Sunday, September 20, 2015

Sunday Post: Of whom was Cain afraid after he killed Abel?

This week's Bible lesson reminded me that I had a long time question concerning Cain and his banishment. My quandary was that when Cain was banished after murdering brother Abel, who where the people of whom he was afraid? I've asked many "experts" to explain it and none of them have given me a satisfactory answer. I think the study below answers that question. I would elaborate with my theory, just guessing here, in that I would go so far as to speculate that there where other humans developing differently, parallel with us modern Homo Sapiens. I base that on all the ancient fossils scientists have been finding. These people may not have been a part of the civilization plan of the Lord, living in the wilderness and thus where savage. They either died out or bred with Sapiens.

What are your thoughts on this subject?

Question: "Of whom was Cain afraid after he killed Abel?"

Answer: 
In Genesis 4:13-14, shortly after he killed his brother Abel, “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.’” Whom exactly was Cain afraid of? The only people the book of Genesis had mentioned to this point are Adam and Eve (Cain’s parents) and Abel (who was now dead). Who would possibly be a threat to Cain?

It is important to recognize that Cain and Abel were both full-grown adults at the time that Cain killed Abel. Both Cain and Abel were farmers, who tended to their own lands and flocks (Genesis 4:2-4). The Bible does not tell us how old Cain and Abel were, but they very likely could have been in their 30’s or 40’s. The Bible does not specifically mention Adam and Eve having any children between Abel and Seth (Genesis 4:25). However, it is highly unlikely that the two most perfect human beings in the history of the world, Adam and Eve, would not have any children over several decades. Adam and Eve had many children after Seth (Genesis 5:4), so why would they not also have had other children between Abel and Seth? The Bible does not say that Seth was Adam and Eve’s first child, or even first son, after Abel was killed. Rather, it states that Seth was born as a “replacement” for Abel. Genesis chapter 5 traces the genealogy of Seth. Prior to his death, Abel was likely the “chosen” son that would eventually produce the Messiah (Genesis 3:15). It is in this sense that Seth “replaced” Abel.

So, whom was Cain afraid of? Cain was afraid of his own brothers, sisters, nephews, and nieces, who were already born and would be capable of seeking revenge. The fact that Cain had a wife (Genesis 4:17) is a further evidence that Adam and Eve had other children after Cain and Abel, but before Seth.
Recommended Resources: Bible Answers for Almost all Your Questions by Elmer Towns and Logos Bible Software.

Found at: http://www.gotquestions.org/Cain-afraid.html

10 comments:

  1. The explanation presented is pretty good.
    I might add:
    The notion that there was either a pre-fall Adamic birth (and population) or a strain of humanity parallel to the Adamic race could, and has, led to the notion that there are humans who were not sold out to sin at birth.
    William Branham was a proponent of this.
    We do not have a record of their fall if they did exist.

    It's been my notion that lives were lived so long in that period of history, that with early (teen) sexual activity
    and lifespans in the hundreds of years, population would have grown at an explosive rate.
    It's been pointed out that Hebrew genealogies notoriously leap generations.

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  2. I agree with your thoughts, Sparky. What a great topic, I will ask Dave about this and will give you another thought...Blessings

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  3. @Ed Bonderenka ~ Thank you for further thoughts on this subject. I'm sure you are quite correct. I guess what I was getting at is there's a lot about that time period, and before, that is still viewed darkly. And as you say, Hebrew genealogies did skip generations. Whatever happened still does not lessen that God is real, He created all things great and small, we all trust and believe in His Word, and that we are in His loving care. :)
    @Simply Linda ~ I look forward to anything further y'all can elaborate on.
    Thanks everyone. Hope your day is blessed. ~:)

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  4. There's a school of thought that says there was no Adam and Eve in the sense of one man and one woman. The word Adam in ancient language means "man" and Eve means "mother or woman".

    So the writer of Genesis, (nothing to do with the music group Genesis, with Phil Collins, by the way), said that God created humanity, as well as the whole universe and what's in it. It is doubtful that a God who created the whole universe would need a rib from Adam to make Eve; or He would need to put His feet up and have a cup of tea on Sunday. It is all imagery for the people at the time who could not understand if they were told things literally. So the writer of Genesis used stories to help people understand.

    I personally doubt that it started all with just Adam and Eve. They would have had to have been very busy to populate the world by themselves. Can you imagine how many diapers they would have had to change with all those children? And would their children have multiplied amongst themselves?

    It's all too much for my brain, which hurts just thinking of it. Speaking of fossils. I have met quite a few in my lifetime. (Don't tell the mother-in-law!).

    God bless you, Sparky.

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  5. @Victor S E Moubarak ~ My husband holds that theory too, and he doesn't even listen to Genesis. *grin* If the translation of an Adam and Eve is literal, then brother and sister would have to have been, well, very friendly, and that's just plain creepy. Anyway, you're lucky to have a MIL that's only a fossil, mine is a flesh and blood monster. Hope your day is blessed. ~:)

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  6. I believe the Genesis story of the garden to be symbolic. I agree with the fossil record that clearly shows that Homo Sapiens is far older a species than six thousand years. There is irrefutable evidence of humans inhabiting the Americas twenty thousand years ago. Evolution does not dispute God as the creator of all things but confirms the brilliance of God's plan for creating life on Earth. The Garden of Eden story, to me, is a way of showing mankind's fall from innocence. A time when humans decided to "play God" by becoming agrarians and raising domesticated animals for food. The "forbidden fruit" is this move away from living off the land's natural abundance to a farm system which has produced communities, cities, envy, disease and war. In the nearly extinct societies that have continued to live by hunting and gathering, these ills of society are rare. We lost our innocence because God chose to give man the greatest and most dangerous gift denied to all others of his creation, free will.

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  7. @Wiregrass Steve ~ Very well said. I concur! Luv ~:)

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  8. I like this explanation---but as with other mysteries of the faith---the right or wrong answer does not impact my salvation--so I don't worry about it.

    Blessings, Friend!

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  9. @Lulu ~ Quite true. It was just a question that has puzzled me for years. Hope your evening is blessed. ~:)

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  10. Very interesting question, Sparky. I enjoyed the responses.

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