the eldest son of Adam and Eve. He was the first man who had been
a child, and the first man born of woman. For his history, as connected
with that of Abel, see _Abel_. The curse pronounced upon Cain, on
account of his fratricide, is thus expressed: “And the Lord said unto
Cain, Where is thy brother Abel? And he said, I know not: am I my
brother’s keeper? And God said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy
brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed
from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s
blood from thy hand. When thou tillest it, it shall not henceforth yield
unto thee its strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the
earth. And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can
bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from _the face of the
earth_,” meaning, probably, from his own native district, and from the
presence of his kindred, “and from _thy face_ shall I be hid;” by which
he probably intended the divine glory, or Shekinah, whose appearance
sanctified the place of primitive worship, and was the pledge of
acceptance and protection. The mark set upon Cain “lest any one finding
him should kill him,” has been variously interpreted. Some have supposed
it a change in the colour of his skin, others a certain horror of
countenance. The LXX. understood the passage to mean, that the Lord gave
him a sign, to assure him that his life should be preserved. Whatever it
was, its object was not to aggravate, but to mitigate, his punishment,
which may intimate that Cain had manifested repentance. Cain, being thus
banished from the presence of the Lord, retired into the land of Nod,
lying east from the province of Eden. While he dwelt in this country,
which is generally understood to be Susiana, or Chusistan, he had a son,
whom he named Enoch, in memory of whom he built a city of the same name.
This is all we learn from Scripture concerning Cain.
a child, and the first man born of woman. For his history, as connected
with that of Abel, see _Abel_. The curse pronounced upon Cain, on
account of his fratricide, is thus expressed: “And the Lord said unto
Cain, Where is thy brother Abel? And he said, I know not: am I my
brother’s keeper? And God said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy
brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed
from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s
blood from thy hand. When thou tillest it, it shall not henceforth yield
unto thee its strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the
earth. And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can
bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from _the face of the
earth_,” meaning, probably, from his own native district, and from the
presence of his kindred, “and from _thy face_ shall I be hid;” by which
he probably intended the divine glory, or Shekinah, whose appearance
sanctified the place of primitive worship, and was the pledge of
acceptance and protection. The mark set upon Cain “lest any one finding
him should kill him,” has been variously interpreted. Some have supposed
it a change in the colour of his skin, others a certain horror of
countenance. The LXX. understood the passage to mean, that the Lord gave
him a sign, to assure him that his life should be preserved. Whatever it
was, its object was not to aggravate, but to mitigate, his punishment,
which may intimate that Cain had manifested repentance. Cain, being thus
banished from the presence of the Lord, retired into the land of Nod,
lying east from the province of Eden. While he dwelt in this country,
which is generally understood to be Susiana, or Chusistan, he had a son,
whom he named Enoch, in memory of whom he built a city of the same name.
This is all we learn from Scripture concerning Cain.