jubal - inventor of wind and string instruments;
Tubalcain is the inventor of blacksmithing, the creator of bladed weapons and agricultural tools made of copper and iron.

The descendants of Cain died in the waters of the flood.

“Having walked around most of the land, Cain stopped with his wife in Naida - that was the name of this place - and settled there; his children were born here. However, he did not see a warning in the punishment that befell him; on the contrary, his depravity increased, as he indulged in every sensual pleasure, even if it was associated with cruelty against other people living in his society.

He increased his possessions by robberies and violence, and, inviting his comrades to commit shamelessness and robbery, he became their leader and mentor in various abominations.”

Josephus Flavius

What is the Seal of Cain

The seal of Cain could be a certain sign on his forehead, which made it known that God forbids revenge on him because of the murder of Abel.

But this is not a sign of anger, but of God’s mercy with which He treats all people without exception. In this way, God tried to prevent mass violence on earth and the emergence of mutual hatred between people.

The Creator also made it clear that he did not want the sinner to die, but thirsted for his repentance. Here we see an example of God's long-suffering for all future generations of people.

Willem van Herp the Elder, "Cain and Abel working in the field", 17th century.

Cain: Seal of Mercy

If you carefully analyze everything that the Bible says about Cain, the key word in determining his place in history will be “first.” Cain is the first child of Adam and Eve. That is, the first person, not directly created by God, but born from dad and mom. In addition, he is the first builder - the creator of the first city on our planet. But, alas, it is not for this primacy that people have been remembering his name for several millennia. Cain became the culprit of the first death on Earth. He killed his brother.

But why didn't God accept Cain's sacrifice? It is clear that it is impossible to kill your brother in any case. And yet, didn’t Cain have, so to speak, extenuating circumstances? After all, both worked, each brought to God what they had, and suddenly such a different attitude towards sacrifices! Maybe Cain just needed to give up his farming and take up cattle breeding, since God wanted sheep to be sacrificed to Him, and not wheat and corn? But it is obvious that God does not need any offerings from people at all. Everything that a person can bring to Him as a gift was created by Him. And to suggest that God needs lamb more than vegetables is, to say the least, frivolous. The meaning of sacrifice is completely different.

After all, when a child treats his parents to sweets from a New Year's gift, which they themselves bought for him, he can choose the most delicious candies and marshmallows for them, or maybe, looking away, slip them a couple of sticky caramels. And if he regretted the most delicious delicacy, saving it for himself, the parents have something to be upset about. But the reason for this grief will be anxiety and bitterness for your child, who is growing up greedy.

Can man be considered just a toy in the hands of God? Does God have favorites and ugly ducklings? How does a person differ from a doll, and God from Karabas Barabas? Each of us, like one of the readers of Thomas, sometimes has such questions. Psychologist and regular contributor to our magazine Alexander Tkachenko tried to answer them.

Cain. Lovis Corinth. 1917

So it is with a sacrifice to God - the person himself needs it in order to show his love for Him. By sacrificing the best, a person seems to say: “Look, Lord, how I have multiplied what You have given me! Without Your blessing, these fruits would never have become so beautiful, take a part of them for Yourself!” This is how a person responds to Divine love and care with his love and gratitude. So Abel brought the best sheep of his flock as a gift to God.

What did Cain do? Unfortunately, he acted in the same way as a greedy child at a New Year’s party, and made his sacrifice according to the principle: “It’s on you, God, that it’s not good for us.” Saint John Chrysostom wrote about it this way: “Cain, it is said, brought a sacrifice to the Lord from the fruits of the ground. Then, wanting to tell us about Abel, the Divine Scripture says that he also made a sacrifice from his shepherd occupation: offer both from your firstborn sheep and from their fat. Look how Scripture shows us his God-loving intention and that he brought not just from sheep, but the firstborn, that is, dear, chosen, further, that from these firstborn he brought the most precious thing: and from their fat, it is said, that is - from the most pleasant, the best. Scripture does not notice anything like this about Cain, but only says that he brought a sacrifice from the fruits of the ground, which, so to speak, came across, without any effort or analysis.”

And, probably, it is not so important what exactly Cain sacrificed to God. In any case, it is clear that this was not the best part of his harvest, which means there is no need to talk about love for God here.

But by rejecting his sacrifice, God did not reject him at all. The non-acceptance of Cain’s gifts was, so to speak, an educational measure designed to awaken in him doubts about his own righteousness: after all, if God did not accept your sacrifice, then you are doing something wrong. God did not accept the fruits of Cain, giving him a reason to think about the reasons for this refusal, wanting to help him understand himself and return lost love to his soul. However, in the relationship between man and God, not everything is determined by the actions and intentions of God. A person is free to reject the help offered to him, perceiving it as an insult, and remain alone with his offense. Unfortunately, this is the choice Cain made.

God did not abandon him with His love even after he decided to kill his brother. Seeing how the mere plan of fratricide has already changed the very appearance of Cain, God turns to him with the following words: ...why are you upset? and why did your face droop? If you do good, don't you raise your face? and if you do not do good, then sin lies at the door; he draws you to himself, but you have dominion over him (Gen. 4:6–7). Sin at the door is the way Cain thought, which the omniscient God foresaw as clearly as we hear the spoken words. Thought is the door leading to action. The thought of murder is the path to murder. God made it clear to Cain that the plan to kill his brother was known to Him. However, at the same time, God does not threaten punishment, but explains to him, as if to a small child, how a person should behave when he is overcome by bad thoughts: sin attracts you, but you rule over it. But Cain again rejects this advice and warning. Moreover, even after killing his brother, Cain still did not want to hear God’s call, now to repentance for what he had done. Where is Abel, your brother? These are very scary words. God asks him this way not because he doesn’t know where Abel is. “What have you done, Cain? Think about where your brother is now because of you, come to your senses!” - that’s what was said in this seemingly simple question. But Cain had already completely petrified his soul: I don’t know, am I my brother’s keeper? This is how perfect sin affects a person: the heart becomes impervious to the voice of conscience, the mind becomes clouded, and now - he is ready to lie to God himself.

And God condemned him to exile from his native places and wandering, marking him with a special sign, which later came to be called the seal of Cain. It is difficult to say what it was. The Bible only says that God himself gave this sign to Cain (which, by the way, is where the saying came from: “God marks the rogue”).

The mark of Cain is usually understood as a kind of mark, similar to those burned on the forehead of convicted criminals. However, the Bible tells a completely different story. The sign God gave to Cain was not a punishment at all, but evidence that, despite the crime he had committed, he was under the protection of the Lord.

Moreover, God applied this sign to him at the request of Cain himself. Having opened the account of human deaths, he was very afraid that in exile he himself might be killed. And the Lord [God] made a sign for Cain, so that no one who met him would kill him. So God immediately stopped a possible series of murders based on blood feud, which could have flared up among the first people. And the notorious seal of Cain is not a sign of anger, but of God’s mercy, with which He treats all people without exception. Even to people like the first killer on Earth - Cain.

Cain and Abel: meaning and interpretation of the tragedy

There is more than one interpretation of the tragic story of the two brothers. According to one version, both were in love with the same woman. According to her, Cain got rid of his rival for the heart of his beloved.

Another version says that Cain killed Abel completely by accident, not wanting to harm him.

However, Scripture says that the older brother killed the younger brother completely deliberately and in cold blood, having thought through his actions in advance.

The Bible tells the story of Cain and Abel for several reasons:

Show the terrible consequences of rebellion against God and the falsity of Satan's claim that people will not know suffering and death if they eat the forbidden fruit.
Leave a living example for all humanity, proving the great destructive power of hatred, envy, selfishness, lack of spirituality and causeless anger.

Children of Adam and Eve

According to the canonical Old Testament text, only after their expulsion from the Garden of Eden did Adam and Eve begin to have children. But the statement that the ability to reproduce was a consequence of the Fall is erroneous, since it contradicts the blessing of reproduction given by God to the first spouses at their creation (Gen. 1:28). It is interesting that before the expulsion from Paradise, the first woman did not have her own name; she was called only by the word “wife.” Adam named her Eve (Heb. Havva - life), and she became the mother of all living. The firstborn of the ancestors was Cain. “Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord” (Gen. 4:1). After Cain, Abel was born. Abel became a shepherd, and Cain a farmer. Cain and Abel represent the first step towards the transformation of the individual - the first people (Adam and Eve) - into the multitude, into humanity. Further, the Old Testament historian reports that at the age of 130 Adam gave birth to Seth (Sheth) (Gen. 4:25, 5:3), the ancestor of the Sethites. The other children of the first parents are mentioned only in passing in the Bible: Adam lived 930 years and gave birth to sons and daughters (Gen. 5:1–5). The Old Testament apocryphal Book of Jubilees reports: “And in the third week, in the second jubilee, she (Eve) gave birth to Cain, and in the fourth she gave birth to Abel, and in the fifth she gave birth to her daughter Avan... And in the fourth year of the fifth week he (Adam) was consoled (after the murder Abel), and again he knew his wife, and she bore him a son, and he called his name Seth; for he said, “The Lord hath raised up for us another seed in the earth instead of Abel, for Cain slew him.” In the sixth week he gave birth to his daughter Azura.”

The Apocrypha Life of Adam and Eve gives the following information: “And after Adam begat Seth, he lived eight hundred years and begat thirty sons and thirty daughters; a total of sixty-three children. And they rose above the face of the earth in their countries." Josephus, citing ancient Jewish tradition, notes that Adam had 33 sons and 23 daughters.

In the Jewish tradition one can find an even more original reading of the biblical text. Midrash Bereshit Rabbah, interpreting the opening verses of Genesis 5, states that in addition to the direct descendants of Adam (Cain, Abel and Seth) born by Eve, Adam also had children whose mother was someone else. After the Fall, Adam separated from Eve for 130 years, during which demons and lilin were born from his connection with spirits (including Lilith, named Piznai). Eve gave birth to male demons. The whole world is full of the offspring of these spirits. According to the Zohar (the main Kabbalistic work), the wife of Adam before the creation of Eve was the demoness Lilith, which largely determined the origin of evil in human society.

What does she tell us about the biblical story?

The most important lesson to be learned from the story of Cain and Abel is found in 1 John:

“The children of God and the children of the devil are recognized in this way: everyone who does not do righteousness is not from God, and neither does he who does not love his brother...

We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers; He who does not love his brother remains in death.

Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

(1 John 3:10, 13, 15)

Hatred based on arrogance, envy and selfishness has caused numerous wars, thefts, murders and other terrible crimes. The saddest thing is that Cain’s example is followed not only by those who are alien to religion.

These days the spirit of arrogance and hatred is very strong among many people who consider themselves to be true followers of Jesus Christ. This hatred is expressed not only in acts of violence, but also in rude, contemptuous and insulting words expressed towards both non-believers and other believers belonging to other faiths. And most often this happens at the moment when a person receives reproof.

Where did Cain's wife come from?
question asked by Irina N., Gomel

Irina asked the following question: Hello, I have this question: were there people on Earth before (during) Adam and Eve? When Cain went to the land of Nod, where did he find a wife? Therefore, not every person on Earth can be a descendant of Adam and Eve? - Sincerely, Irina.

INTRODUCTION:
Many people who have recently begun studying the Bible ask the same question: “Where did Cain’s wife come from?”
Some of them believe that in order for Cain to find a wife, there would have to be other “races” of people on Earth at that time who, by their origin, would not be the descendants of Adam and Eve. This means that the Bible's statement that Adam and Eve were the only people God created is not true. For many people, this issue is a stumbling block. When confronted with it, they refuse to believe not only the book of Genesis, but also the record that at the beginning of history there was only one man and one woman on Earth. However, there is no contradiction in the Bible. We have a motto in our club: “If something in the Bible is not clear to us, this does not mean that the Bible is incorrect or inaccurate. This means only one thing - that we
do not understand something.

All people are descendants of two people created by God - Adam and Eve. Cain and his wife are descendants of Adam and Eve. And now we will explain this.

So in Genesis 4:16-17

It is written: “
And Cain went from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. And he built a city; and he named the city by the name of his son: Enoch ."

The question arises:

“Where did Cain find his wife?”

To answer this question, we first need to find out how many people God created on earth: two (Adam and Eve), or were there many more?

I. THE FIRST PEOPLE

1. Adam is the first man.

The Old Testament tells that God first created Adam from the dust of the ground, and then created Eve from Adam’s rib.
However, the book of Genesis is not the only place in the Bible that tells us about the first people. Romans 5:12
says, “
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to all men, because all sinned
.”
And 1 Corinthians 15:45
says that Adam was the first man - “
the first man Adam became a living soul
.”

2. Everyone is related

According to the Bible, all people are relatives.
Acts 17:26
“
Of one blood He made the human race to dwell upon all the face of the earth
.” All people (except Eve) are descendants of the first man - Adam.

3. Eve - the first woman

Eve was created from Adam's rib:
Genesis 2:21-22
“
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man;
and when he fell asleep, he took one of his ribs and covered that place with flesh. And the Lord God created a wife from a rib taken from a man, and brought her to the man .”
In Genesis 3:20
we read: “
And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, for she became the mother of all living
.”
In other words, all people except Adam are descendants of Eve, she was the first woman. In the new testament, Jesus (Matthew 19:4-6) and Paul (Ephesians 5:31) use this historical event as the basis for marriage between one man and one woman. Also, Genesis 2:20
says that when Adam looked at all the living creatures that God had created, he could not find a helper like him, like man.
All this makes it very clear that from the very beginning there was only one woman present - Eve - the wife of Adam
.

So, it turns out that nowhere in the Bible is it written that God created any people other than Adam and Eve. This means that all people who have ever existed on Earth are descendants of the first two people: Adam and Eve.

II. NEXT GENERATIONS.

1. Who was Cain?

Cain was the child of Adam and Eve, as stated in
Genesis 4:1
“
Adam knew Eve his wife;
and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord .” He and his brothers Abel (Genesis 4:2) and Seth (Genesis 4:25) were part of the FIRST generation of children ever born on earth.

2. Brothers and sisters of Cain

Although only three sons are named in Scripture, Adam and Eve had other children.
This is written about in Genesis 5:5
“
The days of Adam after he begat Seth were eight hundred years, and he begat sons and daughters
.”
Genesis 5:6
says that Adam lived 930 years: “And all the days of the life of Adam were nine hundred and thirty years;
and he died." How many children do you think Adam and Eve could have had over the years? The Guinness Book of Records records that the record holder for the number of children born is a Russian woman who lived in the early 19th century, who gave birth to 58 children in her 63 years. Just think: 58 children in 63 years!!! And Adam and Eve had several centuries at their disposal!!! In addition, God gave them the command: “ Be fruitful and multiply
” (
Genesis 1:28
).
The Bible does not tell us the exact number of children Adam and Eve had, but it does say that Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote: " The number of the children of Adam and Eve according to what ancient tradition says was thirty-three sons and twenty-three daughters
."

3. Cain's Wife

If there were no other people besides Adam and Eve, then it turns out that the first men had to marry their own sisters, because there were simply no other women! We do not know when Cain married, and no details are given about other marriages or children, but it can be assumed that Cain's wife was his sister, niece, or other close relative.

III. OBJECTIONS OF SKEPTICS:

1. God's Law

Some, when they hear that the first generations of people married their sisters, are surprised and say that this is impossible. To this I would like to say that Adam generally married his rib. But for some reason this does not surprise anyone. Others argue that the children of Adam and Eve could not marry each other because there are laws prohibiting marriages between close relatives. Still others say that you should not marry a relative at all. I would like to remind such people that if you are not marrying a relative, then this is not a person at all. The wife is related to her husband even before marriage, because ALL people are descendants of Adam and Eve, they all came from the same blood. The law prohibiting close relatives from marrying appeared in the time of Moses, when God gave the Law to the people of Israel ( Leviticus 18-20 chapters

).
This happened approximately 2500 years after the creation of Adam and Eve. Before this time, people married their close relatives. Note that Abraham (who lived more than 400 years before Moses) married his paternal sister: Genesis 20:11-13
“
Abraham said, “I thought that there was no fear of God in this place, and that they would kill me for my wife;
Yes, she is truly my sister: she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife; When God led me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her: do this mercy to me, wherever we come, say about me everywhere: this is my brother .”
And when Abraham’s son Isaac was born, he sent his servant to the house of “his kindred” to take a wife for his son from among his close relatives: Genesis 24:2-4
“
And Abraham said to his servant, the eldest in his house, who ruled all that he had: put your hand under my thigh and swear to me by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but you will go to my land, to my homeland and you will take a wife for my son Isaac
."
Reading further, we discover that Rebekah - the wife of Isaac - was the granddaughter of Nahor, who was the brother of Abraham - ( Genesis 24:15
“
He had not yet ceased speaking, and behold, Rebekah came out, who was born of Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother
").
And Isaac’s son, Jacob, married Leah and Rachel, who were his cousins (daughters of Laban, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s mother). We read about this in Genesis 28:1-2
“
And Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and commanded him and said: “Thou shalt not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan;
Arise, go to Mesopotamia, to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and take yourself a wife from there, from the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother .”

2. Genetic deformities

Today, according to existing laws, siblings (as well as brothers and sisters from one of the parents) cannot marry each other. And if they get married, they will not have healthy offspring. It is true that children of sibling marriages are at risk of being abnormal. By the way, the closer the spouses are related, the higher the risk of genetic abnormalities in the offspring. This is easy for the average person to understand without going into detailed explanations. Everyone receives a set of genes from their parents. Unfortunately, genes today contain many errors (due to sin and the curse), and these errors manifest themselves in very different ways. For example, one person has ears that either stick out or are positioned asymmetrically, and therefore he has to grow his hair and cover his ears with it. Another person's nose is not quite in the middle of the face. The third has eyes that are located asymmetrically. We just stopped noticing it.

The closer the relationship between two people, the higher the possibility of having the same errors in their genes, received from the same parents. Therefore, a brother and sister are likely to have the same errors in their genetic information. A child born from the marriage of a sister and brother will inherit one set of genes from each parent. And due to similar errors in the genes of the parents, these violations are duplicated in the genetic code of the offspring, and the result will be deformities among such children.

On the contrary, the further the parents are related, the higher the likelihood that their genes will not carry the same errors. Children who inherit one set of genes from each parent are likely to get a good gene in every pair with a bad gene. Usually the good gene dominates the bad gene, and thus the deformity (at least the severe one) is suppressed. For example, instead of completely deformed ears, there will be only slightly crooked ears. (In general, however, the human race is gradually degenerating, accumulating errors generation after generation). However, this fact of life today does not apply to Adam and Eve. The first two people were created perfect. Everything God created was, according to God, “very good” ( Genesis 1:31

) This means that their genes were perfect, without errors!
But when sin entered the world (because of Adam - Genesis 3:6
), God cursed the world and the perfect creation began to degenerate, get sick, grow old and die. Over a long period of time, this process manifested itself in all kinds of distortions of the genetic material of all living things. Therefore, God gave people through Moses a law prohibiting marriage to close relatives. But Cain belonged to the first generation of children born on Earth. He (like his brothers and sisters) received a virtually flawless set of genes from Adam and Eve, because the consequences of the impact of sin on the human body were still minimal. In such a situation, brother and sister could marry without fear for their offspring. By the time of Moses (about 2500 years later), degenerative errors in the human gene pool had accumulated on such a scale that God had to introduce laws prohibiting marriage between siblings (and other close relatives), otherwise humanity would completely degenerate. Among other things, we must not forget that in the time of Moses there were many people living on earth, and the need for marriages between brothers and sisters completely disappeared.

3. Cain and the land of Nod

Some claim that the verses in Genesis 4:16-17 mean that Cain went to the land of Nod and found a wife there. From this they come to the conclusion that there was another race of people on Earth, not consisting of the descendants of Adam and Eve, to which Cain’s wife belonged. “And Cain went away from the presence of the Lord; and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. And he built a city; and he named the city after the name of his son, Enoch.” However, a careful reading of this passage reveals that Cain did not find his wife in the land of Nod, but “knew” his wife in the land of Nod, after which their son Enoch was born. Many theologians believe that Cain was already married at the time of Abel's murder, otherwise the Bible would have said something about Cain's marriage.

4. Who was Cain afraid of?

Genesis 4:14

“...behold, now You are driving me from the face of the earth, and I will hide from Your presence, and I will be an exile and a wanderer on the earth; and whoever meets me will kill me.” Some, based on this verse, argue that there were many people on earth who were not descendants of Adam and Eve, otherwise Cain would not have needed to be afraid of people wanting to kill him because he killed Abel. Who was Cain afraid of?

Firstly

, the reason why anyone would want to take revenge on Cain for killing Abel was because they were closely related! And close relatives of Abel were automatically close relatives of Cain, since Cain and Abel were siblings.

Secondly

, quite a lot of time passed between the birth of Cain and Abel and between the murder of Abel by Cain.
Genesis 4:3
says, “
After a while, Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the fruits of the ground
.”
Note the phrase “after a while.” We know that Seth was born when Adam was 130 years old ( Genesis 5:3
), and Eve saw him as a replacement for the lost Abel (
Genesis 4:25
). Therefore, the period of time from the birth to the death of Abel can be up to a hundred years, which is quite enough for the other children of Adam and Eve not only to get married, but also to give birth to children and grandchildren. By the time of Abel's murder, the number of Adam and Eve's descendants may have been significant, including several generations.

CONCLUSION

The Bible is the Word of God - the Word of the Creator, who was present during all historical events. This is the Word of the One who knows everything and is a witness of the past, present and future, on whom you can rely. And if we begin to treat the Book of Genesis as an infallible source of information about the history of the creation of the world and man, then we will be able to understand events that, without the help of Holy Scripture, seem incomprehensible and mysterious to us.

We also recommend reading the article: “The Origin of Races and Peoples.”

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Brief description of Rubens' painting

Peter Paul Rubens painted Cain Killing Abel around 1600-1612. During his work, the master was strongly influenced by the works of the brilliant Michelangelo and other artists of the Renaissance in Italy and Spain.

Peter Paul Rubens “Cain kills Abel” (1608-09 Oil on canvas. 131 x 94 cm Courtauld Institute of Art, London

In Rubens's painting, the brothers are depicted as physically developed men, clearly accustomed to hard work.

Rubens presented a very interesting interpretation of the biblical story. In the picture, Cain kills Abel while the fire consuming the victim has not yet gone out.

Lying on the ground, the younger brother, perplexed, tries timidly to defend himself from Cain’s wrath. The elder brother is full of decisive malice, not a shadow of pity or doubt is visible on his face.

Drama "Cain and Abel" directed by Kim Hyun-shik

South Korean director Kim Hyun-shik directed the drama “Cain and Abel.” The series is about two brothers, talented surgeons. One of them, Lee Sun Woo, returns to his hometown after a seven-year absence. The father is comatose, and the domineering mother wants to take a high position in the local clinic. The beloved gave preference to her younger brother, Cho In, whom the elder always envied. The plot of the drama also resembles a biblical story in that the father, as it seems to his older brother, loves Cho In more.

References: recommended for everyone who likes to read

Good commentaries on the story of Cain and Abel can be found in the following works:

Lopukhin A.P. “Explanatory Bible. The first book of Moses. Being";
Ephraim the Syrian “Interpretation of the Book of Genesis”;
Andrew Louth, "Biblical Commentaries of the Church Fathers and Other Authors of the 1st to 8th Centuries." .
John Chrysostom “Interpretations and Discourses on the Books of the Holy Scriptures”;
Rusakov A. “The fear of God and the fear of the flesh in the book of Genesis”;
Victor Hamilton "Handbook of the Pentateuch of Moses."

The story of Cain and Abel helps us see how destructive the path of any sin that a person consciously embarks on is. Outward religious service cannot deceive our Heavenly Father, who sees the heart. It does not change a person, but only masks his shortcomings. If we want God to recognize us as righteous on the Day of Judgment, then it is important to do our best to get rid of selfishness, arrogance, envy, self-indulgence and destructive hatred of others.

Cain could have overcome sin if he had developed the opposite qualities. The sad story of Cain and Abel is written for us to walk the path of love and holiness, transforming our personality into the image and likeness of God and making us true followers of Jesus Christ.

Victor Glebov

Who were the wives of Cain, Seth and their descendants

Cain was the first to marry the children of Adam and Eve. “And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch” (Gen. 4:17). The line of Cain began in the land of Nod (verse 16). Nod is related in meaning to the words “a wanderer who knows no rest” (navanad). That is, it was the land of “those who ran away from God.” Who was Cain's wife? Unlike the canonical text, the apocrypha and interpretations are replete with details of the family relationships of the first people. Many Jewish and Christian sources agree that Cain and Abel were married to their twin sisters. The apocryphal Book of Jubilees says: “And Cain took his sister Avan to wife, and she bore him Enoch at the end of the fourth jubilee. And in the first year of the first week of the fifth jubilee houses were built on the earth, and Cain built a city and called it after the name of his son Enoch.” Following the apocrypha, the Church Fathers (Epiphanius, Ephraim the Syrian, John Chrysostom) are of the opinion that Cain’s wife was one of his sisters. Since this was at the beginning of time and the human race needed to reproduce, it was allowed to marry sisters.

The sons and daughters of Adam represented not only a family, but also a clan, so the differences between brotherly and conjugal love became more pronounced only after the emergence of several families. Even in much later times and in civilized countries such unions were not considered incestuous. Athenian law required you to marry your sister if she did not find a husband at a certain age. For example, Abraham married his half-sister Sarah. Most likely, Cain got married even before the murder of Abel, since it is doubtful that any woman would have decided to marry a fratricide. Philo of Alexandria calls Cain's wife by name, Themech. Rabbinic literature simultaneously associates Cain's wife with his own twin sister, or with Abel's twin sister. One of the sisters, destined for Abel, was more beautiful, and Cain, wanting to marry her, committed fratricide. The Arab legend contains a similar interpretation. Modern Bible scholars also hold the view that the wife of the first son of Adam and Eve could have been one of his sisters. After the birth of his son, Cain built a city, naming it Enoch after his son. Thus, the biblical text speaks of an important event in the development of humanity - the transition from a nomadic to a sedentary way of life.

Cain's descendants most likely also married their closest relatives. The Book of Jubilees describes in detail all the marriages that took place, mentioning family ties and the names of the wives of the descendants of Cain. In the book of Genesis, only the wives of Lamech, Adah and Zillah, are named. Lamech's marriage is the first instance of polygamy. The third son of Adam and Eve, Seth, could also marry one of his sisters - the Book of Jubilees tells: “And in the fifth week of this jubilee Seth took to wife his sister Azura, and she bore him Enos in the fourth year.”

Quite an interesting evidence of marriages are the words at the beginning of chapter 6 of the book of Genesis: “When people began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them. Then the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful, and they took them as wives as they chose.” This plot is based on myths about gods who took mortal women as wives, and about the heroes born as a result. Most Jewish and Christian interpreters understand the sons of God to be angels (Book of Enoch, Book of Jubilees, Philo, Justin the Philosopher, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria). Some rabbinic exegetes saw this as a reference to sons of the aristocracy marrying women of the lower classes. According to the third version of the interpretation, which is followed by the majority of the Church Fathers (Ephraim the Syrian, John Chrysostom, Jerome, Augustine, etc.) and modern researchers, the sons of God were the pious Sethites, and the daughters were the descendants of the Cainites.

If we take into account the latest DNA research, which indicates that all of humanity can be traced back to one pair of people, then the opinion that the wives of the first children of Adam and Eve were their sisters seems quite acceptable.

Spiritual Poems

Abel

It will soon be midnight. Where is he? Why has Abel not returned with the flocks now? And Eve looked with sad eyes: “Cain, have you seen your brother?” Without answering her, tormented by his conscience, Cain leaves their poor tent. How gloomy he is, driven by curse and shame. In the calm of the night, the mother turns her gaze. She has no time for sleep now. He runs hastily into the steppe. Sharp stones cut her feet. - Abel! - Eva exclaims inconsolably. - Abel! — the silence of the fields echoes loudly. Maybe he went far with the herd? The angel knows rightly... With a fiery sword he will intercede the path for me, but with a pleading look I will ask about my dear shepherd. And at the door of heaven, where the Guardian of the Canopy of Eden blocked her path with a scorching sword, Eve asked in a trembling voice: “Didn’t Abel pass here with his flocks?” - Cry, oh, Eve, bitterly! Where the hills were overgrown with wild terebinth along the ledges, Cain killed by a lifeless corpse He fell asleep forever in the middle of midnight darkness! This is death! It's finished! In trepidation, in confusion, not understanding the words, the mother hurries to her son. Suddenly she stopped. Sweet vision: Abel in front of her - how sweetly he sleeps! He scattered his curls and opened his eyes, As if he was smiling brightly at the heavens, As if he was admiring the brilliance of the starry night, A pure, serene young brow. - Darling, get up, wake up, how scared I was, How I ran here... get up, let's go home!.. Abel!.. And, kissing, she clung all to him. Abel didn’t say a word to her - pale and dumb. And a burning fire of suffering penetrated her heart. What did the angel say to her? And the first consciousness, a terrible consciousness, escaped from the lips: “Death!” - she screamed, falling on the corpse. The fog floated and the wind cried over the fields, which the murderer dared to stain with blood. And the sun greeted with mournful rays the first crying mother above her son.

Peter Porfirov (1870 - 1903) published: “Faith and Life” 2, 1981