Cain

the brother of Abel

Who was Cain?

He was the first son of Adam and Eve, and he worked the soil. Genesis 4:1-2
He became very angry because God looked with favor on Abel’s offering and not on his. Genesis 4:4-5
He killed his brother Abel. Even so, God put a mark on him so that no one would kill him. Genesis 4:8, 15

The name: His name sounds like “qanîtî,” “I have gotten,” which is what Eve said when she had him. Genesis 4:1; NABRE note on Gn 4, 1
Occupation: A farmer: he worked the soil Genesis 4:2

What the Bible says

Genesis 4:1-2

¹And Adam knew Eve his wife: who conceived and brought forth Cain, saying: I have gotten a man through God. ²And again she brought forth his brother Abel. And Abel was a shepherd, and Cain a husbandman.

Genesis 4:4-5

⁴Abel also offered of the firstlings of his flock, and of their fat: and the Lord had respect to Abel, and to his offerings. ⁵But to Cain and his offerings he had no respect: and Cain was exceedingly angry, and his countenance fell.

Genesis 4:8, 15

⁸And Cain said to Abel his brother: Let us go forth abroad. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and slew him. ¹⁵And the Lord said to him: No, it shall not be so: but whosoever shall kill Cain, shall be punished sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, that whosoever found him should not kill him.

Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.

The path of Cain

Before Jesus. He was the first son of Adam and Eve, and he worked the soil. Genesis 4:1-2
Before Jesus. He offered God fruits of the soil. God did not look with favor on his offering, and Cain became very angry. Genesis 4:3-5
Before Jesus. God warned him: sin was lurking at the door, but Cain could master it. Genesis 4:6-7
Before Jesus. He invited his brother Abel to go out into the field, and there he killed him. Genesis 4:8
Before Jesus. God asked him where Abel was. Cain answered that he did not know, and asked if he was his brother’s keeper. Genesis 4:9
Before Jesus. God told him he would wander the earth. But God put a mark on him, so that no one would kill him. Genesis 4:12, 15
Before Jesus. He went to live east of Eden. He had a son, Enoch, and he founded a city and named it Enoch. Genesis 4:16-17
Afterward. Centuries later, the First Letter of John gave the reason for the crime. Cain’s works were evil, and Abel’s were righteous. 1 John 3:12

Words of Cain

“Let us go forth abroad.” Genesis 4:8

When he invited his brother Abel to go out into the field.

“I know not: am I my brother’s keeper?” Genesis 4:9

When God asked him where his brother Abel was.

“My iniquity is greater than that I may deserve pardon.” Genesis 4:13

When God announced his punishment.

“Behold thou dost cast me out this day from the face of the earth, and I shall be hidden from thy face, and I shall be a vagabond and a fugitive on the earth: every one, therefore, that findeth me, shall kill me.” Genesis 4:14

Right after that, when he said that anyone could kill him.

What they were like

He became very angry, and his face fell, when God did not look with favor on his offering. Genesis 4:5

Not to be confused with

Kenan is a grandson of Seth, and he is in the list of the ancestors of Jesus. Cain is not in that list: Jesus descends from Adam through Seth. Genesis 5:9; Luke 3:37-38

What people ask

Why did God not accept Cain’s offering?

Genesis does not explain it. The First Letter of John says that Cain’s works were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. Genesis 4:4-5; 1 John 3:12; NABRE note on Gn 4, 4

What was the mark of Cain?

The Bible does not say what it looked like. It says what it was for: so that no one who found Cain would kill him. Genesis 4:15

Did God punish Cain?

Yes: the soil would no longer give him its fruit, and he would wander. But God protected him with a mark. Genesis 4:12, 15

Whom did Cain marry?

The Bible does not say. It only tells us that he had a wife and a son, Enoch. Genesis 4:17

What does “Am I my brother’s keeper?” mean?

It is what Cain answered when God asked him about Abel. Before that, he had said “I do not know,” even though he had killed him. Genesis 4:8-9

Daily life He was a farmer: he worked the soil. Genesis 4:2 He brought the Lord an offering of the fruits of the soil. Genesis 4:3 His great fall He…

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Who Cain is connected to

Adam · father and son
Eve · mother and son
Abel · brothers

More people

All the people of the Bible · The Twelve Apostles · Women of the Bible

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