Cain and Abel

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My father (retired minister) gave me a set of audio tapes "Genesis - A Living Conversation." They are the audio for a PBS series on the first book of the Bible. They are panel discussions between Christians, Jews, Muslims, and others about the meaning of some of these stories. The premise of the conversations are that the Bible stories were put into the Bible to tell us something about the relationship between God and man. Found them facinating and thought provoking discussions, and thought I might share some of the points here.

The First tape is about Cain and Abel, the first human offspring. Genesis 4: 1-25. As one of the commentators put it, Why does God rebuke Cain for his sacrifice? Here Cain offers what is the first documented sacrifice to God, and God tells him it is not good enough. Why doesn't God say: "great idea, Cain, but this is how you can do better?" To make matters worse (for Cain that is) God then looks on with favor on Abel's sacrifice. While God gives Cain a warning, Cain's jealous rage kills Abel in the first death and first murder. When God gave the warning did he know what Cain was likely to do? Where was God when Cain murdered Abel? One writer thought it was like a parent who when two kids bring home little clay gifts they made at school, the parent praises one and rejects the other. Knowing that one child is in a jealous rage and carrying a big stick the parent then goes out to get a hair cut. Abel, the good son, is not protected.

God then confronts Cain who responds with "Am I my brother's keeper?" (One commentator calls that statement the foundation of all human ethics because the reader is supposed to answer: "yes.") The question from a human to God might also imply "Aren't you my brother's keeper?" Was Cain surprised that he was even capable of killing Abel? It had never been done before. God doesn't answer directly, but instead rebukes Cain, curses Cain, and then offers protection! The mark of Cain clearly is meant to protect Cain from human revenge. Where was Abel's protection, and why does God choose to only protect Cain?

One commentator thought the story was there to illustrate the extent of free will for both God and human. Human free will is emphasized when God creates a new creature in his own image, gives that creature free will, and the creature's first two documented choices are: 1) to choose to disobey so that they may know good and evil(Adam and Eve); and 2) the first born creature (Cain) chooses -- evil(!). How this must have astonished God. We know a few chapters later that God decides to wipe the slate clean. Why doesn't he do it then and there with Cain? Is God on a "learning curve" with respect to understanding and getting along with his own creation?

God too makes choices according to his own will, and not what we think would have been "proper" or "logical." God chose to accept Abel's sacrifice, and not Cain's. God chose to protect Cain and not Abel. Despite Abel's goodness, it is Cain who becomes fruitful and multiplies. Are these the actions of an "ethical" God? We don't understand these choices, and perhaps aren't meant to.

Whether you believe in the literal truth of these stories, or accept them as allegorical attempts to describe god/human relationship the questions raised in the panel discussion were facinating. What do you think?
 

muffler dragon

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I have to admit, as soon as I saw PBS, I became skeptical. However, I find what you wrote to be interesting. I have just a few comments:

You write:

Why does God rebuke Cain for his sacrifice? Here Cain offers what is the first documented sacrifice to God, and God tells him it is not good enough. Why doesn't God say: "great idea, Cain, but this is how you can do better?" To make matters worse (for Cain that is) God then looks on with favor on Abel's sacrifice.

It boils down to this. When Adam and Eve sinned, the next thing that God does is get them 'clothing'. This essentially was a blood sacrifice by God. It served two purposes, one to cover their 'nakedness', the other reason was atonement.
The acceptance of the sacrifice of Abel over Cain is this fact: vegetation is grown from the work of man whereas all a man does with animals is tend them. This sacrifice was rejected, because Cain essentially was offering 'his' best work to God instead of something that was completely out of his ability. I hope that statement makes sense. Basically, I don't agree with the synopsis of the writer/author stating that it was like a parent arbitrarily appreciating one thing over another. There was definitely a purpose.

I don't think that Cain would be surprised at the ability to kill Abel. Death was already a part of the world with the Fall.

The next few points are way too subjective. With regards to:

We know a few chapters later that God decides to wipe the slate clean. Why doesn't he do it then and there with Cain? Is God on a "learning curve" with respect to understanding and getting along with his own creation?

I think the last question is extremely disrespectful and near blasphemous in it's content. To question the omniscience of God is a very fearful thing. Nothing that has ever happened since the beginning is anything that has surprised God or caught Him off guard. Sure, God 'regrets' what occurs, but that does not mean that He doesn't love His creation and creatures. I think the amount of time that God gives humanity to get it 'right' is very generous. However, that is just a small increment of how much He truly loves each and every one of us. This shows very well how long He will be patient instead of acting out His righteous judgment. However, due to the stubbornness of man, God eventually is left with no other option.

You state: it is Cain who becomes fruitful and multiplies.

I think you have to remember that there were many other offspring birthed to Adam and Eve. The 'holy' line was carried on through Seth. God will always have an equilibration between good and evil. Neither one tends to have the upper hand.

As an end, I would be intrigued to find out who was discussing this on the show. I would love to evaluate what exactly their bent is as well. Other than that, good topic of discussion.
 
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muffler dragon said:
It boils down to this. When Adam and Eve sinned, the next thing that God does is get them 'clothing'. This essentially was a blood sacrifice by God. It served two purposes, one to cover their 'nakedness', the other reason was atonement.
The acceptance of the sacrifice of Abel over Cain is this fact: vegetation is grown from the work of man whereas all a man does with animals is tend them. This sacrifice was rejected, because Cain essentially was offering 'his' best work to God instead of something that was completely out of his ability. I hope that statement makes sense. Basically, I don't agree with the synopsis of the writer/author stating that it was like a parent arbitrarily appreciating one thing over another. There was definitely a purpose.
I guess I don't understand all of this. How was clothing a "blood sacrifice?" (are you talking about the animal skins?) How does clothing constitute "atonement?"

Your theory about the difference between vegetation and animals is interesting. Certainly, the story in the Bible does not make that distinction. Perhaps at the time it was written that would have been obvious to the reader. Even if vegetation is grown from the work of man, one could say that is a better sacrifice since Cain had to work harder and give more of himself to worship God. I agree that there definitely was a purpose to preferring one sacrifice over the other, but the Bible is vague about what the purpose might be. (We must assume intentionally vague, don't we?)


muffler dragon said:
I don't think that Cain would be surprised at the ability to kill Abel. Death was already a part of the world with the Fall.
No human died before Abel in the Bible.


muffler dragon said:
I think the last question is extremely disrespectful and near blasphemous in it's content. To question the omniscience of God is a very fearful thing. Nothing that has ever happened since the beginning is anything that has surprised God or caught Him off guard. Sure, God 'regrets' what occurs, but that does not mean that He doesn't love His creation and creatures. I think the amount of time that God gives humanity to get it 'right' is very generous. However, that is just a small increment of how much He truly loves each and every one of us. This shows very well how long He will be patient instead of acting out His righteous judgment. However, due to the stubbornness of man, God eventually is left with no other option.
I don't mean to be disrespectful.

There is a tension between omniscience and free will. Remember God created us. If he already knew what everyone was going to do when he programmed us, where is the free will, and why create Cain to murder his good brother? The story is in the Bible for a purpose. Here the author makes it clear that the first born man chooses evil. What better way to illustrate the extent of free will. Isn't the essense of free will the ability to surprise even GOD? (Surely an omnipotent God could create someone that could surprise even him) ((Maybe God likes surprises. Good ones that is!)) As a final thought on this, note that Genesis 6:6-7 indicates that God was grieved and regretted that he had made man and beast, creeping things and birds. The story makes careful note that God is in pain.

When you actually look at these stories, the world is created and God calls it "good." Calls it good and even "very good" more than once. Then the world seems to lurch out of control. The first born human murders his brother, and a few chapters later God "regrets" (depending on your translation) that it was created and is in pain because of it. (As one commentator in the tapes point out, the tragic figure (story telling wise) in Genesis is God. He gives his all, makes us even like him, and at every turn we disappoint.)

The point of the whole discussion is that these stories are complex, and if we assume that they are meant to teach us about our relationship to God the complexity and power of the story start to become apparent.

muffler dragon said:
I think you have to remember that there were many other offspring birthed to Adam and Eve. The 'holy' line was carried on through Seth. God will always have an equilibration between good and evil. Neither one tends to have the upper hand.
Good point. Noah is the decendent of Seth. Bible is silent about what Seth was like, and whether any of his sacrifices or activities were acceptable to God. With that said, one of the commentators (who was an author) did note that the essence of a good story is about conflict. Cain gets all the ink when the Bible describes Adam and Eve's sons. (Just like in a good movie the villain gets all the good lines). Can we assume that Seth was good since the Bible does not say he was evil?

muffler dragon said:
As an end, I would be intrigued to find out who was discussing this on the show. I would love to evaluate what exactly their bent is as well. Other than that, good topic of discussion.
Show was produced by Bill Moyers and Rabbi Burton L. Visotzky who participated in all discussions. Guest commentators on the tape I described were John Barth, Rebecca Goldstein, Mary Gordon, Oscar Hijuelos, Charles Johnson, and Faye Kellerman. Gee, I hope this isn't a prelude to some sort of ad hominum attack.
 
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muffler dragon

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Going from last to first:

I have no intention of attacking anyone on their discussion in this. I was simply interested in knowing who it was. Some people have a 'bent' that is not biblical and are out to make everyone else question things. That's all I was trying to get at. So, please don't think that was my attempt.

Was Seth good or evil? I would presume that he was one who followed after righteousness, but that's more a matter of reading into the context. God would not have made his line the line that determined the remainder of humanity had he been prone to evil.

Free will v. omniscience. Personally, I don't have a problem reconciling these two things. Love is a gift. It cannot be forced or coerced. Anything else than freely given is not love. Since God is love, then He would not force His creatures to be robotic or one dimensional in that regard. Of course, with that comes the two polar opposites: yes or no. Does someone choose to love God back or not? That's the course of free will. But to be honest, I don't see how this impacts omniscience. Just because God knows that someone is not going to love Him back doesn't move Him to destroy them or remove their existence. It's just like with Pharaoh; he served a purpose. What was that purpose? So that God might show His power through the events that led to the freedom of Israel. Same goes for Satan. Even though he is evil, he never subverts the will of God. This is evident in Job. Anyway... back to topic. I think that God is powerful enough to allow us to have free will yet knowing what we will do. Do I desire a more in-depth conversation on this? No. I find the other things more enlightening and fun to talk about.
And by the way, I do find these stories very complex. I do not want you to think that I am trivializing all this by giving short answers. Everything that has been brought up can have a book or books devoted to it. I was simply presenting some ideas.

No human died before Abel. I think clarification would be wise on this point: no one was murdered before Abel. Death (and this is a thread that has been beaten to a bloody pulp) was already present by the time Cain murdered Abel. The Fall had occurred. Fragility is something I don't think anyone ever questioned. Man knew that he was not physically eternal. Therefore, I assume that Cain knew that he could slay Abel. If it had been anything other than a definitive plan and attack, it would not have been as easily successful.

Garden of Eden atonement. When Adam and Eve noticed they were naked, God killed the animals in order to make their 'clothing'. He was the one who prepared them for them. Be it that the clothing did not just occur, there had to be a shedding of the animals' blood. And as stated in the Torah, atonement only comes from the shedding of blood. Spiritually, you have Christ, who was the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. The idea had already been laid out in God's mind. He just happened to display the route it would take prior to the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.

By the way, our works, regardless of the amount of effort we put into them, are never of much worth. God's work is always of the Highest esteem. Therefore, since we, as human cannot create life, animal life would be a matter of God's creation. Vegetation does not hold the same level. We plant it, we tend it, we help it grow. With animals, we have nothing to do with it's origin. I really wish I had a Bible available to give this more Scriptural credence, but this is truly what it comes down to. Vegetation and animals do not rank the same for a true atoning sacrifice. That is why Cain's was not accepted.

Have a great weekend.
 
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Top Cat

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' In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.' Genesis 4 v3+4.
' Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny'. Mark 12 v 41+42
1) The word 'but' is comparing one offering with another, the bad with the good.
2) The word 'some' and 'threw' says a lot about the reverence and thought that went into the bad offerings. Wheras Cain just brought some of his harvest Abel brought the best of his first born.
3) First born seems to be a very important thing in jewish culture and firstfruits of labour are often seen as a fitting gift to the Lord. In the same way we could give a tithe from whatever is left of our wages, or we give a 10% cut before anything is spent.
4) When a person receives something of great worth that they treasure, they like to talk about it, describe it and tell as many as possible. There for the world to see, the writer of Genesis is describing in detail Abel's offering, fat delicious lambs from the very first born. And of Cain's offering? barely worth a mention.
Mark also knew a good gift when he saw (or when Jesus saw it rather). The widow's offering was so important and valued that even the amount and type of coins was mentioned AND not only that Jesus saw fit to get all his disciples together and talk about it (and I have no doubt the story spread). And what of the offerings of the rich? Barely worth a mention.

Also I have no doubt that when God spoke to Cain, that Cain knew exactly what God was talking about. God was disciplining Cain, and instead of Cain being convicted and admitting that he had just thrown a few bits of grain together he decided to take the hump. Human nature has not changed one bit. When people do something wrong its so much easier to huff and puff and blame all but ourselves. Adam started it first i.e. ' The woman you put here with me-she gave me some friut from the tree, and I ate it'.


' What can I give him, poor as I am. If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb. If I were a wise man I would do my part. Oh what can I give him, give him my heart'. (author unknown)

Top Cat
 
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Top cat, thank you for the thoughtful response. The widow's sacrifice is an excellent contrast. Genesis is a little vague about why God does not favor Cain's sacrifice. While there is that "but" in there, it is not clear whether Cain's sacrifice is unacceptable because it is not the right kind of sacrifice, or whether it is of more or less value to the owner. The widow's sacrifice quite clearly focuses on the value to the owner. This all makes sense when we consider the purpose of sacrifice. God does not "need" anything we give him. The idea of sacrifice is what we do to show our love for God. Once God gave humans free will, the most valuable gift we can give back is when we choose God despite our ability to choose something else.

One thing I find interesting; many interpretations of this story try to take the "edge" off it. The Bible truely is silent (or at best vague) about whether Cain "deserved" the rebuke from God. Folks come up with all sorts of theories about why his gift "deserved" to be rejected by God. If God's selection is purposefully arbitrary, is that meant to show Cain and Able that they must not assume favor? (you can't get favor just by picking the right thing to sacrifice) In Genesis 4:7 doesn't God almost say even if your sacrifice is not received with favor, as long as you know you did well, you can hold your head up? (Is Cain a Job who failed the test?) Why does an Omnicient God ask Cain why he is angry? Doesn't God know? (For that matter why does God ask Cain about his brother when he already knows?) Cain's character is more complex if Cain doesn't know why his sacrifice is not as good. Would also explain his anger at God and his brother. It also makes Cain the character most like us. If we are doing the right things like sending our thithes or worshipping as we were taught do we risk getting angry at God if we do not think we are looked upon with favor?
 
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Serapha

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Piano Player said:
The First tape is about Cain and Abel, the first human offspring. Genesis 4: 1-25. As one of the commentators put it, Why does God rebuke Cain for his sacrifice? Here Cain offers what is the first documented sacrifice to God, and God tells him it is not good enough. Why doesn't God say: "great idea, Cain, but this is how you can do better?"



What do you think?
Hi there!

:wave:


We aren't given the entirity of the account in the Bible and can only deduct the problems from other passages concerning God.


Most feel that Cain's sacrifice was not acceptable because his sacrificial offering was forced from the ground by the work of man while Abel's sacrifice was a presentation of an animal that was created to life by an act of God.

~serapha~
 
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Piano Player

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Serapha said:
We aren't given the entirity of the account in the Bible and can only deduct the problems from other passages concerning God.
Whether we believe the bible is the inspired word of God, inspired by God, or even just plain story, don't we have to assume that the story teller has given us all the story in this part to make the point? Why would part of the account be left out? I believe the story contains the relevant parts. Genesis, in particular, is a masterwork at concise storytelling. No word seems wasted in this story. Are we to assume that parts are intentionally left out?


Serapha said:
Most feel that Cain's sacrifice was not acceptable because his sacrificial offering was forced from the ground by the work of man while Abel's sacrifice was a presentation of an animal that was created to life by an act of God.
We feel this because we believe in "justice" more than we believe in the story. If the purpose of the account was to make this distinction couldn't God have just said so? Would Cain then be so angry? Anybody who has raised animals knows they can be just as hard work as crops. Abel did not choose a wild animal, he chose one that was from his flock. Did God mean to prefer shepards over farmers? The only distinction the account makes between the sacrifices (and it may be significant) is that Abel's lamb was "first born," and fattest or perhpas best among his lambs. As Top Cat pointed out above, the focus is on the attitude of Abel verses Cain. However, that doesn't really seem to explain Cain's anger. If Cain just threw something together, I agree, he would know why God did not like his sacrifice, but that doesn't seem to give enough motivation for the rest of the story. Cain's homicidal rage may make more sense if he really tried to give God a good sacrifice. (I did ask above if Cain even knew he could kill Abel) For those of us who are assuming that Cain's sacrifice was inferior, couldn't we even assume from Cain's subsequent anger that he thought his sacrifice was superior. Maybe he gave a large portion of his crop, and Abel had many lambs. If Cain is just an unreasonable homicidal maniac, what is the creation story telling us about the very first born human in God's creation?

When we believe that the difference is the item sacrificed, the story may lose its point and its relevance for us. Is the point "now we know not to sacrifice crops -- just lambs?!" (too bad Cain didn't get that memo) Is the point "make sure your sacrifice is more dear to you than your brother's?" (where does that take us?) Is the point "Do your best, and if you believe that, hold your head high no matter what the outcome?" (If you don't hold your head high sin is crouching by the door)

Another point. No one has yet mentioned the foreshadowing or parallelism in the bible. Abel sacrifices his first born lamb, Abrahm is asked to sacrifice his first born son, lamb is sacrificed for the Exodus, and God sacrifices his first born son (Lamb of God). Is this significant?
 
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BigEd

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I have one or two thoughts on this topic.

I agree with the above stated this the remission of sin , requires blood, as first started in the Garden of eden, when God provided covering for Adam and Eve.

here is another reason, Cain offered what was cursed.

Ge. 3:17-19 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate
from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not
eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through
painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat
the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust
you are and to dust you will return.”

Cain offered God what was cursed by God, the produce of the earth.

so Abel offered the proper sacrifice ( in imitation of what God did in the garden), while Cain offered what was cursed.

Child of promise??
Ge. 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and
between your offspring [Or seed] and hers; he will crush [Or
strike] your head, and you will strike his heel.”

this is the first idea in the Bible of redemption. No doubt Cain was aware of this promise to Eve, did he see himself as this defeater of satan? Was he disillusion that his younger brother recieved the blessing of God, and he recieved rebuke? Did he see his spiritual authority , as he would hold as the eldest son, ursurped? (in a sense like what had happened to Esau and jacob?) these could be possible reasons for the murder. Though it is really hard to tell , for in many ways Genesis is very sparse only tell us the most important details, and adding little else.
 
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Ebed-Yahweh

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Qayin - Cain, Kain
Qayini - Kenites, Cainites, People of Cain

Qof (Q, K)
Yod (Y, I)
Nun (N) - the same letter in different forms. i is the beginning and medial form. u is the ending (sofit) from.

From the Hebrew dictionary of the Strong’s Concordance:

7014 קין qayin, n.pr.m. & g. & loc. Cain; “metal worker; brought forth, acquired [Gen 4:1]“; Kenite, “metal workers”; Kain, “place of metal workers [?]:-Cain [17], Kenites [1], Kenite [1]
7017 קיני qeni, qayini - Kenite:-Kenites [7], Kenite [5]
In Hebrew, Kenites is Qayini, which may denote "the people or descendants of Qayin/Cain" just as the word Israeli denotes a person or people descended from Israel. The children of Qayin were able to survive the Flood, which was most likely only regional, not global.
7013 קין qayin, n.[m.]. spearhead, spear:- spear [1 - 2 Samuel 21:16]

(*Numbers included in text are Strong's Concordance Hebrew/Greek dictionary reference numbers.)



Children of the Devil

KJV Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent (nachash) was more subtil than any beast (khay) of the field (sadeh) which the LORD (Yahweh) God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

nachash 5172 - practice divination, interpret omens and signs:-divine, use enchantments, diligenlty observe, enchanter, enchantments. 5173 - sorcery, magic, curse, spell:-enchantments, enchantment. 5174 - bronze material. 5175 - snake, serpent; by extension: a mythological creature of chaos opposed to God. 5176 - viper or copper
2416 khay - life, stae of living, lifetime; family, kin; band, army; animal, beast, livestock, living creature; living alive
7704 sadeh or voe saday - area of land, usually cultivated: field, open country, countryside:-land, wild, ground, soil

A 'beast of the field', khay ha-sadeh, can imply any intelligent, sentient being of any race. There is another Hebrew word, behema, which more certainly implies a brute beast.
929 xax; behema - beast, animal, livestock, herd, cattle. The phrase behema hasadeh, occurs in the Old Testament as well. (From the context of some of thos passages, even behema can be sometimes used to symbolize men, or sentient beings, just as the people of Yahweh are so often symbolized as sheep.)
Therefore, we can surmise that the 'serpent', was actually an extra-dimensional sorceror/enchanter, namely, Satan.

Genesis 3:13-15
13 And the LORD (Yahweh) God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent (nachash) beguiled me, and I did eat.
14 And the LORD (Yahweh) God said unto the serpent (nachash), Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle (behema), and above every beast (hay) of the field (sadeh); upon thy belly (gakhon) shalt thou go, and dust ('apar) shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed (zera') and her seed (zera'); it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

1980 halach - walk, go, travel
1512 unkg gakhon - belly (of a reptile) The word gakhon is only translated as belly one other time in the Bible in Lev 11:42. It's possible that the word has another connotation which is now lost to us.

KJV Leviticus 11:41-44
41 And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten ('akal).
42 Whatsoever goeth upon the belly (gakhon), and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat ('akal); for they are an abomination.
43 Ye shall not make your selves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean (tamah) with them, that ye should be defiled (tame') thereby.
44 For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile (tame') yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

2930 tame' - to be unclean, defiled; to be made unclean, become defiled, impure; to make unclean, defile, desecrate, etc:-unclean, defiled, polluted
2933 tamah - to be considered stupid; some sources: to be regarded as unclean:-make unclean, reputed vile


398 'akal, 'achal - eat, to be eaten, be consumed, be destroyed, devour, consume
6083 'apar - dust, earth, soil in any form; used as a figure of something that cannot be counted.
 
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Ebed-Yahweh

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Genesis 2:7 And the LORD (Yahweh) God formed man of the dust ('apar) of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust ('apar) thou art, and unto dust ('apar) shalt thou return.

Genesis 13:16 And I will make thy seed (zera') as the dust ('apar) of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust ('apar) of the earth, then shall thy seed (zera') also be numbered.

Genesis 18:27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust ('apar) and ashes:

Genesis 28:13-14
13 And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the LORD (Yahweh) God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed (zera');
14 And thy seed (zera') shall be as the dust ('apar) of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed (zera') shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

By stating that the nachash would eat the dust of the earth all the days of his life, Yahweh may have been implying that Satan would devour men.

1 Peter 5:8-9
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed (zera') and her seed (zera'); it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

2233 zera' - seed, sperm, that which propagates a species; by extension: that which is propagated, child, offspring, descendant, line, race:-seed, child, conceive seed, fruitful, lie carnally, seedtime, sowing time. The use of this use of this word reasonably implies that the nachash (Satan) would have physical offspring.

Psalm 74:13 "Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons (tannin) in the waters."

Psalm 91:13 "Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon (tannin) shalt thou trample under feet."

Romans 16:20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Genesis 4:1-26
1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD (Yahweh).

Yahweh was often given credit for everything supernatural in the Old Testament writings. The following verses are clear evidence that Satan could have actually been involved in an event that only mentioned Yahweh. It is the same event, that of David's census of Israel to which they refer. In fact, 1 Chr 21:1 is the first time Satan's name/title is mentioned in the Bible.
2 Samuel 24:1 And again the anger of the LORD (Yahweh) was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.

1 Chronicles 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

Isaiah provided further evidence for this viewpoint.

KJV Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil (ra'): I the LORD (Yahweh) do all these things.

7451 ra' - bad, disagreeable, inferior in quality; by extension: evil, wicked in ethical quality, what is disagreeable to God is ethically evil:-evil, wickedness, wicked, etc.
Being the ultimate source of all creation and existence, Yahweh takes responsibility for everything. Having slept with his wife previously, Adam is perhaps unaware that Cain is Satan's (the nachash's) child.

2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD (Yahweh).
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:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6 And the LORD (Yahweh) 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.
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.
9 And the LORD (Yahweh) said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: am I my brother's keeper?
10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
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.
13 And Cain said unto the LORD (Yahweh), 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.
15 And the LORD (Yahweh) said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD (Yahweh) set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
16 And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
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.
18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.
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.
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.
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.
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 (Yahweh)..

Genesis 5:1-32
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
6 And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos:
7 And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters:
8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
9 And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:
10 And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:
11 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
12 And Cainan lived seventy years and begat Mahalaleel:
13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
14 And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.
15 And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared:
16 And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:
17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
18 And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:
19 And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech.
26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:
27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.
28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:
29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed.
30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:
31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.
32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Notice something interesting about theses two chapters? At no point is it ever stated that Cain or any of his offspring died. That may just be significant. After all, why would Yahweh want to emphasize the deaths of righteous men and neglect to mention the deaths of the wicked (or at least those more wicked)?.

Joshua 15:21 And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur,
15:25 And Hazor, Hadattah, and Kerioth, and Hezron, which is Hazor,
15:57 Cain (qayin), Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages:
15:63 As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.


KJV Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.


KJV 1 John 3:8-15
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.


KJV Jude 1:10-13
10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.


Song of Solomon 2:1-5
1 I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
2 As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
3 As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
5 Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.

Jude 1:12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
 
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