And Cain, who's himself a killer, not only lives, but lives safely and happily. Translation: the killer will be killed along with six of his relatives. The person who murders Cain is threatened with "sevenfold vengeance" (4:15). Okay, so God seems to botch this first murder trial. What are we supposed to make of these consequences? God Changes His Tune His ancestors will learn to raise livestock, invent music, and make copper and iron tools (4:20-22). He lives in a land called Nod, gets married, has a son, and builds his very own city (4:16-17). When all is said and done, Cain ends up doing pretty well for a murderer. The next best thing to a witness-protection program is a deity's oath: "Whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance" (4:15 NRSV). Evidently, Cain was also the first person to get a tattoo. Orestes and Oedipus had the same fate, and to be honest, it seems pretty tame to us.īut the deity gives in to Cain's plea that his punishment is too harsh (4:13-14) instead, he brands him with a mark, a sign of his divine protection (4:15). God sentences Cain to life as an eternal wanderer, which means no home, no family, no livelihood, and no protection. At that point, only a flood- the flood-can wipe clean the violence-polluted earth.Īnd Cain was the one who started it all. And about ten generations later, after humans have done more and more (and more) violent acts, God declares the earth "corrupt" and literally "filled with violence" (6:11-13). Yep, murder is thus the source of pollution. The first consequence: the blood of murder victims is soaked up by the soil and cries forth to God for justice (4:11-12). His motive? Jealousy-God liked Abel's offering better than his (4:4-5).Ĭain's crime is a little lesson in the mechanics and consequences of violence. This guy is Adam and Even's firstborn son, but he sure doesn't live up to the title of third man on earth.