NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible | Page 28
32 | Genesis 4:9
Two cherubs guarding a sacred tree, ca. 1400 BC, Cyprus. The author of Genesis uses similar imagery
in Gen 3:24.
Z. Radovan/www.BibleLandPictures.com
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s b
lood c ries out to me
round, which o
pened
from the g
round. i 11 Now you are under a c urse and driven from the g
its mouth to receive your brother’s b
lood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it
will no longer yield its c rops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driv
ing me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; j I will be a restless wan
derer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” k
15 But the Lord said to him, “Not so a ; anyone who k
ills Cain l will suffer vengeance seven
times over. m ” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill
him. 16 So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and l ived in the land of Nod, b east of
Eden. n
17 Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to E
noch. Cain
was then building a city, and he n
amed it after his son o Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad,
and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Me
thushael was the father of Lamech.
19 Lamech married two women, one n
amed Adah and the other Zillah. 20 Adah gave b
irth
to Jabal; he was the father of t hose who live in t ents and r aise livestock. 21 His brother’s
name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play s tringed instruments and p
ipes. 22 Zillah
also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of c bronze and iron. Tubal-
Cain’s sister was Naamah.
4:10 i Ge 9:5;
Nu 35:33; Heb 12:24;
Rev 6:9‑10
4:14 j 2Ki 17:18;
Ps 51:11; 139:7-12;
Jer 7:15; 52:3 k Ge 9:6;
Nu 35:19, 21, 27, 33
4:15 l Eze 9:4, 6
m ver 24; Ps 79:12
4:16 n Ge 2:8
4:17 o Ps 49:11
a 15
Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew Very well b 16 Nod means wandering (see verses 12 and 14). c 22 Or who
instructed all who work in
another. This first violent act between two
people anticipates the increase in violence in
Cain’s line (vv. 23 – 24) and the violence that
brings the flood in judgment (6:11 – 13).
4:9 Am I my brother’s keeper? Cain’s cal-
lous and deceptive response contrasts with
Adam and Eve’s naive and evasive responses
(3:10 – 13).
4:10 blood cries out . . . from the ground.
The shedding of innocent blood pollutes the
ground (Num 35:33 – 34). cries out. Abel rep-
resents the first of a long line of faithful peo-
ple who die and cry out for vengeance (Matt
23:35; Luke 11:51); in contrast, Jesus’ innocent
blood provides mercy (Heb 12:24).
4:11 under a curse. The Lord curses Cain in
relation to the ground (Deut 27:24). driven
from the ground. Cain has polluted the land
and cannot remain there. Adam and Eve were
driven from the garden; Cain is driven from
all “ground.”
4:12,14 restless wanderer. Cain must be on
the move and leave nothing that will last.
4:12 it will no longer yield its crops. Cain
works the ground (v. 2), so this punishment
deprives him of his livelihood (v. 13).
4:14 whoever finds me will kill me. The pen-
alty for murdering the innocent is death (Deut
19:11 – 13).
4:15 mark. The text does not say what the
mark is, but it is readily visible and enables
anyone to see that God marked Cain for his
safety (see Ezek 9:4 for another protective
mark).
4:16 Nod. Means “wandering,” from the same
Hebrew root in “restless wanderer” (vv. 12,14).
4:17 – 18 Cain . . . Enoch . . . Irad . . . Mehujael . . .
Methushael . . . Lamech. Together with Adam
the genealogy of seven generations sym-
bolizes the completion of the line. As seven
symbolizes completeness, here it leads to a
completeness of violence in Lamech’s poem
in vv. 23 – 24.
4:17 wife. Perhaps Cain’s sister. city. Could be
any settlement.
4:18 Enoch . . . Irad. May be related to Erech
and Eridu, two of the earliest cities in the
south of ancient Mesopotamia (modern
Iraq).
4:19 married two women. Genesis often
mentions polygamy, which tends to end
badly for those involved. Adah . . . Zillah.
Could mean “ornament” and “cymbal,” sug-
gesting the cultural activities in this family
history.
4:20 – 22 tents . . . livestock . . . stringed in-
struments and pipes . . . tools . . . bronze and
iron. In ancient Mesopotamian lore, there
were a group of sages, one for each genera-
tion of kings in the age before the flood. They
introduce major aspects of human culture.
The Bible teaches that these inventors came
from the line of Cain. Although their work
could be used for good, in this case it seems
to have led to greater violence.
4:22 Tubal-Cain. Like his ancestor Cain, his
name means “metal-smith,” another aspect
of civilization (see note on vv. 20 – 22).