Genesis 4:9-16

Genesis 4:9-16

[9] And the LORD  said  unto Cain,  Where  is Abel  thy brother?  And he said,  I know  not: Am I my brother's  keeper?  [10] And he said,  What  hast thou done?  the voice  of thy brother's  blood  crieth  unto me from the ground.  [11] And now art thou cursed  from the earth,  which hath opened  her mouth  to receive  thy brother's  blood  from thy hand;  [12] When  thou tillest  the ground,  it shall not henceforth  yield  unto thee her strength;  a fugitive  and a vagabond  shalt thou be in the earth.  [13] And Cain  said  unto the LORD,  My punishment  is greater  than I can bear.  [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.  [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. [16] And Cain  went out  from the presence  of the LORD,  and dwelt  in the land  of Nod,  on the east  of Eden. 

What does Genesis 4:9-16 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

As in chapter3 , God came investigating the crime with questions ( Genesis 4:9-10). [1] There the result was God cursing the ground and people generally, but here the result is His cursing Cain, another evidence that wickedness was worsening.
Cain"s punishment consisted of his being banished from God"s presence and unable to enjoy his family"s company and the fruitfulness of a settled pastoral life ( Genesis 4:11-12; Genesis 4:14). He would have to wander from place to place seeking food rather than living a sedentary life. This punishment was just since he had alienated himself from his brother and God.
"Cain is not being condemned to a Bedouin-like existence; the terminology is too extreme to describe such a life-style. Rather it seems likely that the curse on Cain reflects the expulsion from the family that was the fate in tribal societies of those who murdered close relatives.... "To be driven away from the land" (cf. Genesis 4:14) is to have all relationships, particularly with the family, broken. Moreover, it is to have one"s relationship with the LORD broken ..." [2]
"Nomadism according to the Sumerian flood story is a plight from which the gods rescued man; according to the Bible a nomadic existence was a judgment imposed on the first murderer. This contrast fits in with the overall optimism of Mesopotamia which believes in human progress over against the biblical picture of the inexorable advance of sin ... It would seem likely that the other human achievements listed here-farming, metalwork, and music-are also seen by Genesis as somehow under the shadow of Cain"s sin." [3]
Cain"s response to his punishment was self-pity rather than repentance and an expression of remorse over the extent of his iniquity. [4] No one would be his keeper (cf. Genesis 4:9).
Cain"s sin resulted in his being "driven" out ( Genesis 4:14; cf. Genesis 3:23). Note again that sin results in broken relationships and alienation, and alienation from God leads to fear of other people (cf. Job 15:20-25). God in grace allowed Cain and his family to continue to live under His care, but apparently without salvation. Note also that human immorality again impacted earth"s ecology (cf. Genesis 3:17).
The commentators have interpreted Cain"s "sign" or "mark" ( Genesis 4:15) in a variety of ways. One view is that it was partial paralysis, based on the meaning of the word used to translate "sign" in the Septuatint. An old Jewish interpretation understood it to be the word "Yahweh," and another viewed it as a long horn growing out of the middle of Cain"s forehead. Some medieval paintings represent Cain with a horn on his head following this view. Other ideas are that it was some other identifying mark on Cain in view of parallels with other marks that identify and protect their bearers in Scripture (cf. Ezekiel 9:4; Revelation 7:3; Revelation 13:16-18; Revelation 14:1). [5] Still other interpreters believe that the mark was a verification of God"s promise to Cain. This last view rests on the usual meaning of "sign" in the Old Testament (cf. Judges 6:36-40; 2 Kings 2:9-12; et al.), which the Hebrew construction supports here. [6] The text does not identify the sign, but it was some immediate indication that God gave Cain to assure him that he would not die (cf. Genesis 21:13; Genesis 21:18; Genesis 27:37; Genesis 45:7; Genesis 45:9; Genesis 46:3 with Genesis 21:14; Genesis 44:21). Whatever it was, Cain"s mark served to protect him as well as to remind him and others of his banishment.
"Nod" ( Genesis 4:16) means "wandering," so the very name of the place where he lived also reminded Cain of his sentence ( Genesis 4:12).
"The ungodly here are portrayed as living on in the world (with a protective mark of grace ...) without being saved. Their sense of guilt was eased by their cultural development and their geographical expansion." [7]
Cain was a man who did not care to please God. Because he did not, God did not bless him as He did Abel, who was a man of faith. Cain"s anger and jealousy over Abel"s blessing brought disaster on himself. God has preserved his example to help us avoid it. Those who worship God must have as their goal to please Him rather than letting envy and hatred ruin their lives.