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See also: Joseph the Dreamer 58–61 ■ The Ten Commandments 78–83 ■ The Prodigal Son 218–21 ■
The Final Judgment 316–21GENESIS
not to Cain’s, which is less
valuable. Cain is jealous of Abel.
Noticing Cain’s anger (4:7), God
warns him that if he does not do
what is right, sin will “crouch” at
the door (the Hebrew word for
“crouching” being the same as the
Babylonian word for a demon that
waits in doorways, a play on words
by the authors of Genesis, who
were writing during the Jews’
captivity in Babylon in the sixth
century bce). God tells Cain to
master the demonic temptation
of sin. Cain, however, does not
temper his impulses. Instead, he
lures his brother out into the fields
and murders him.Cain’s punishment
When God asks Cain where Abel
is, Cain says that he does not know.
“Am I my brother’s keeper?” he asks
(4:9). In another play on words, he
is insolently asking, “Am I, the
agriculturalist, the shepherd of my
shepherd brother?” God knowswhat Cain has done and banishes
Cain from the land onto which he
spilled his brother’s blood. “You
will be a restless wanderer on the
earth,” God says (4:12).
Unrepentant, Cain says his
punishment is more than he can
bear. Before exiling him to the landThe sanctity of life
The Ten Commandments that
God gives to Moses on Mount
Sinai in Exodus are clear: “You
shall not murder” (Exodus
20:13). Cain’s punishment for
murder was exile. God punished
him, but also showed mercy by
extending Cain his protection.
In this way, God sought to
avert a potential cycle of
violence and retaliation. By
marking Cain (Genesis 4:15), He
stopped others from taking the
law into their own hands by
killing Cain. God’s plan seemed
to work, for a time, as the nextmurder to be recorded by
the Bible happens five
generations later in Genesis
4:26. This time the murderer
is Cain’s descendant Lamech,
who kills a man for wounding
him. Lamech says: “If Cain
is avenged seven times,
then Lamech seventy-seven
times” (4:24).
In Israel during biblical
times, “Anyone who takes the
life of a human being is put to
death” (Leviticus 24:17), but
places of refuge were also
created for anyone who killed
someone “accidentally and
unintentionally” (Joshua 20:3).of Nod (“east of Eden”), God puts a
mark on Cain. Contrary to popular
wisdom, this “mark of Cain” is a
sign of God’s continued protection,
not a brand of shame. God says that
anyone who kills Cain “will suffer
vengeance seven times over.” Cain
then leaves for the land of Nod. ■All murder is
condemned in the
eyes of the Lord.Murderers
shall be put to death.
(Exodus 21:12)God exiles Cain
for slaying Abel.
(Genesis 4:12)Anyone who takes
human life is
to be put to death.
(Leviticus 24:17)Murderers will never
enter the Holy City.
(Revelation 22:15)If someone kills
unintentionally they may
seek sanctuary.
(Deuteronomy 19:4)
1 John 3:12
condemns Cain as “evil”.US_036-037_Am_I_my_brothers_keeper.indd 37 27/09/17 5:55 pm