Genesis 4

Enough with the video posts

4Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, ‘I have produced a man with the help of the Lord.’

I've always wondered why we, in modern translations of the bible, we continue to use the word "know" in place of the phrase 'copulated with' or some other modern variant. Even my old students' version used this verb. Using this common verb can confuse the casual reader.

²Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. ³In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, ⁴and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, ⁵but for Cain and his offering he had no regard.

This sure looks like a jerk move by God. I mean, I'm sure God had his reasons for hating on the fruits and loving on the succulent lamb shanks, but you'd think that the author of this chapter would maybe give us a little help deciphering God's motive here. Was he trying to test Cain? If so, why test him when you already know the outcome? I've actually heard people use Genesis 4:4 as an argument for why vegans and vegetarians are not right with God.

So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. ⁶The Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? ⁷If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.’

8 Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let us go out to the field.’ And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

We're only 4 chapters into the bible and already 75% of humanity is composed of jerks. Why did the ever so wise Adam and Eve not try to teach Cain that murder was wrong? Where did Cain learn that murder was an acceptable form of mediation? Even after hearing God's wisdom Cain goes out and tricks his brother into death, without skipping a beat.

⁹Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ He said, ‘I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?’

This is often referred to as the first murder and the first lie. But given that the next few passages suggest that there are a bunch of other human beings around, I very much doubt that this is the case.

¹⁰And the Lord said, ‘What have you done? Listen; your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! ¹¹And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹²When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength; you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.’ ¹³Cain said to the Lord, ‘My punishment is greater than I can bear! ¹⁴Today you have driven me away from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me.’

Passage 14 suggests that the world is already populated. We hear no explanation for how that came to pass. Some people make so much fuss over the fact that the bible refutes the claim that "man evolved from monkies" but nobody cares that it also fails miserably in telling us where everyone except for adam, eve, and their crazy kids came from.

¹⁵Then the Lord said to him, ‘Not so! Whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance.’ And the Lord put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him. ¹⁶Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Here we come to one of the first passages which could lead a discerning reader to some very good wisdom. THERE SHALL BE NO VENGEANCE KILLING. What a simple lesson we could learn from Genesis 4:15-16. Killing a killer only brings more misery, it doesn't bring Abel back.

17 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch; and he built a city, and named it Enoch after his son Enoch.

Alex had a son named Bob, and everyone called him Bob and he had a bicycle he called Bob, whom Bob named after himself, Bob. Bob and Bob had many misadventures, bob bob. And so on.

¹⁸To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael the father of Methushael, and Methushael the father of Lamech. ¹⁹Lamech took two wives; the name of one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. ²⁰Adah bore Jabal; he was the ancestor of those who live in tents and have livestock. ²¹His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the ancestor of all those who play the lyre and pipe. ²²Zillah bore Tubal-cain, who made all kinds of bronze and iron tools. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

The bible authors loved their genealogies. Unfortunately, they do serve to confuse the bible readers. I wonder if the pipe players know that it was Jubal who bore them.

23 Lamech said to his wives:
‘Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say:
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for striking me.
²⁴If Cain is avenged sevenfold,
truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold.’

What?

25 Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, for she said, ‘God has appointed for me another child instead of Abel, because Cain killed him.’ ²⁶To Seth also a son was born, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to invoke the name of the Lord.

What?

I've never understood the conclusion of this chapter. What does it mean, exactly, to "invoke the name of the Lord? What does Lamech mean with his killings speech?