Lesson 5: Genesis 4 And 5: East Of Eden
God's warning to Cain echoes the curse on Eve from chapter three. Yet we all know that Cain does not heed God’s words, similarly to his parents not obeying God’s command to them. Let us explore in this lesson the similarities, and differences, of God’s approach to sin and reconciliation.
Explanation of the Cain and Abel Narrative, Part 1
Literary Analysis of Genesis Four
A. Genre
1. tale: "short narrative characterized by a minimum number of characters .... the tale will establish the circumstances for its plot, then develop a point of tension as the subject of the plot. The plot unfolds as an arc running from the tension to a resolution of the tension. (Coats 7).
2. genealogy:
B. Devices
1. numerical symmetry: Within 4:1-17, the murder story, "Abel" and "brother" occur seven times, "Cain" fourteen times. Within 2:4-4:26 "earth" is mentioned seven times, "land" fourteen times, the divine name 35 times (matching the number in 1:1-2:3), thus the last verse of chapter four contains the seventieth use of the divine name.
2. intertexuality: Chapter four contains various verbal and structural parallels to chapter three, linking both chapters and adding to the interpretation of both.
3. Assonance: Several of the key phrases within the narrative ("I have gained," "arose," "punished sevenfold") echo the name Cain.
C. Structure
1. structure of chapter four
1-16: Cain and Abel
17-24: Cain's descendants
25-26: Seth's family
Each section opens with "___________ knew his wife. She conceived, gave birth to _____________, and she said/called ____________ ..."
2. structure of Cain and Abel episode
A 2b-5 Narrative Cain, Abel main actors, Yahweh passive
B 6-7 Dialogue Yahweh questioning Cain
C 8 Narrative/Dialogue Cain and Abel alone
B' 9-14 Dialogue Yahweh and Cain
A' 15-16 Narrative Yahweh active, Cain passive
II. Exposition of Genesis Four (1-16)
A. Verses 1-2a
1. Verses 1-2a begin the genealogy of Adam. Verses 3-16 interrupt the genealogy with a digression about the murder of Abel. The genealogy is continued at verse 17.
2. The connection of the name Cain with "brought forth" is poetic. The actual etymology of Cain is unknown.
3. Eve's statement is the subject of much debate. Von Rad claimed that "Every word of this little sentence is difficult" (103). The options are to take Eve's statement as "I have gained a man with the Lord's help" or "I have created a man as the Lord (has done)." In the first case, it would seem Eve is recalling the promise of 3:15; in the latter, she is putting herself on par with God. At the very least there seems to be an intentional ambiguity for the statement could have been made clearer. The fact that at the birth of Seth there is a more straightforward praise of God seems to indicate that here at first Eve was boasting (Sailhamer).
4. Abel's name foreshadows his fate, "breath" or "vanity" it is the ubiquitous word in the book of Ecclesiastes.
B. Verses 2b-5
1. The names of are linked chiastically throughout the scene: Abel-Cain-Cain-Abel- Abel-Cain.
2. "After a year": Could be general indicating an indefinite period of time, or if taken literally could mean after the year's harvest.
3. Abel's sacrifice: Described positively due to the presence of fat portions and it being the first born.
4. God's acceptance: The text does not make clear how the Lord demonstrated his acceptance of Abel's sacrifice and rejection of Cain's, but merely notes that this was the case and the brothers were aware of it. Ancient commentators assumed that fire consumed Abel sacrifice. 5. "very angry": intense anger often a prelude to homicidal acts (34:7)
6. Why was Cain's offering rejected?
a. Animal sacrifice is preferred to vegetation. But this is reading back later concepts and the law makes provisions for grain offerings as well.
b. Quality of the offering. This takes the positive description of Abel's sacrifice to mean that Cain's was not likewise of high quality. But this does not necessarily follow.
c. The inscrutable will of God. While this is plausible given the choice of younger brothers throughout Genesis, there is a more readily apparent explanation.
d. The rejection of the sacrifice is in fact the rejection of the one who brought it. Cain's motives were not pure. This is the view of the NT (Heb.11:4) and is implied by the fact that God did not look with favor on "Cain and his offering." The ensuing actions of Cain bear out this view.
