Who Were Cain and Abel in The Bible?
When God sent Adam and Eve to the earth as a punishment, He told them that Eve will suffer the pain of giving birth to children all her life and Adam will suffer the pain of farming. After that, Adam and Eve gave birth to two sons, one was named Abel and the other was Cain. These were the first characters that gave rise to the human race. Their story involves jealousy and murder. For some reason, they got jealous and Cain killed Abel. Their story is as follows:
Background of Cain And Abel
We are well aware of the story of Adam and Eve. Because of their mistake, they were sent to the earth as a punishment and they will settle on the earth. First of all, they gave birth to two sons, Cain and Abel. When they grew up, they chose their own professions. Abel used to graze and raise cattle. While on the other hand, Cain started farming and growing crops. Because they believed in God, they also gave sacrifices in the way of God so that they could become good servants of God.
Verse
“Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.” (Genesis 4:1-2)
Sacrifice of Cain And Abel
Abel and Cain thought of offering sacrifices in the way of God according to their ability so that they could be counted among the good servants of God. Cain, who grew crops, sacrificed crops in the way of God, while Abel, who grazed and reared sheep and cattle, sacrificed a very beautiful, excellent and healthy sheep from among the cattle. Of the two, Abel’s sacrifice was accepted because Abel had sacrificed the best thing and had given it very heartily. God did not accept Cain’s sacrifice. For this reason, hatred and jealousy for Abel arose in Cain’s heart, due to which he made a big decision.
Verse
“In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.” (Genesis 4:3-5)
Jealousy And Anger of Cain
Abel and Cain were brothers, but in their sacrifice, God gave importance to Abel’s sacrifice and rejected Cain’s sacrifice. This caused jealousy and hatred in Cain’s heart for his brother Abel. Cain held it in his heart that he will take revenge on his brother. God knew his wrong intention and God forbade Cain not to go towards any kind of evil, always stay on the straight path and support the truth. But Cain’s jealousy and hatred had grown so much that instead of working with his mind and obeying God, he gave importance to his heart and obeyed his heart and assumed that he would continue to do what he was thinking.
Verse
“Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 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 rule over it.” (Genesis 4:6-7)
Abel’s Murder
Cain planned to kill Abel and took his brother with him into the fields. There he killed his brother Abel in order to cool the hatred that amid had caused due to his jealousy. It was the first murder in the world and the first major sin. It shows that if a man has hatred and jealousy, he can go to any extent and the result is destruction.
Verse
“Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field. While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.” (Genesis 4:8)
Questions of God to Cain
When Cain killed Abel, he thought that no one was watching him, but nothing is hidden from God, God is watching. He came back after killing his brother, so God asked him where your brother is. On this, Cain said that I am not his guardian; do I know where he is? God said to him that I know where he is, where you have killed him, his blood is calling me. Then God made him realize his sin.
Verse
“Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. (Genesis 4:9-10)
Cain’s Punishment
God has many attributes. He is just, merciful and a punisher. God punished Cain for his crime but also showed mercy. God said to Cain that now he will continue to wander in the world for the rest of his life, he will not have any special abode. But his punishment was not killing him, it was God’s mercy. He also forbade other people not to kill him; his punishment is that he will wander in the world for the rest of his life.
Verse
“Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.” (Genesis 4:11-12)
Wanderings of Cain
God sent Cain to a land called Nod to serve his punishment. He wandered there all his life. He had no particular abode and spent his whole life wandering. But God still protected his life and had mercy on him.
Verse
“Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 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.” But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.” (Genesis 4:13-16)
Cain’s Descendants
Cain was also married and had children. He had many sons. From his sons, Cain’s descendants came and the name of Abel is remembered. Like Cain, his descendants were also full of sins and jealousy. The sons of Cain were skilled in many arts such as music and metallurgy etc. Some are also mentioned in the Bible, namely, Jubal and Tubal, both of them were sons of Cain.
Verse
“Cain made love to 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. 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. Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes. Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.” (Genesis 4:17-22)
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
The story of Abel and Cain is a lesson for all of us. From this story, we know that if a person develops jealousy and hatred, he can go to any extent and many evils are born from it. If a person falls into evil, he is far away from God’s mercy. This is the way to get God’s mercy, to avoid sins and to be happy in His pleasure. However, Cain is remembered for his sin, and because of this sin, both his world and the hereafter was ruined.
Verse
“By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.” (Hebrews 11:4)
