GENESIS

 

Chapter 4


The previous chapter records the actions of the creatures that were involved in the Fall of Mankind. This chapter is an account of the products and consequences of those actions.


Cain And Abel

Gen 4:1:  And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
2:  And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

The word “knew” is more than an euphemism, or modest expression of the act of coition, it signifies the sense of having a positive knowledge of conception. This whole chapter reveals that Adam “knew” Eve twice only, the second time (verse 25) being some time after the death of Abel when Adam was near 130 years old (Gen.5:3). Truly, it is hard to comprehend the first couple’s lack of sexual activity for those many years in between. Yet, there are theologians who choose to believe otherwise. However, the words are clear: “And Adam knew his wife again…”

Adam “knew” Eve twice but had brought forth three sons; this signifies that one of them could not be his son. A study of the rest of chapter 4 will reveal that Cain was not Adam’s son; he was the son of the Serpent. The very first verse of the chapter tells us so. It states Eve “...bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD”. Observe that it was Eve, and not Adam, who named her firstborn. Cain means acquisition, because he was not Adam’s begotten son; he was merely an acquired son. Hence, Eve could not be more right when she said, “I have gotten a man from the Lord” (for all life, big or small, good or evil, comes from God - Isa.45:7; Acts 17:28). If Cain was Adam’s son, which would also be Eve’s, as she was rightly Adam’s Wife, she would have said, “I have begotten a man from the Lord”.  [Note:  Jesus Christ was neither of Mary, nor of Joseph. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, not begotten of Mary (Mat.1:16). He was supposedly the son of Joseph (Luk.3:23). Our Lord Jesus was begotten of the Almighty God, our Heavenly Father (Jhn.1:14; Acts 13:33).]

Though Cain and Abel were regarded as fraternal twins, the Sacred Scripture does not record the two as twins. Whenever twins of the same father were born they are specifically stated in the Scriptures. Read Genesis 25:24; 38:27. Eve’s bearing twins came about by superfetation. Eve partook of the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil”, a perverted knowledge of sex, offered by the Serpent and she conceived Cain. Later, Adam laid with her and she conceived Abel.  (Such double pregnancy is known as superfetation.) [Note:  The intrusion of Satan, via the Serpent, into the midst of the garden that produced the seed of discrepancy was foreknown of God.  There was a purpose for that seed to be.  Remember, nothing takes God by surprise.]

The fact that Cain and Abel were two very different persons from two very different fathers is revealed straight away in this chapter — “And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.”  This short statement should cause us to pay close attention to their traits. Remember that traits in a seed have their source from the parents.  Cain was just like his father, the Serpent, who tilled the ground as a servant to Adam, for he was subjected to Adam. Man was said to “till” the ground (Gen.2:5) only through his servant, the Serpent. Notice that God had commanded the Man to subdue the earth and to have dominion (authority, control) over all creatures of the earth (Gen.1:28). After the Fall, Adam had to till the ground himself (Gen.3:23) having lost his Serpent-servant whom God had cursed to become a snake.  So Cain was like his father – the Serpent – a tiller of the ground.  On the other hand “Abel was a keeper of sheep” (Gen.4:2) like his father Adam, who kept animals under his hand (that is, under his authority).

[Note:  If the Garden of Eden was a paradise why must the ground be tilled? This question seems to be in the mind of some people.

The Bible does not give us a picture of a perfect Earth with a garden of paradise that Adam and his wife would just spend their time roaming leisurely around it, doing nothing but luxuriating for all eternity. Although man was not supposed to toil, he was required to work, even as God worked (and is still working). Adam was commanded to “be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over” all the creatures. To subdue the earth, the earth must be tilled (or cultivated) before it could be subdued. Adam, as a son of God, had the authority over all the creatures of the earth. Adam was not created to be a tiller of the ground. A son of God is not created to toil; he is a child of God. The Serpent-kind was created to be subject to Adam to do the tilling.  But when sin was imputed upon Adam, he lost his authority and all his privileges. He also lost his Serpent-servant. To obtain food, Adam not only had to till the ground himself, but also had to toil against the thorns and thistles which the ground brought forth as a result of God’s curse upon it.

We read in the Scriptures that God rested on the seventh day from all His work. Ecclesiastes chapter 3 tells us that there is a time for everything. The heavenly body of light is a regulator of seasons for the Earth. In the coming Millennial Reign of our King, the Lord Jesus Christ, there will be work for His Bride(-wife), the Elect. There will also be work for everyone in the New Heaven and New Earth. Work (activity) has always been a part of God's plan of creation.]


The Religions of Cain and Abel

Gen 4:3:  And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4:  And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

Abel possessed the revelation (from God) to the events which transpired in the Garden of Eden, that led to the Fall of Mankind.  He brought “the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof”, that is, “from the firstlings of his flock, the best of the best”, and offered it to Yahweh. Abel knew that blood was involved and blood must be shed.  That prophetic revelation pointed to the SEED of the woman (Gen.3:15) who was to come as the Lamb of God and die a bloody death at Mount Calvary.  The Lamb of God was our Lord, Jesus the Christ. He was God’s BEST GIFT to Mankind.

On the other hand, Cain, being the son of the Serpent, did not possess such a revelation. Though he was raised up together with Abel and taught the same Truth and Knowledge of God by Adam and Eve, Cain never really possessed the full revelation of it. (Only sons and daughters of God could receive the revelation of God’s Truth.) Like his father, Cain was a tiller of the ground and he brought unto God an offering of the fruit of the ground. The fruit of the cursed ground was his achievement and pride. In the sweat of his brow and with his own hands he had tilled the ground to obtain what he thought would please God. No doubt, he gave the best of all that his hands had produced out of the ground. The Apostle Paul said that Cain’s sacrifice was excellent, but Abel was more excellent (Heb.11:4). Abel’s offering was righteous and it pleased God. However, Cain’s works were evil in that they were self-righteous (1Jhn.3:12; Isa.64:6). Cain certainly was religious; he was not spiritual. He created his own religion. God not only wanted the best, but the BLOODY BEST, if I may say so, not meaning to be sacrilegious. Cain never understood that because of the make-up of his personality. He was not a son of God like Abel was. He was a bastard. He was a seed that was not planted by the Almighty God but Satan.

Present day pagan religions, or worships, which practice the offering of the fruit of the ground, such as fruits, vegetables or flowers, are traced to Cain, the founder. Abel practised the true religion (from re-ligo – to bind back). He knew by revelation who God was and what God expected of him. True worshippers worship God, by revelation, in spirit and in truth (Jhn.4:22-24).

Gen 4:5:  But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

Upon Cain’s offering, God simply gazed nonplussed. Cain knew what the offering should be. Was shedding blood something he wanted to avoid or was it that he had no revelation of the blood even though he had seen that Adam offered such an offering? No matter how wonderful an offering may be, how could Yahweh accept it if it is not according to His ways? God does not accept it even if the person offers it to Him the best of all that he could give, and with all the sincerity that is in his heart. In reality, it is not about a person’s sincere conviction or belief; it is about God’s Way, God’s Truth and God’s Life. It is either that or nothing.  [Note:  It is a fact that not long after the death of the First Century Apostles, the revelation of the authority of the Word of God began to lose its hold in the Church as religious clergymen began creating religious organizations.  Since then, Biblical Faith has been watered down to just these words “It’s the Grace of God”, and the Word of God to “It does not matter how you approach God, what and how you understand His teachings, what you know about Him, how you are baptized, and et cetera, so long as you are sincere and your heart is right with God”. Faith is now based on human wisdom instead of God’s power (1Cor.2:5).]

With his offering being rejected, Cain was grieved and he hid not his anger.

Gen 4:6:  And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7:  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

However, God was not without Grace and Mercy when He rejected Cain and his offering. He was, and always is, rich in grace and mercy. He always provides the way for man to return to Him that man’s fellowship with Him may be restored.

Now, there are various interpretations given to Genesis 4:7. One version states that Cain was told to master his sin, which was crouching at the door (of his heart), because of his wrong offering. Another version implies that Cain sinned because he did not do well in his offering, and that he was told to go back to his brother Abel, who would be subjected to him.

On the face of it, all these interpretations seem to be acceptable. However, the Great Merciful and Gracious God did not just stop at showing Cain the acceptable way, but had gone beyond that by providing him an acceptable sin-offering.  Let me paraphrase Genesis 4:6-7:

And the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why do you look so downcast? If you had done well, would you not be accepted? And if not, there is a sin-offering crouching right before you. He is subjected unto you, and you can do with him as you please.”

There is a somewhat similar situation in Genesis 22. When Isaac asked his father, Abraham, about the lamb for the burnt offering, Abraham replied that God would provide Himself a lamb (vv.7-8). And right at the moment when Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering, God provided him a ram for the purpose. Abraham went and took the ram under subjection and offered him up for a burnt offering unto the Lord (vv.13). See also 2 Corinthians 5:21.

Well, Cain was not like Abraham. He was proud and refused to accept God’s provided way of worship, especially seeing that God had favored his younger brother and his offering. Like many today, he felt that his religion was as good as Abel, and that God should accept it. To Cain, even God’s gift was not good enough, compared to what he had to offer. He spurned the Grace and the gift of God, and walked out on Him, so that he could hold to his religious ideology.  Similarly, to all of mankind a sin-offering (cf. 2Cor.5:21) is also presented before them: “What would you do with the Man called Christ?”  “Choose you this day whom you will serve.”  Thousands and thousands of people just have no desire to accept God’s Gift at Calvary and His provided way of worship in that Blessed Name of Jesus Christ. In addition, this spirit of the Serpent Seed is clearly evident in the life of many Church leaders and worshippers today for they choose to worship God according to their carnal religious ways.


Cain Killed Abel

Gen 4:8:  And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

Some time later, ‘big brother’ Cain had a talk with his half-brother Abel; a talk that resulted in the death of Abel. It could not be any clearer that the ‘talk’ was centered on their “offerings”. Being religious, Cain was pharisaical, and patronizing. At some point, Cain vehemently disagreed with Abel’s truth. Filled with envy, jealousy, emulation, wrath, and other works of the flesh, Cain rose up and slew Abel in the field.  There he buried him good and proper, that Abel might not be found.

The Apostle John said, “Cain was of that wicked one and slew his brother” (1Joh.3:12). Who then was “that wicked one”, the originator of murder?  Our Lord Jesus said, “The devil was a murderer from the beginning” (Jhn.8:44).  These facts are further proof that Cain was not the seed (son) of Adam, just as the Scripture states that he was the seed of the Serpent (Gen.3:14-15). “The devil was a murderer from the beginning” “from the beginning” refers to the Prehistoric Era when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth. The mighty angel, Lucifer, had sought to be as God. After he was cast out of his heavenly position, he rebelled against his Creator by inciting the animals to kill one another.  He was the one who injected the murderous spirit and other evil traits into Cain through the Serpent.

‘Religion’ has always been the greatest cause of bloodshed.  [Note:  Religionists who know not the One True God are generally insecure. In religious blindness, they would fight others, even kill, those who disagree with them just to safeguard their religions.  True faith in the One True God does not do harm to unbelievers and those who oppose them.  God is Light, Love and Life, not Darkness, Hate and Death.]


The Satanic Traits of Cain

Gen 4:9:  And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?

When confronted as to the where about of Abel, Cain’s reply was not a soft spoken denial of guilt. Cain was insolently violent. He literally shouted at God and lied, “I know not!”  Where did that lying spirit come from?  John 8:44 has the answer: the Devil is the father of lies. And where did Cain get his violent temper that he withstood God in scorn “Am I my brother’s keeper!?”

Not only did Cain show those two traits, but he also manifested a ‘NO REPENTANCE’ nature which suggests that his life, prior to the murderous act, might have been somewhat wayward. Of a truth, Cain manifested his father’s traits, which were derived from Satan murder, lies, and violent temper.

Gen 4:10:  And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

Apparently Cain did not realize (or did he?) that the blood could cry out. Life is in the blood, it has a voice. Abel’s life was snuffed out, his blood flowed out, and God heard the cry of his blood — an innocent man and his posterity were crying out; they were gone. Yahweh wanted Cain to be aware of that and be accountable for it.


The Ground Was Cursed Again

Gen 4:11:  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.

The ground was cursed a second time. Remember that the first curse was the judgment of God on the sin of Adam. Although the ground would bring forth thorns and thistles, its strength to produce abundant crops was not removed (Gen.3:18). For shedding the righteous blood of Abel, Cain was placed under a curse in which the ground was no longer able to yield crops as it should be.  The harvests, which were once plentiful, had become barely sufficient. With that curse pronounced, God said to Cain, “A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.”

Observe Cain's shock when he heard the punishment Yahweh had pronounced on him:

Gen 4:13:  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.

Cain protested to the Lord that his punishment was too much for him to bear. Yahweh’s curse not only drove him “from the face of the earth”, from a life of peaceful settlement (to be able to stay and live in one place) but also “from thy face shall I be hid”, from God’s presence, from His favour. Lastly, Cain added that he would be a fugitive and a vagabond, and that anyone and everyone, who should meet him, would want to kill him.  They would kill him.  Why?  Simply because he was the man who brought about the second curse of the ground!  But who were those who wanted to kill him?  Clearly, it was his descendents, those who farmed.  It was not the descendents of the godly line of Adam who would seek to kill him, for they were godly and possessed not one evil attribute genetically, and they were not farmers but animal herders.

The truth to Cain’s remark “every one that findeth me shall slay me” lies in the first part of Genesis 4:12.  The ground would no longer yield its strength no matter how hard these crop growers work on it. That was the reason for the other ill consequences that would befall Cain. People who would later come into existence in his lifetime would surely rise up against him to kill him. They would not just merely curse and swear at him, they would want to kill him; not because he was a murderer, but because he had caused the ground to be cursed. Vengeance would be the natural reaction of the unregenerate against someone who had caused them all those troubles.

Observe: God did not directly make Cain a fugitive and a vagabond.  He knew Cain would be one when He cursed the ground.  Indeed the curse on the ground would create, and did create, a fear in Cain.  Cain knew the consequence of such a curse, for as population increased, men, like him who farmed, would seek to kill him.  Therefore, he would have to run; he would be a fugitive and a vagabond (cf. Gen.4:13-14).


The Mark of Cain

Gen 4:15:  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.

Once again Yahweh showed him grace and mercy. God promised him that he would not be so easily killed, and He further added that a sevenfold vengeance would be upon anyone who took his life.  So the Lord set upon Cain a mark which made it ‘impossible’ for any person who sought to kill Cain, to kill him.

What was the MARK?

Some Christians believe that the mark was either a visible sign, indelibly inscribed upon Cain's forehead, similar to that which is described about the Mark of the Beast as recorded in the Book of Revelation, or that he had black skin. However, the mark set upon Cain had to be something which could protect him from being killed. Surely, an indelible visible sign on his forehead or the black colour of his skin could not give such a protection. The mark was certainly a visible protective sign, which was able to generate fear in his opponents. Any would-be killer would think twice before making any attempt on Cain's life lest he be overpowered by Cain.


Sagacious Giant of A Man

Believe it or not, the MARK set upon Cain was his SIZE.  God caused him to grow bigger. He became a giant, perhaps some two feet taller than his descendents.  Remember that Adam had dominion over all God’s creatures, and the Serpent was created to be Adam’s servant for manual chores. For that reason, the Serpent would likely to have been bigger, stronger and taller than Adam, perhaps, a foot taller than the 6-foot man, Adam. No doubt, Cain was intellectually as smart and cunning as his father, the Serpent. He had not only inherited the evil traits from the Wicked One, the Devil, but he was also full of worldly wisdom. Moreover, when God increased his BUILD, the SIZE of his BRAIN also increased proportionately and his mental capacity and reasoning power were thus enhanced.

The increase in the physical size of Cain was not just deterrence per se, it was for Cain’s deliverance from those who sought to kill him; a visible protective sign that was able to generate fear in any man who think to slay Cain.  However, regardless of Cain’s humongous size, fear would not necessarily deter a man from killing him, if his mind was set on doing so.  A man might attempt but deliverance was certain for Cain because of his built and the shrewdness obtained from his father, the Serpent.  Cain could easily overpower an attacker or two, or even three.  However, when a large number of attackers come against him, his size would have no deterring effect on them.  Think!  A full grown tusker elephant is not intimidated by one or two lions coming toward him, but when a pride of lions approaches, it is a totally different situation.  It is time for him to go somewhere else to graze.  Likewise, Cain would not be so stupid to hang around, waiting for the group of men to approach and challenge them to a fight. He was a wise Serpent seed. When he saw them afar he would have quickly packed his belongings and fled with his wife and younger children.  Absolutely!  “A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth” are words that would then be fulfilled.

“Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.”  This utterance was for Cain to know that it would be difficult for a slayer to kill him because God had given him an assurance that He would not just take a vengeance, but a sevenfold vengeance, on the killer.  God is the Avenger and the Judge of the earth (Psa.94:1 cf.1Sam.24:12; Rom.12:19; Gen.18:25). The word “sevenfold” heightens the assurance.  (Why is it sevenfold?  Why not eightfold or tenfold, or some other numbers?  In the Bible, the number “7” is God’s perfect number.  You can find plenty of it in the Scripture.  It is God’s seal.)  Concerning His assurance to Cain, He was telling Cain that there is deliverance. Yes, God is good and full of goodness, even to a Serpent seed.  He will be gracious to whom He will be gracious.  He will have mercy upon whom He will have mercy.

It is important to note that the increase in Cain’s physical size did not happen instantly but gradually over a period of years.  It was many years later, after daughters were born to Adam, that Cain took one of them for his wife.  Anyone who foolishly says that the increase in the physical size of Cain was instantaneous has a distorted concept.  For Cain to take a daughter of Adam to wife when he was a giant (say between 9 and 10 feet) must have caused great pain to his wife (who was a little lower than 6 feet) as he lay with her. As there was yet no civilization of people, there was no need for God to give him an instantaneous growth.  He had given Cain a pledge.  Cain went off assured that he would receive the mark, the token, for his deliverance.  God had to give him time to have a wife, and to allow him time to have children, during which his size might have grown little by little yet not affecting sexual union with his wife.  The Bible does not tell us how many children Cain had but he would have them before he reached his humongous size.


Cain and His Descendents

Gen 4:16:  And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

Cain wandered away from the region of Eden, where Adam and Eve dwelled after they were cast out of the Garden. Cain took off towards the east and dwelled in the land of Nod. Because of his wandering about in the land as a vagrant nomad, the word “Nod” signifies his wandering in that land.  Cain never dwelled permanently in a place for long after Earth’s population increased.

Gen 4:17:  And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

Questions and speculations often arise with this verse as to who was the wife of Cain. Common sense dictates that it had to be a half-sister of Cain, a daughter of Adam and Eve. Some will disagree to say that would be an incestuous union, and speculate that there might have been another race of humankind that God created. If such speculation is correct, then Eve could not have been “the mother of all living”.

Incestuous marriage was forbidden only after God commanded Moses to write down a law against it and not before. (Read that in the Book of Leviticus (18:6-18), which was written about 2500 years after Adam and Eve.) A reason why God forbade such relation from the time of Moses is because the human genetic code had become defective.  The defect was a result of the crossbreeding and inbreeding between the two seed-lines of Seth and Cain over a long period of time.  Incest today often results in genetic abnormalities or defects from similar genetics (eg. a brother and sister). There is a high risk of their recessive characteristics becoming dominant.

It is a Scriptural fact that Cain married his half-sister. Did Adam and Eve have daughters born to them after they had Cain and Abel?  Some believe so, and that even Cain and Abel were family men, having their own farm and livestock respectively. However, such speculations are wrong. Often the first millennium lifestyles are perceived to be somewhat the same as in the present-day. For example, that the people married early and had many children.  Surprisingly, this is not what we see in the Scripture.  (The Scripture only shows the chronological years, and ages, of the descendents of Adam through Seth. Yahweh was concerned only with the Adamic race.)  Concerning Adam, the Scripture shows that after Abel was killed, he had Seth at the age of 130, and after that, he had others sons and daughters (Gen.4:25; 5:3-4).  Therefore, Cain could only have married his half-sister, at the earliest, when he was about 150 years old.

Cain’s first son was named Enoch, “and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.”  Casual reading would immediately construe that Cain built a city after Enoch was born.  However, the truth is that the city could only be built after there was a sizeable population of people in the days of Enoch.  Ancient cities always centered round a place of worship.  The name Enoch embraces the meanings of “teach, train, initiate, discipline”. Apparently, Enoch was disciplined and trained up in the religion of his father.  In those two generations of less than 300 years, the religion of Cain had taken a new twist.  Cainic Enoch was the man who initiated idolatry worship.  He taught the people to call upon the Name of Yahweh on their idols (Gen.4:26). (Opposite to Cainic Enoch is Sethic Enoch who taught Mankind the fear of Yahweh; that they should flee from the judgment of God to come.)


Cain’s Genealogy

Gen 4:18:  And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.

Bible record of genealogies specifically listed the firstborn sons only, for the inheritance of the fathers goes to them.  This verse shows Cain’s genealogy after his firstborn, Enoch. The name of Cain’s first grandson had the name Irad — a combined and contracted words of “city, return, witness, testimony, fugitive, rebound”.  Irad means “Testimony of a City”, “Fugitive on the Rebound”.  More cities were built after each subsequent generation.  The lifestyle of the Cainic people begun to change.  With more people living in the cities, there would be less farmers working the fields. And so, the thought of men killing Cain would have dissipated, and Cain might have found some reprieve and even normalcy for his life. For that reason, Enoch might have had so named his son Irad and even called a city by the same name, Irad, to reflect “a witness, a testimony, of a fugitive on the rebound”.


 

Lamech The First Polygamist and The Last of The Pure Cainic Firstborns

Gen 4:19:  And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
20:  And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.
21:  And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
22:  And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.

Cain had his revelation of self-righteous worship, and similarly Lamech had his revelation of polygamous marriage.  Cain: he had a half revelation of the sacrificial offering.  He knew Yahweh wanted the best but he had no revelation of the blood – “why the blood?” – so he offered God the best of his farm produce.  Lamech: no doubt he had the knowledge of the judgment of Yahweh upon Eve, in particular these words, “…and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee” (Gen.3:16b).  Lamech took advantage of those words over the prophetic words uttered by Adam, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Gen.2:23-24).  He used those words against his first wife Adah, who could only remain silent, and took to himself a second wife (Zillah).  Thus, Lamech, the sixth from Cain, a seed of the Serpent, introduced POLYGAMY into the world, being contrary to God’s prophetic words through Adam.

Why is there a need for the Scripture to make mention of the names of Lamech’s two wives, his three sons and a daughter, and even of the trades of his three sons?  Indeed, but first understand that intermarriage between the two races of people had already taken place and was a common thing even before Lamech’s day.  The four verses of Scripture not only detail Lamech’s marriage life but also reveal that he was the last of the pure Cainic Firstborns because his firstborn son was a hybrid.  Closer observation will unfold this truth.

Study carefully. The names of Lamech’s wives were Adah and Zillah.  Adah bore Lamech his first son, Jabal, followed by Jubal.  And Zillah bore him a son, Tubalcain and a daughter, Naamah.  Jabal, “he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle” and Jubal, “he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ”.  This tells us that Adah was a Sethic woman, a descendant from the line of Seth.  Jabal was Adah’s firstborn.  He was a shepherd which indicates that his dominant Sethic characteristics could only have come from his mother Adah, for the Sethites were mainly herders and dwelled in tents. In contrast, Adah's second son, Jubal, took to his father Lamech's genetic make-up, for the Cainites were mainly inventors and instructors of every artificer, and dwelled in cities.  [Note:  By the generation of Lamech, the Cainites had become more astute and prudent in their carnal serpentine mind.  As a whole, the Cainic society was very advanced, for they descended from the one Serpent Seed (Cain) whom Satan vicariously fathered through the Serpent.  They possessed the shrewd and subtle mind of Cain to build and invent things.  They forged and crafted metals into not just useful tools and weapons, but also musical instruments. Besides the art of metallurgy, they knew how to utilize the minerals in the plants and in the earth to beautify and sustain their physical bodies.  Potions were developed and given to wives to preserve their figures and even to make them sterile. Also, the Cainic farming community had gotten smaller for they dwelled in cities they built.]

Unlike Adah, Lamech’s second wife, Zillah, was undoubtedly a Cainite, whose son, Tubalcain, was “an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron”.

Since Jabal was the firstborn of Lamech, and being a mixed seed, he was not a pure Cainite and not a pure Serpent seed, for his blood was watered down.  Hence, Lamech, his father, was the last of the pure Cainic firstborns.  The bloodline of the pure Serpent race ended with him.  Can you see now why God had Moses detail Lamech’s polygamous marriage and why Cain’s genealogy went no further than him?  If Lamech had married two Cainic wives, his first son would be pure Serpent seed.  The genealogy would record the name of his first son after his.  The genealogy would not mention the names of his two wives and other children.  (Remember that God was only concerned in listing the names of the pure firstborn sons.)


Homicide

Gen 4:23:  And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
24:  If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

The name Lamech connotes “greatness, imposing, captivating, captive, depressing”.  Lamech might have been an imposing figure in his days. His lifestyle might have been lavish, captive to his own carnality, even as he took to himself more than one wife.

Lamech came to his wives one day and spoke to them in the form of poetry:

“And Lamech said unto his wives,
Adah and Zillah, hear ye my voice;
Wives of Lamech, hearken to my speech;
For I have slain a man for wounding me,
And a young man for having bruised me.
If Cain shall be avenged seven-fold,
Surely Lamech seventy and seven.”

For centuries, rabbis and theologians had given their views and speculations to this passage of Scripture.  Some speculated that Lamech was out hunting and because he was poor sighted, he had his son Tubalcain to guide him.  Out in the woods, Tubalcain thought he saw an animal with a horn in a bush a distance away.  He told his father where the animal was and directed him.  Lamech shot his arrow.  Upon checking their hunt, Lamech was shocked to see that it was not an animal but his Third Great Grandfather Cain.  Cain was believed to have a horn in his forehead, which God put on him as a mark after he killed Abel.  [Note:  This is certainly one way to force-fit a teaching, concerning the mark of Cain as well as how he died.] In his hurt, Lamech, with stretched out hands lamented his action, and as he brought his hands together in penitence, Tubalcain got in the way of his hands and was struck down unintentionally. Others believed that Lamech was defending himself from his attackers. There are still others, who surmised that Lamech killed (or was going to kill) Enoch, the son of Jared, because he preached against him for violating the Word of the Lord in taking another wife.

Let us not trouble ourselves with ridiculous fables. All we need to know is that Lamech had killed two men. But we need to know if the killings were deliberate or not. The second verse has the answer: “If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold”. This utterance shows the desperation of Lamech.  Lamech was bewailing that if Cain, who murdered his brother Abel, was given grace by Yahweh to preserve his life, and had a promise that he would be avenged sevenfold should anyone kill him, then he, Lamech, should be avenged seventy-sevenfold, meaning he was not guilty of murder.  Simply, if Cain, was granted grace and protection, then Lamech, must be granted ten times more grace and protection.


Seth – The Appointed Seed

Gen 4:25:  And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

This is the second time that Adam had sexual knowledge with his wife, Eve.  They had a son and named him Seth.  The wordings of the text appear that Eve was the one who named the son.  This is not so.  It was Adam who gave the name according to the utterance of Eve that God had given her another son in place of Abel.  Therefore, Adam named their son, Seth, meaning, “substitute, appointed, set up”.  Seth was Adam’s second son, but Eve’s third son.


Then Began Men To Call Upon The Name of The Lord

Gen 4:26:  And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

This verse has been misinterpreted in two different ways. One view states that the Sethic people began to practice Divine worship of Yahweh only after Enos was born or some time after that.  This is false.  Before Seth, both Cain and Abel were worshipping God.  This is fact for they were brought up in the house of their parents, Adam and Eve.  When Seth was born, he too learned to worship Yahweh in the same manner.  Seth would in turn teach his children the true form of Divine worship.  Seth’s siblings and children would have also learned from their grandparents, Adam and Eve. Therefore, it is indeed absurd to say that the Sethites only began to worship Yahweh after Enos was born. It was only a short span of time between Adam and Enos, how could they have forgotten how to worship God?  True worship could not have begun only after Enos was born.  It began when Adam was created and has continued ever since.

The other view is that the Serpent’s descendants, the Cainites, had suddenly turned to the Lord God to worship Him in spirit and in truth.  This is also false.  There are two obvious reasons why it is not true.  The first is that Cain, being religious, had a form of worship of his own, and he would have passed it down to his descendants.  The second is that the Serpent seeds might claim to worship God in spirit, but certainly never in truth.

Ancient Jewish records state that the “men” refers to the Cainic race who “began profanely to call upon the name of the Lord”.  That is right.  The statement should read: “at that time men started to profane the name of Yahweh when they invoked it upon their idols”. They blasphemed the Name of Yahweh when they called His Name upon their idols of wood, stones and metal. They had desisted from that little knowledge of the true spirit of worship they might have learned from Cain, though they might not have the truth. Indeed, they were a spiritually sick people for doing what they did. (Like the foolish children of Israel at Mount Sinai who demanded of Aaron: “Make us gods, which shall go before us”, and Aaron made a molten calf, saying, “These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.”)  This is the reason Seth called his son Enos, to indicate that the Cainites were a “mortal, incurable, sick, frail and weak” people.

[Note:  In the Bible, the word “man” is translated from different Hebrew words.  These different words relate the individual or group mentioned, to a certain circumstance in their life.  When God created man, the word used is Man (אדם) meaning Mankind, the Hebrew word Adam being his name.  But the Hebrew word points him out as being from the dust of the earth; hence Earthling.  Eve who was fashioned from the side of Adam is called Woman, she being taken out of Man; and between them, she (woman) is 'ishshâh (באשׁתו) and he (man) is 'îysh (אישׁ).  The Serpent vicariously fathered a son through the Woman, who was a part of the Man.  Cain and his people were neither aliens nor animal-kind.  Though they were not “sons of God”, they were still under the umbrella of Mankind (אדם) but were called by a separate term, “men” (“sons of men”, “daughters of men”, “children of men”) and not “man”.  The words “man” and “men” are clearly two different words in Hebrew; one is singular (באדם) and the other is plural (האדם).  The singular form is used for either the Man or Mankind.  The plural form is used often to single out mortal men who were devoted to sins, ruin and destruction of their own life. Comprehend these two examples:

Gen 11:4:  And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
5:  And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the
children of men builded.

Pro 15:10:  Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.
11:  Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more then the hearts of the
children of men?

Mortal man is 'enôsh (אנושׁ), translated as “Enos” or “Enosh”, a word that basically means “frail, desperate, sick, woeful”.  Seth named his son Enos purely to state the fact that Mankind is woeful, sick, desperate, frail, because of the blasphemous worship committed by the Cainic people.  Whether Sethites (“sons of God”) or Cainites (“sons of men”), all were mortals, all were flesh, but not all were carnal — certainly not the Sethites.  It did not matter what race a person was, a Sethite, a Cainite, a hybrid; he was flesh, he was mortal, and he was man, a part of Mankind, for he was an Earthling.

God remains consistent in His use of terminology.  He called the Sethites, “sons of God” and the Cainites, “sons of men”.  He does not refer to the Sethites as “sons of men” nor the Cainites as “sons of God” “Sons of God” were “man”“Sons of men” were “man”, too.  They were all Mankind.  God does not confuse people by changing His words and meanings.]

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Chapter 5