Were Cain and Abel twins?
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.” 2 Then she bore again (yacaph), this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. (Genesis 4:1-2)
Adam knew Eve his wife speaks of the sexual intimacy.
Cain and Abel could have been twins. Eve conceived once and bore twice. The use of the word ‘yacaph’ is interesting as it can also mean ‘to increase’ or ‘to add to’. This usage may support the idea that Cain and Abel were twins, with Abel added to Cain, his older brother almost immediately.
Why did God accept Abel’s offering but reject Cain’s offering?
4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. (Genesis 4:4-5)
There are two main explanations given concerning this
1. Non-Blood Sacrifice
Abel’s offering to the Lord was “the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock” (Genesis 4:4, NLT). Cain’s offering was “some of his crops” (Genesis 4:4, NLT). The most evident difference between the two sacrifices is that Abel’s offering was an animal (blood) sacrifice, and Cain’s was a vegetable (bloodless) sacrifice.
God has already demonstrated the significance of a blood sacrifice when the Lord made tunics of animal skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them (Genesis 3:21). Cain willfully ignored this truth.
2. Poor Quality Offering
Abel brought “the best portions,” while Cain simply brought some of his ordinary crops.
3. Attitude
The Bible also tells us that God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). There was something in Cain’s heart attitude that made his offering unacceptable to God.
Lord Jesus taught saying:
23Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24)
sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7)
It has always been God’s desire for us to rule over sin.
Romans 6:14 says, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9)
The truth is that we are all called to be our brother’s keeper
And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. (Genesis 4:10)
The idea of blood crying out to God from the ground is later repeated in the Bible. Numbers 35:29-34 describes how the blood of unpunished murderers defiles the land.
The blood of Abel spoke, and it spoke of judgment. The blood of Jesus also speaks, but of better things, of grace and of sin having been judged (Hebrews 12:24).
When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. (Genesis 4:12)
If the ground is cursed then the place where you do business could be affected.
What was the Mark on Cain's Forehead?
13 And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.” 15 And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him. (Genesis 4:13-15)
God's mark of protection on Cain was to help provide for his safety. However, it did not prevent Cain from being attacked or murdered. The mark merely warned that anyone who killed Cain would himself suffer a worse death.
The fact that God had to put a mark on Cain suggests that the population was large enough that Cain needed to be singled out for protection. The text does not tell us what the mark was or that it was passed down to succeeding generations.
The prophet Ezekiel was also told to put a mark on the foreheads of God’s people. And the Lord said to him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are down within it (Ezekiel 9:4).
Scripture also tells us that in the future, God will mark His people for protection. For example, in the Book of Revelation we have an episode where people have a mark placed upon them. A special group of people, the 144,000, receives a mark from God that guarantees their protection. The Lord commanded:
Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads (Revelation 7:3). Those not having the mark of God were not protected from the coming judgments.
Mark of The Beast
In the Book of Revelation we also find the mark of the beast. satan always counterfeits the things of God. As God marked the 144,000 as a special people to be protected, satan will mark all those who worship him with his name and number on their right hand and forehead. As is true with the mark placed on the 144,000 by God, the mark here speaks of ownership.
And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads (Revelation 13:16).
Both of these marks were for the purpose of keeping the people safe who received the mark. Therefore we can conclude that the mark of Cain fits other portions of Scripture where a mark is given as a sign of protection.
Whom did Cain marry?
This also explains that Cain probably married one of his own sisters (one of the children of Adam). After all Adam lived for 930 years and had many sons and daughters.
Though marrying a sister was against the law of God according to Leviticus 18:9, 18:11, 20:17, and Deuteronomy 27:22 (which even prohibits the marrying of a half-sister), this was long before God spoke that law to Moses and the world.
Even Abraham married his half-sister Sarah (Genesis 20:12). God did not prohibit such marriages until the time of Moses (Leviticus 18:9). Marrying a brother or sister was not forbidden until God forbade it.
Then Lamech took for himself two wives (Genesis 4:19)
Lamech was the first person in the Bible to have two wives.
What does it mean to call upon the name of the Lord?
And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord. (Genesis 4:26)
The first mention in Scripture of people calling on the name of the Lord is Genesis 4:26. The world was becoming more and more wicked and Seth’s descendants stood apart from the corruptness that prevailed around them by calling on the name of the Lord. Calling on the name of the Lord refers to gathering together in prayer and worship.
When Abram first arrived in Canaan, he camped between the cities of Ai and Bethel. "He constructed an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord" at that location (Genesis 12:8). In other words, Abram publicly thanked God, praised His name, and prayed for protection and direction from the Almighty God.
Years later, Abraham’s son Isaac built an altar to the Lord in Beersheba and also “called on the name of the Lord” (Genesis 26:25).
Christians are identified in 1 Corinthians 1:2 as those who call upon the name of the Lord: "To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours," writes the Apostle Paul. One of the distinguishing characteristics of a Christian is calling on the name of the Lord.
Chapters
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 12
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 14
- Chapter 15
- Chapter 16
- Chapter 17
- Chapter 18
- Chapter 19
- Chapter 20
- Chapter 21
- Chapter 22
- Chapter 23
- Chapter 24
- Chapter 25
- Chapter 26
- Chapter 27
- Chapter 28
- Chapter 29
- Chapter 30
- Chapter 31
- Chapter 32
- Chapter 33
- Chapter 34
- Chapter 35
- Chapter 36
- Chapter 37
- Chapter 38
- Chapter 39
- Chapter 40
- Chapter 41
- Chapter 42
- Chapter 43
- Chapter 44
- Chapter 45
- Chapter 46
- Chapter 47
- Chapter 48
- Chapter 49
- Chapter 50