Genesis

[JoshuaM]

This is starting with Chapter 4. I am doing this study for a friend. If you want to compare prior chapters as we progress, that is fine.

I will post a couple of versions of the Bible and note what version. Each chapter i will also post commentaries.

Genesis Chapter 4: King James Version

1And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.

2And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

3And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

4And 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:

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

6And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

7If 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.

8And 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.

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

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

11And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;

12When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

13And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.

14Behold, 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.

15And 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.

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

17And 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.

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

19And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.

20And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.

21And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.

22And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.

23And 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.

24If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

25And 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.

26And 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.

 

[JoshuaM]

Genesis 4 New International Version

Cain and Abel
1 Adam [a] lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth [c] a man." 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." [d] And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"
"I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"

10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."

13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."

15 But the LORD said to him, "Not so [e] ; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, [f] east of Eden.

17 Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.

19 Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. 21 His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and flute. 22 Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of [g] bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain's sister was Naamah.

23 Lamech said to his wives,
"Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed [h] a man for wounding me,
a young man for injuring me.

24 If Cain is avenged seven times,
then Lamech seventy-seven times."

25 Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, "God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him." 26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.
At that time men began to call on [j] the name of the LORD.

Footnotes:

1. Genesis 4:1 Or The man
2. Genesis 4:1 Cain sounds like the Hebrew for brought forth or acquired .
3. Genesis 4:1 Or have acquired
4. Genesis 4:8 Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text does not have "Let's go out to the field."
5. Genesis 4:15 Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew Very well
6. Genesis 4:16 Nod means wandering (see verses 12 and 14).
7. Genesis 4:22 Or who instructed all who work in
8. Genesis 4:23 Or I will kill
9. Genesis 4:25 Seth probably means granted .
10. Genesis 4:26 Or to proclaim

 

[JoshuaM]

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 4

an alternate link for the commentary.

Bible Dictionaries



What questions come to mind when reading Genesis Chapter 4?

 

[beloved001]

There r a few things i read from this chapter:
1. cain and abel r brothers but murder was happening
2. It came from Jealous, then hate.
3. God more pleased by Abel's offer, cuz maybe more closer to God's heart. Cain also offer to God, God did not like cain's.
and cain did not realize, he did not ask God why, just feel jealous etc.
4. and since then, I guess the world even become two groups. one group is the generation from cain. another group is the generation from another child of Adam which he borned in later years seth.

 

[DynamicDrummer]

I think it would be interesting to note that no where in the biblical text, from Genesis 1:1-4:26, do we see that the sacrifices that Cain and Abel are for sin and atonement. These look like gifts of gratitude to God, but Cain doesn't have much gratitude in his heart. Just a thought...

 

[JoshuaM]

There r a few things i read from this chapter:
1. cain and abel r brothers but murder was happening
2. It came from Jealous, then hate.
3. God more pleased by Abel's offer, cuz maybe more closer to God's heart. Cain also offer to God, God did not like cain's.
and cain did not realize, he did not ask God why, just feel jealous etc.
4. and since then, I guess the world even become two groups. one group is the generation from cain. another group is the generation from another child of Adam which he borned in later years seth.

Actually beloved001, Adam and Eve likely prior children before Cain and Abel.. Evidence of this possibility is when Cain is sent to Nod their are others. So the only possibilities are that they are sisters, or God created other men after, but there is no mention of that.

I am open to feedback on this matter.

But Beloved, you do have valid points, and have made some some very good observations. I agree almost completely.

 

[Jesusong]

Actually beloved001, Adam and Eve likely prior children before Cain and Abel.. Evidence of this possibility is when Cain is sent to Nod their are others. So the only possibilities are that they are sisters, or God created other men after, but there is no mention of that.

Gen 5:4 states: "After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters."

We don't know how much time had passed between the birth of Cain and Abel and who else may have been born, or when they offered the sacrifice that brought about this situation. We know that Adam was 130 years old when Seth was born, so the sacrifice was within 130 years. Alot of children could be born and reach maturity during that span of time.

 

[DynamicDrummer]

Gen 5:4 states: "After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters."

We don't know how much time had passed between the birth of Cain and Abel and who else may have been born, or when they offered the sacrifice that brought about this situation. We know that Adam was 130 years old when Seth was born, so the sacrifice was within 130 years. Alot of children could be born and reach maturity during that span of time.

However, from looking at Cain's comment and YHWH's reply in verses 14-15 assumes that there is a more widespread family in existence and that a number from Abel's bloodline would seek out vengeance. Of course, there are a lot of things we can speculate about the biblical text that may not be relevant to what it is trying to say.

 

[restore]

Do u know why the first sin of human is murder?
it is so frustration....

It seems God knows human likes to murder, and arrange the first sin.

 

[Jesusong]

Do u know why the first sin of human is murder?
it is so frustration....

Actually the first sin was eating the forbidden fruit in the garden. Cain & Abel was the first murder committed. Other sins may have been committed after the initial fall but were not recorded.

 

[restore]

I just feel so frustration, and i think God already knows, though about the murder.

 

[JoshuaM]

Okay, does anybody else have any questions or comments on this chapter before I move on?

 

[DynamicDrummer]

Okay, does anybody else have any questions or comments on this chapter before I move on?

Who was the author and the main audience for chapter 4?

 

[Jesusong]

The author of Genesis is Moses.

 

[JoshuaM]

I am guessing the original audience of Genesis were the early Jews since it was put in some form of documentation by Moses. It seems logical to conclude that they were not as concerned about how the earth was created originally, but rather the character of our Lord. It is Genesis, thus it is about the beginning, yet at the same time, much of Genesis exhibits our Lord's character. What do you think? Any more responses regarding the main audience? Anymore Chapter 4 questions? If not, I will go ahead and move on to Chapter 5.

 

[mark kennedy]

Did you ever wonder why Cain's sacrific was not accepted. I think it was because Cain made offerings from a ground that was cursed. Cain is also the first city builder mentioned in Scrpture, it probably had something to do with his extensive tavels. His sons were also toolmakers which is one of the things that stuck in my mind

 

[JoshuaM]

Did you ever wonder why Cain's sacrific was not accepted. I think it was because Cain made offerings from a ground that was cursed. Cain is also the first city builder mentioned in Scrpture, it probably had something to do with his extensive tavels. His sons were also toolmakers which is one of the things that stuck in my mind

Here are some possibilities:

We could consider that from what we know that there was animousity between Cain and Abel. Cain may have been very jealous or envious over Abel.
Abel must of known the attack was coming.

Gen 4:8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

Envious, jealousy, whatever it was. A brother just doesnt kill a brother without have a previous history of problems. Perhaps this is what made Cains offering not so blessed before the Lord.
We know if we have sin on us unrepented, God doesnt seem to eager to help us until we get those sins off of us. My 2 cents . God bless, GotoGod

I think it would be interesting to note that no where in the biblical text, from Genesis 1:1-4:26, do we see that the sacrifices that Cain and Abel are for sin and atonement. These look like gifts of gratitude to God, but Cain doesn't have much gratitude in his heart. Just a thought...

There is a parallel to this in the New Testament in a way, which is

2 Corinthians 9:2 for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority.
3 Yet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, you may be ready;
4 lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you!) should be ashamed of this confident boasting.
5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation.
6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

Then there is also the verse when the poor woman gives all she has.

This is clear all throughout recorded history in the Bible that God wants us to give from our hearts. If we look back at verses 3 and 4:

3And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

4And 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:

We can see that Abel gave the first of his flock. He gave the best of his flock. Cain, brought the regular fruit. Not the first fruits. I think this is about pleasing God above self, and Cain seems to be keeping his best for himself rather than giving it to God. Abel gave the best of what he owned to God.

 

[JoshuaM]

Anymore questions or comments regarding Chapter 4, feel free to post them and we can discuss them a bit. I am moving forward to Chapter 5.

Genesis Chapter 5

King James Version:

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, and 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.

 

[JoshuaM]

Genesis 5, New Living Translation

1 This is the history of the descendants of Adam. When God created people, he made them in the likeness of God.
2 He created them male and female, and he blessed them and called them "human."
3 When Adam was 130 years old, his son Seth was born, and Seth was the very image of his father.
4 After the birth of Seth, Adam lived another 800 years, and he had other sons and daughters.
5 He died at the age of 930.
6 When Seth was 105 years old, his son Enosh was born.
7 After the birth of Enosh, Seth lived another 807 years, and he had other sons and daughters.
8 He died at the age of 912.
9 When Enosh was 90 years old, his son Kenan was born.
10 After the birth of Kenan, Enosh lived another 815 years, and he had other sons and daughters.
11 He died at the age of 905.
12 When Kenan was 70 years old, his son Mahalalel was born.
13 After the birth of Mahalalel, Kenan lived another 840 years, and he had other sons and daughters.
14 He died at the age of 910.
15 When Mahalalel was 65 years old, his son Jared was born.
16 After the birth of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years, and he had other sons and daughters.
17 He died at the age of 895.
18 When Jared was 162 years old, his son Enoch was born.
19 After the birth of Enoch, Jared lived another 800 years, and he had other sons and daughters.
20 He died at the age of 962.
21 When Enoch was 65 years old, his son Methuselah was born.
22 After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived another 300 years in close fellowship with God, and he had other sons and daughters.
23 Enoch lived 365 years in all.
24 He enjoyed a close relationship with God throughout his life. Then suddenly, he disappeared because God took him.
25 When Methuselah was 187 years old, his son Lamech was born.
26 After the birth of Lamech, Methuselah lived another 782 years, and he had other sons and daughters.
27 He died at the age of 969.
28 When Lamech was 182 years old, his son Noah was born.
29 Lamech named his son Noah, for he said, "He will bring us relief from the painful labor of farming this ground that the LORD has cursed."
30 After the birth of Noah, Lamech lived 595 years, and he had other sons and daughters.
31 He died at the age of 777.
32 By the time Noah was 500 years old, he had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

 

[JoshuaM]

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary for Chapter 5:

Adam and Seth.


Adam was made in the image of God; but when fallen he begat a son in his own image, sinful and defiled, frail, wretched, and mortal, like himself. Not only a man like himself, consisting of body and soul, but a sinner like himself. This was the reverse of that Divine likeness in which Adam was made; having lost it, he could not convey it to his seed. Adam lived, in all, 930 years; and then died, according to the sentence passed upon him, to �To dust thou shalt return. to � Though he did
not die in the day he ate forbidden fruit, yet in that very day he became mortal. Then he began to die; his whole life after was but a reprieve, a forfeited, condemned life; it was a wasting, dying life. Man's life is but dying by degrees. (Ge 5:6-20)

The patriarchs from Seth to Enoch.

Concerning each of these, except Enoch, it is said, to �and he died. to � It is well to observe the deaths of others. They all lived very long; not one of them died till he had seen almost eight hundred years, and some of them lived much longer; a great while for an immortal soul to be prisoned in a house of clay. The present life surely was not to them such a burden as it commonly is now, else they would have been weary of it. Nor was the future life so clearly revealed then, as it now
under the gospel, else they would have been urgent to remove to it. All the patriarchs that lived before the flood, except Noah, were born before Adam died. From him they might receive a full account of the creation, the fall, the promise, and the Divine precepts about religious worship and a religious life. Thus God kept up in his church the knowledge of his will. (Ge 5:21-24)

Enoch.
Enoch was the seventh from Adam. Godliness is walking with God: which shows reconciliation to God, for two cannot walk together except they be agreed, Am 3:3. It includes all the parts of a godly, righteous, and sober life. To walk with God, is to set God always before us, to act as always under his eye. It is constantly to care, in all things to please God, and in nothing to offend him. It is to be followers of him as dear children. The Holy
Spirit, instead of saying, Enoch lived, says, Enoch walked with God. This was his constant care and work; while others lived to themselves and the world, he lived to God. It was the joy of his life. Enoch was removed to a better world. As he did not live like the rest of mankind, so he did not leave the world by death as they did. He was not found, because God had translated him, Heb 11:5. He had lived but 365 years, which, as men's ages were then, was
but the midst of a man's days. God often takes those soonest whom he loves best; the time they lose on earth, is gained in heaven, to their unspeakable advantage. See how Enoch's removal is expressed: he was not, for God took him. He was not any longer in this world; he was changed, as the saints shall be, who are alive at Christ's second coming. Those who begin to walk with God when young, may expect to walk with him long, comfortably, and usefully. The true christian's steady walk in
holiness, through many a year, till God takes him, will best recommend that religion which many oppose and many abuse. And walking with God well agrees with the cares, comforts, and duties of life. (Ge 5:25-32)

Methuselah to Noah.
Methuselah signifies, to �he dies, there is a dart, to � to �a sending forth, to � namely, of the deluge, which came the year that Methuselah died. He lived 969 years, the longest that any man ever lived on earth; but the longest liver must die at last. Noah signifies rest; his parents gave him that name, with a prospect of his being a great blessing to his generation. Observe his father's complaint of the calamitous state of human life, by the entrance of sin, and the curse of sin. Our
whole life is spent in labour, and our time filled up with continual toil. God having cursed the ground, it is as much as some can do, with the utmost care and pains, to get a hard livelihood out comfort us. to � It signifies not only that desire and expectation which parents generally have about their children, that they will be comforts to them and helpers, though they often prove otherwise; but it signifies also a prospect of something more. Is Christ ours? Is heaven ours? We need better
comforters under our toil and sorrow, than the dearest relations and the most promising offspring; may we seek and find comforts in Christ.