CAIN AND ABEL It was hard for Adam and Eve to part with paradise, and it was even harder for them to get used to work and illness. The animals now no longer obeyed them and harmed them, the animals fled from them, and the earth did not always bear fruit for them to eat. They lived in a poor hut in the middle of a field. Soon

Cain and Abel Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.”2 And she also bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a shepherd of sheep, and Cain was a farmer.3 After some time, Cain brought a gift to the Lord from the fruits of the ground.4 And Abel also

Cain and Abel Since Adam lost the abundance of paradise, he had to do everything himself - both get food and build a home. And Eve, as the Lord predicted to her, in pain gave birth to her sons - Cain and Abel. Cain became a farmer, Abel a shepherd, and the work of both, like their work

CAIN AND ABEL, two brothers, the first sons of Adam and Eve. Cain was the first murderer in history, and Abel was the first murder victim.

The story of Cain and Abel is found in chapter 4 of the Book of Genesis. Abel wascattle breeder , Cain -farmer . Cain brought the fruits of the earth as a gift to God, Abel sacrificed the animals of his flock.

Abel was a kind and meek man, and God accepted Abel’s sacrifice: the smoke from it rose to heaven. Cain was an evil and cruel man, God did not accept his sacrifice: the smoke from his sacrifice spread across the earth and did not rise to the sky. Cain, angry and jealous of his brother Abel, killed him. When God asked Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” - Cain answered: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9). God punished Cain with a curse: “You will be an outcast and a wanderer on the earth” (Gen. 4:12), and marked him The seal of Cain

so that he would wander forever and no one could kill him. Cain went to the “land of Nod” (land of wandering), east of Eden.

Chapter 4 of Genesis

Eve gave birth to Cain

and said: I have acquired a man from the Lord.

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2 And she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a shepherd of the sheep, and Cain |

was a farmer.

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And the Lord looked upon (=accepted) Abel and his gift, |

5 But he did not respect Cain or his gift. Cain became very upset and his face fell.

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6 And the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you upset?” and why did your face droop (=become sad)?

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7 If you do good, don’t you lift up your face? and if you do not do good, then sin lies at the door; he attracts you to himself, but you dominate him.

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8 And Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

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9 And the Lord said to Cain, Where is Abel your brother? He said: I don’t know; Am I my brother's keeper? |

11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened its mouth to receive the blood of thy brother at thy hand;

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12 When you till the land, it will no longer yield its strength for you; you will be an exile and a wanderer on earth. |

13 And Cain said to the Lord: My punishment is more than can be endured; | 14 Behold, now You are driving me from the face of the earth, and I will hide from Your presence, and I will be an exile and a wanderer on the earth; and whoever meets me will kill me. |

15 And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain will have sevenfold vengeance.” And the Lord made a sign for Cain, so that no one who met him would kill him. | 16 And Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Cain later repented of his sin, so he was subsequently accidentally killed by his descendant, the blind Lamech.

The Bible also says that Cain subsequently married, had offspring (= children) and

built the first city on earth(Genesis 4:17-24).

If Cain in the New Testament is mentioned as an example of villainy (1 John 3:12), then Abel is mentioned as the first victim of violent death (Matthew 23:35), and as an example of faith (Heb 11:4). In the Christian tradition, Abel is

The two eldest sons, Cain and Abel, became their consolation and helpers. The first was engaged in agriculture, the second preferred cattle breeding. Both brothers offered sacrifices to God from the fruits of their labor. But only the younger one’s gift was accepted. The elder, angry, lured Abel into the field and killed him there.

God called Cain and asked where his brother was. But he responded with insolence, declaring in response that he was not his brother’s keeper. But the Lord already knew about the first crime committed on earth. And His sentence was harsh: from that moment on, the murderer does not receive strength from the earth, and also becomes a wanderer and an exile. Cain considers this punishment very severe; he is afraid that for his crime, anyone he meets on his way will also kill him. But God makes a mark on the forehead of the first murderer and says that the one who killed Cain will be rewarded seven times more.

And the eldest son went far away, to the land of Nod, where God gave him a wife, from whom came the descendants of Cain.

And Adam and Eve had other children who began to call on the name of God, that is, they were pious.

Questions and answers

This simple story still raises many questions. And the most important of them:

Why did Cain kill Abel?

Really, what happened between the brothers? After all, the Bible does not say that they quarreled or had hostile relations. Even Cain and Abel had different occupations and were unlikely to communicate often. Having planned to kill his younger brother, the elder called him into the field, and he went. This means that he could not even imagine how this would turn out for him. There was no discord between the brothers.

All interpretations cite envy as the cause of the tragedy. Indeed, envy may be completely invisible outwardly, but its results are destructive for human relationships. It became the cause of many crimes, wars, and tragedies. Cain was jealous of his brother that his offering was accepted by God and was unable to cope with his feelings.

Why didn't God accept Cain's gift?

Any Bible interpreters point out that God is pleased not with the sacrifice itself made by a person, but with the feeling with which a person makes it. And the gospel story about the widow who put only two small coins into the temple piggy bank is proof of this. Christ says about her that since the woman gave all her daily food, her gift is more valuable than all others. Only out of great love can you give what you really need, and it was precisely such a sacrifice, with love, that was pleasing to God. Its material expression does not matter.

Abel brought “of the firstborn” and “of their fat.” This means that he brought the best he had, and his offering was with love.

It is written about Cain that he brought “from the fruits of the earth,” without specifying the quality and quantity. Most likely, he simply separated some part without particularly choosing. This approach indicates the elder brother’s carelessness in relation to God, lack of reverence for his Creator. That's why his sacrifice was not accepted.

How the brothers determined whose sacrifice was accepted

In all Old Testament times, the main method of sacrifice was to place the gift on a stone altar and set it on fire. Traditions and interpreters report that when Abel’s sacrifice was burned, the smoke from it rose upward. Cain had smoke spreading across the ground. This is exactly how this is reflected in various pictures and engravings for this story.

What was Cain's punishment?

The punishment for the first murder was very severe:

• God cursed the first murderer
• Cain will no longer receive strength from the earth,
• will become an eternal exile.

Not receiving strength from the earth meant, that from now on agriculture will be an even more complex trade. If Adam was prescribed as punishment that he must work to obtain food, then for his son from now on this work became not only diligent, but often not entirely successful. So that the results are enough only for existence, but not for prosperity.

God makes the first murderer an eternal exile, that is, it completely deprives him of communication with his parents and himself. And this is probably even scarier. People need to communicate, share thoughts, feelings, hopes. If a person is deprived of such an opportunity, he may even go crazy from loneliness. So Cain says that his punishment is more than can be endured.

In addition, he fears that anyone he meets could kill him. But God puts a mark on his forehead and says that the killer of Cain will be avenged sevenfold. If we remember that in those days people lived for a thousand years, Cain’s punishment seems absolutely terrible. To wander the earth for a thousand years, deprived of communication with the closest people, eat poorly, endure various disasters and illnesses and not even have the opportunity to die for it all to end.

Although God, in his mercy, still gives his older brother a wife and children.

Who did Cain marry?

At the time of the events described, there are only 4 people on earth:

• Adam,
• Cain,
• Abel.

Where did Cain's wife come from? Just because Scripture doesn't mention other people doesn't mean they didn't exist. Perhaps they were created from the earth, like Adam, maybe this wife was created from the flesh of her husband, like Eve. But if God created the entire Earth, plants, animals and people, what could stop him from increasing the population both naturally and supernaturally?

How did this happen?, that the same parents had such different children: the pious, meek Abel and the envious, capable of murder, Cain? Of course, in our time we can see how children in the same family have radically different characters. But every modern person has thousands of different ancestors behind him, and no one can say with certainty whose genes will dominate in each specific person.

The first brothers had only a father and mother, who were, in fact, one flesh; therefore, they could not have different genes. Abel and Cain, too, could only take their example from their parents, who throughout their subsequent lives tried to atone for the sin they had committed, which means they were very virtuous. There was no influence of the environment, that is, the brothers could not find themselves in different environments, because there were no other people.

The Bible says God gave man free will. People live and become what they themselves want to be. Original sin distorted human nature, but if you try, it is possible to influence this process. God Himself speaks directly to the elder brother about this: “If you do not do good, then sin lies at the door. He attracts you to himself, but you dominate him.” That is, it is a matter of internal work on oneself. Abel coped with this task, but Cain did not.

The story of the conflict between Cain and Abel You can read it not only in the Bible. There are similar legends in other faiths. And there are many versions of the origin of these legends. According to one of them, the description of the first murder is a story about the relationship between the first farmers and livestock breeders, who were at enmity with each other. Everyone chooses for themselves what to read and what to believe.. But one thing is for sure: this story is very instructive and will raise many more interesting questions.

Who are Cain and Abel? What is the meaning of the parable about two brothers, one of whom is a fratricide? What does she teach us? You will learn about this from our article!

Night is painful on earth outside of Eden.
The mortal abyss flows through the veins.
Whispers and cries, falling to his knees,
Old Adam to Dying Eve:
"Who
will he step over the abyss?
Who
will restore Abel's family?
Who,
paving a road through the sky,
will say the words
to the person
and to God?
Who will break the torment of parting -
Tree by tree,
By hand - by hand?..”

An ancient Sumerian myth told how the heavenly goddess Inanna chose the shepherd out of the two young men who sought her hand, rejecting the farmer. It was the shepherd who entered into a happy and divine marriage and joined, in the concept of the inhabitants of Ancient Mesopotamia, divine life, divine immortality.

But this kind of “divine marriage” was a violation of allegiance to the God of Israel.

“Sue your mother, sue; for she is not My wife, and I am not her husband; let her put away fornication from her face and adultery from her breasts... And I will punish her for the days of serving the Baals, when she burned incense to them and, adorning herself with earrings and necklaces, went after her lovers, and forgot Me, says the Lord" (Hosea 2:2 ;13).

The story, found in one of the opening chapters of the book of Genesis, also tells about a shepherd and a farmer. But they do not compete for the goddess Inanna (as Abraham’s relatives did for centuries who did not leave Ur) - they make a sacrifice to the Living God, who will then reveal himself to Abraham. The story of the farmer Cain, the elder brother, and the shepherd Abel, the younger brother, is a foretaste of the story of the calling of Abraham, and the story of the Exodus, and - foreshadowed by them - the Great Exodus of Christ, His Passover...

...They make a sacrifice - and in the sacrifice their separation occurs in the face of God. Actually, the entire history of the human race, according to Genesis, is a history of division, so that the separated holy people could begin their difficult path to hearing the Living God, until the time when He Himself stands among His people in “an equal place” (Luke 6). :17) and will divide by His appearance those who recognized the Messiah in Him and those who did not.

“...Cain brought a gift to the Lord from the fruits of the ground, and Abel also brought from the firstlings of his flock and from their fat. And the Lord looked upon Abel and his gift, but did not look upon Cain and his gift. Cain was greatly saddened, and his face fell” (Gen. 4:3-5).

Little is said about Abel and his mysterious righteousness. He is accepted by God in spite of everything - despite the fact that he is not the firstborn, despite the fact that in his very name his mother, so inspired by the birth of her firstborn, Cain, expressed all the disappointment that befell her. Just as Cain is not the promised seed of the woman, so is his younger brother, even more so, futility and vapor, and one cannot rely on him. If Cain, “a man from the Lord” (Gen. 4:1), failed and did not return the entire human race with the power of his reason and cunning to Eden, and did not manage to please God, then what about Abel and his sheep!

But God judged differently, and Cain’s shock knew no bounds. The Genesis account is mysterious and difficult to interpret, but it is clear that it seems to center on the person of Cain, the elder brother. As if in the beginning of insanity, Cain hears the words of God - from afar, from the distant coolness of paradise, the words with which God is trying to protect him.

“And the Lord [God] said to Cain: Why are you upset? and why did your face droop? If you do good, don’t you lift your face? and if you do not do good, then sin lies at the door; he draws you to himself, but you must rule over him” (Gen. 4:6-7)

One translation of this passage sounds like this: “It [sin] desires you, you will be its master.”(Gen. 4:7)

...It is very difficult to protect a person. For this, God must die. But the time has not come yet...

Cain hears the words of God, but his mind, accustomed to seeing not a loving God, but an idol created according to his own ideas, bestowing power, understands them terribly and destructively for both brothers.

“You rule over him,” Cain hears, and says strange words to Abel.

Perhaps Cain felt a certain delight and perceived it as a divine revelation. Everything was given to Cain for dominion - even Abel's righteousness! Indeed, what else is a younger, unsightly brother needed for, if not for the great cause of the elder brother, who, perhaps, will fulfill the mother’s hope in this way, become a liberator and the long-awaited “seed of the wife,” returning to the lost paradise?! His sacrifice is small - which means that God wants to strengthen it by giving Abel himself, who was pleasing to God with his sacrifices! What a brilliant and terrible paradox! Only a great, extraordinary man, the savior of all mankind, can step over human, through brotherly blood! This is what Cain wanted to become. And he stabbed Abel.

And the Lord said:

“What have you done?” (Gen. 4:10)

Cain realizes what he has done. But he does not commit suicide - his long future life in fear and mental confusion will end with the fact that he, as some ancient interpreters said, will be killed by his descendant Lamech - he will take the unfortunate man hiding in the thicket for a forest animal...

It seems that the salvation of mankind is lost forever. If anyone could save him, it would be the unearthly Abel or someone from his seed. But Abel had no seed left. Seth, who was born instead of Abel to the primordial couple, stood too firmly on the earth in his piety without going beyond reasonable boundaries - he no longer sought to save the world, he was prudent. Adam and Eve understood with anguish that there would be no one like Abel on earth again. And even the ascended Enoch was not a suffering victim who completely surrendered himself - no, not to the cruelty of his brother, but to the mysterious call of God, who sought to come to earth to share his death, and - so far could not.

He came down - thousands of years later. He became a sacrifice, and it was not without reason that He mentioned the name of Abel and the shedding of His blood (Matthew 23:35; Luke 11:50-51).

There is no time for God. He united His human blood, shed by the hands of cruel warriors and the cunning of the high priestly minds, who believed that “it is better for one person to die than for the whole people to perish” - united it with the blood of Abel, becoming voluntarily his descendant.

More than reason and hope - Christ is a descendant of Abel. He is the Son and Seed of the Woman, a Man from the Lord. He sacrificed himself, without seeking sacrifices from others. He did not need power over his brothers - He gave Himself for the brothers...

And his perfect Sacrifice reconciles all the brothers scattered across the face of the earth, who have lost all hope of the return of God to earth, who will speak to them in the coolness of paradise.

Ax to the root! Will she give birth?
desert manna and honey?
Son of Abraham prayers
and will offer sacrifices for sin.

But something has become under the sun
not like centuries ago:
put his hand on the roof
unrecognized younger brother,

will turn up the earth with a plow,
will shed the blood of lambs,
sea, north, south
looking for his brother, he will pass.

Smyrna is full of backgammon
His robe and head.
Will fulfill all righteousness,
the words of the women will be fulfilled.

The rocks will part. Kreen
in the sand they will bloom forever.
The only Son of Mary,
From the Lord - Man.

WHO IS CAIN IN THE BIBLE?

Cain- the first son of Adam and Eve, i.e. the first person born on Earth. Cain is the father of Enoch and the founder of his line. He became famous for becoming the first murderer on Earth in history(he took the life of his brother Abel).

The name Cain has become a household word for an evil, envious person, capable of meanness (not necessarily murder) towards those closest to him.

We learn the story of Cain from the Book of Genesis.

After being expelled from paradise, Adam and Eve had their first child. They believed that the promises of God given in paradise were coming true, when He said that from the seed of the woman they would be saved and that this seed of the woman would bruise the serpent “on the head” - that is, it would defeat the consequences of the Fall that happened to them. Therefore, Eve named her firstborn “Cain,” which means “a man from the Lord.”

But everything turned out to be much more complicated than they initially thought. And so after some time, when Eve gave birth to another boy, she named him Abel, which means “dust, crying,” that is, like smoke, like dust, her hopes, her dreams for a speedy deliverance dissipated. Perhaps it was only at that moment that they fully realized the enormity of the consequences that the Fall entailed.

Abel became a cattle breeder, and his brother Cain became a farmer.

The conflict began with a sacrifice to God (these were the first sacrifices mentioned in the Bible). Abel sacrificed the firstborn heads of his flock, and Cain sacrificed the fruits of the ground. (Gen. 4:2-4)

Abel was of a kind and meek disposition, he made a sacrifice from a pure heart, with love and faith in the promised Savior, with a prayer for mercy and hope for the mercy of God; and God accepted Abel’s sacrifice—the smoke from it rose to the sky.

Cain was of an evil and cruel disposition. He made a sacrifice only according to custom, without the love and fear of God. The Lord did not accept his sacrifice; smoke from it spread across the ground. (Gen. 4:4-5)

Here we see that not all sacrifices are pleasing to God. Sacrifice to God must be combined with the inner sacrifice of a good heart and a virtuous life. And drawing a parallel to us today, it must also be said that not everything that we sacrifice for God, for the temple, not all of it is accepted by God, not all of it is used for future use. Probably what matters is the heart with which we bring our gift, the state of our soul, why we do it, with what feeling we do it. This is probably what is meant as the main condition. And if something is not right in our hearts, then perhaps the Lord will not accept the gift from us either.

Seeing that his sacrifice was not accepted, Cain became angry with his brother and began to envy him. His face darkened. The Lord, seeing Cain’s embitterment, turns to him as to his own son, but standing on the edge of an abyss, warning him against the already planned fratricide. “And the Lord said to Cain: Why were you sad, and why did your face droop?”(Gen. 4:6)It feels like the Lord doesn’t know something... He knows everything. These are the questions the Lord asks Cain to ask himself: “Think about why you were upset, why did your face droop? think about it..."

“If you do good, you don’t raise your face. And if you do not do good, then sin lies at the door, it attracts you to itself, but you rule over it.” (Gen. 4:7)

Great words! “It (sin) attracts you to itself, but you rule over it.” Yes, sin will lie at the door, and for each of us, at some point in our lives, sin will definitely lie at the door, and it attracts us to itself. But "you rule over him" and don't let it dominate you, be the master of the situation, remain free from it.And the Lord directly addresses Cain, speaks directly to him, admonishes him, guides him, tries to somehow educate him.

But Cain did not heed God’s admonition and, calling Abel into the field, killed him. (Gen. 4:8)

Then the Lord turned to Cain, wanting him to repent, and asked him: “Where is your brother Abel?” But the devil finally took possession of Cain’s heart, and he boldly replied: "Don't know; Am I my brother’s keeper?”(Gen. 4:9) This denial of guilt no longer gave hope for correction.The answer is completely arrogant, completely unceremonious, rude and very indecent: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Cynical answer. What does this mean? The fact that Cain’s soul has already become embittered to such an extent and is imbued with sin that, in general, it is no longer possible to cry out for his correction, for repentance. Just maybe, some difficult life conditions over a long period of time can force him to reconsider his attitude, his position, and change something.

Then God said to him: "What did you do? Your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. For this you will be cursed, and the earth will not bear fruit for you, and you will wander the earth.”(Gen. 4:11-12)

This is such a harsh punishment - Cain was deprived of the fruits of the earth and doomed to continuous wandering.

“And Cain said to the Lord: My punishment is more than can be endured. "(Gen. 4:13) These are not words of repentance, these are not the words of a person who is sorry. These are the words of a man who believes: “Well, what have I done that You are punishing me like this? You are punishing me too much. I don’t see that I have sinned so badly that You would punish me so much. What have I done? That is, he does not understand, does not realize the extent of his terrible act.

This is how the story of two brothers - Cain and Abel - ended sadly.

After the murder, Cain is cursed by God and banished to the land of Nod (Gen. 4:11-14). And so that the first person he met would not kill the criminal - the first man born of a woman and the first murderer - God marked Cain with a special sign. In modern language, the expression “Seal of Cain” has the meaning of “seal of crime.” As a punished murderer, Cain should have served as a warning to others. His drooping face, distorted by villainy, served as a sign so that no one would kill him, neither wild beast nor man.

Great was the crime of Cain and the insult inflicted on the purity and holiness of love. But, despite this, there were people who decided to follow Cain into exile. He had a wife who also followed him. According to the Bible, in the land of Nod (Gen. 4:16), Cain had a son, Enoch, and Cain’s offspring then also spread throughout the earth.

This story opens up two paths for us: the path with God and the path without God, the path of goodness and love and the path of evil, pride and tyranny. One leads to eternal life, the other to death...

Human life is a gift from God, therefore a person has no right either to take his own life or to take it from others. Taking the life of a neighbor is called murder and is one of the most serious sins.

...And God gave Adam and Eve another son. Their joy was immeasurable. In the hope that he would not be like Cain, but would replace Abel, he was named Sif, What means "base"- the foundation of a new humanity, peaceful, pious, in which there will be no fratricide and malice, which for centuries will, step by step, return to the path of the righteous, leading man through overcoming sin to God.

The material was prepared based on an article in the magazine "FOMA"