Chapter 4:
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| Jamieson Faussett Brown
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Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Revelation Exodus
Genesis 4
In this chapter we have both the world and the church in
Adam's family, and a specimen of the character and state of both
in all ages. As all mankind were represented in Adam, so that
great distinction of mankind into the children of God and the
children of the wicked one, was here represented in Cain and
Abel; and an early instance of the enmity between the seed of the
woman and the seed of the serpent. We have here,
I. The birth, names, and callings of Cain and Abel, ver. 1, 2.
II. Their religion, and different success in it, ver. 3, 4, and part of
ver. 5.
III. Cain's anger at God, and the reproof of him for that anger, ver.
5, 6, 7.
IV. Cain's murder of his brother, and the process against him for
that murder. The murder committed, ver. 8. The proceedings
against him.
1. His arraignment, ver. 9, former part.
2. His plea, ver. 9. latter part.
3. His conviction, ver. 10.
4. The sentence passed upon him, ver. 11, 12.
5. His complaint against the sentence, ver. 13, 14.
6. The ratification of the sentence, ver. 15.
7. The execution of the sentence, ver. 15, 16.
V. The family and posterity of Cain, ver. 17-24.
VI. The birth of another son and grandson of Adam, ver. 25, 26.
Verse 1. Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters, chap. v, 4. But
Cain and Abel seem to have been the two eldest. Cain signifies
possession; for Eve when she bare him said with joy and
thankfulness, and great expectation, I have gotten a man from the
Lord.
Verse 2. Abel signifies vanity. The name given to this son is put upon
the whole race, Psalm xxxix, 5. Every man is at his best estate
vanity; Abel, vanity. He chose that employment which did most
befriend contemplation and devotion, for that hath been looked
upon as the advantage of a pastoral life. Moses and David kept
sheep, and in their solitudes conversed with God.
Verse 3. In process of time - At the end of days, either at the end of the
year when they kept their feast of in-gathering, or at the end of the
days of the week, the seventh day; at some set time Cain and Abel
brought to Adam, as the priest of the family, each of them an
offering to the Lord; for which we have reason to think there was
a divine appointment given to Adam, as a token of God's favour
notwithstanding their apostacy.
Verse 4. And the Lord God had respect to Abel and to his offering, and
shewed his acceptance of it, probably by fire from heaven but to
Cain and to his offering he had not respect. We are sure there was
a good reason for this difference: that Governor of the world,
though an absolute sovereign, doth not act arbitrarily in
dispensing his smiles and frowns.
1. There was a difference in the characters of the persons offering:
Cain was a wicked man, but Abel was a righteous man, Matt.
xxiii, 35.
2. There was a difference in the offerings they brought. Abel's
was a more excellent sacrifice than Cain's; Cain's was only a
sacrifice of acknowledgment offered to the Creator; the meat-
offerings of the fruit of the ground were no more: but Abel
brought a sacrifice of atonement, the blood whereof was shed in
order to remission, thereby owning himself a sinner, deprecating
God's wrath, and imploring his favour in a Mediator. But the great
difference was, Abel offered in faith, and Cain did not. Abel
offered with an eye to God's will as his rule, and in dependence
upon the promise of a Redeemer. But Cain did not offer in faith,
and so it turned into sin to him.
Verse 5. And Cain was wroth, and his countenance fell - Not so much
out of grief as malice and rage. His sullen churlish countenance,
and down-look, betrayed his passionate resentment.
Verse 7. If thou dost well, shalt thou not be accepted? - Either,
1. If thou hadst done well, as thy brother did, thou shouldest have
been accepted as he was. God is no respecter of persons; so that if
we come short of acceptance with him, the fault is wholly our
own. This will justify God in the destruction of sinners, and will
aggravate their ruin. There is not a damned sinner in hell, but if he
had done well, as he might have done, had been a glorified saint
in heaven. Every mouth will shortly be stopt with this. Or,
2. If now thou do well: if thou repent of thy sin, reform thy heart
and life, and bring thy sacrifice in a better manner; thou shalt yet
be accepted. See how early the gospel was preached, and the
benefit of it here offered even to one of the chief of sinners. He
sets before him death and a curse; but, if not well - Seeing thou
didst not do well, not offer in faith, and in a right manner, sin lieth
at the door - That is, sin only hinders thy acceptance. All this
considered, Cain had no reason to be angry with his brother, but at
himself only. Unto thee shall be his desire - He shall continue in
respect to thee as an elder brother, and thou, as the first-born, shall
rule over him as much as ever. God's acceptance of Abel's
offering did not transfer the birth-right to him, (which Cain was
jealous of) nor put upon him that dignity, and power, which is
said to belong to it, chap. xlix, 3.
Verse 8. And Cain talked with Abel his brother - The Chaldee
paraphrast adds, that Cain, when they were in discourse,
maintained there was no judgment to come, and that when Abel
spoke in defense of the truth, Cain took that occasion to fall upon
him. The scripture tells us the reason wherefore he slew him,
because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous; so
that herein he shewed himself to be a child of the devil, as being
an enemy to all righteousness. Observe, the first that dies is a
saint, the first that went to the grave, went to heaven. God would
secure to himself the first fruits, the first born to the dead, that
first opened the womb into another world.
Verse 9. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? - God
knew him to be guilty; yet he asks him, that he might draw from
him a confession of his crime; for those who would be justified
before God, must accuse themselves. And he said, I know not -
Thus in Cain the devil was both a murderer, and a liar from the
beginning. Am I my Brother's keeper? - Sure he is old enough to
take care of himself, nor did I ever take charge of him. Art not
thou his keeper? If he be missing, on thee be the blame, and not
on me, who never undertook to keep him.
Verse 10. And he said, What hast thou done? - Thou thinkest to conceal
it, but the evidence against thee is clear and uncontestable, the
voice of thy brother's blood crieth - He speaks as if the blood
itself were both witness and prosecutor, because God's own
knowledge testified against him, and God's own justice demanded
satisfaction. The blood is said to cry from the ground, the earth,
which is said, ver. 11, to open her mouth to receive his brother's
blood from his hand. The earth did as it were blush to see her own
face stained with such blood; and therefore opened her mouth to
hide that which she could not hinder.
Verse 11. And now art thou cursed from the earth -
1. He is cursed, separated to all evil, laid under the wrath of God,
as it is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men.
2. He is cursed from the earth. Thence the cry came up to God,
thence the curse came up to Cain. God could have taken
vengeance by an immediate stroke from heaven: but he chose to
make the earth the avenger of blood; to continue him upon the
earth, and not presently to cut him off; and yet to make even that
his curse. That part of it which fell to his share, and which he had
the occupation of, was made unfruitful, by the blood of Abel.
Besides, A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. By
this he was here condemned, to perpetual disgrace and reproach,
and to perpetual disquietment and horror in his own mind. His
own guilty conscience should haunt him where ever he went. Now
to justify his complaint, Observe his descants upon the sentence.
(1.) He sees himself excluded by it from the favour of his God; and
concludes, that being cursed, he was hid from God's face, and that
is indeed the true nature of God's curse; damned sinners find it so,
to whom it is said, Depart from me ye cursed. Those are cursed
indeed that are for ever shut out from God's love and care, and
from all hopes of his grace.
(2.) He sees himself expelled from all the comforts of this life; and
concludes, ver. 14. Thou hast driven me out this day from the face
of the earth - As good have no place on earth as not have a settled
place. Better rest in the grave than not rest at all. And from thy
face shall I be hid - Shut out of the church, not admitted to come
with the sons of God to present himself before the Lord. And it
shall come to pass that every one that finds me shall slay me -
Wherever he wanders he goes in peril of his life. There were none
alive but his near relations, yet even of them he is justly afraid,
who had himself been so barbarous to his own brother.
Verse 15. Whosoever slayeth Cain vengeance shall be taken on him
seven- fold - God having said in Cain's case Vengeance is mine, I
will repay; it had been a daring usurpation for any man to take the
sword out of God's hand. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain - To
distinguish him from the rest of mankind. What the mark was,
God has not told us: therefore the conjectures of men are vain.
Verse 16. And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt
on the east of Eden - Somewhere distant from the place were
Adam and his religious family resided: distinguishing himself and
his accursed generation from the holy seed; in the land of Nod -
That is, of shaking or trembling, because of the continual
restlessness of his spirit. Those that depart from God cannot find
rest any where else. When Cain went out from the presence of the
Lord, he never rested after.
Verse 17. And he builded a city - In token of a settled separation from
the church of God. And here is an account of his posterity, at least
the heirs of his family, for seven generations. His son was Enoch,
of the same name, but not of the same character with that holy
man that walked with God. The names of more of his posterity are
mentioned, and but just mentioned, as those of the holy seed,
chap. v, 1-32. They are numbered in haste, as not valued or
delighted in, in comparison with God's children.
Verse 19. And Lamech took two wives - It was one of the degenerate
race of Cain who first transgressed that original law of marriage,
that two only should be one flesh.
1. Jabal was a famous shepherd; he delighted much in keeping
cattle, and was so happy in devising methods of doing it to the
best advantage, and instructing others in them, that the shepherds
of those times, nay, the shepherds of after-times, called him
Father; or perhaps his children after him, being brought up to the
same employment: the family was a family of shepherds.
2. Jubal was a famous musician, and particularly an organist, and
the first that gave rules for that noble art or science of music.
When Jabal had set them in a way to be rich, Jubal put them in a
way to be merry. From Jubal probably the Jubilee trumpet was so
called; for the best music was that which proclaimed liberty and
redemption.
Verse 22. From Tubal-Cain, probably the Heathen Vulcan came. Why
Naamah is particularly named, we know not: probably they did,
who lived when Moses wrote.
Verse 23. This passage is extremely obscure. We know not whom he
slew, or on what occasion: neither what ground he had to be so
confident of the Divine protection.
Verse 25. This is the first mention of Adam in the story of this chapter.
No question the murder of Abel, and the impenitency and
apostacy of Cain, were a very great grief to him and Eve, and the
more because their own wickedness did now correct them, and
their backsliding did reprove them. Their folly had given sin and
death entrance into the world, and now they smarted by it, being
by means thereof deprived of both their sons in one day, chap.
xxvii, 45. When parents are grieved by their children's
wickedness, they should take occasion from thence to lament that
corruption of nature which was derived from them, and which is
the root of bitterness. But here we have that which was a relief to
our first parents in their affliction, namely, God gave them to see
the rebuilding of their family which was sorely shaken and
weakened by that sad event. For, they saw their seed, another
instead of Abel. And Adam called his name Seth - That is, Set,
settled or placed, because in his seed mankind should continue to
the end of time.
Verse 26. And to Seth was born a son called Enos, which is the general
name for all men, and speaks the weakness, frailty, and misery of
man's state. Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord -
Doubtless God's name was called upon before, but now,
1. The worshippers of God began to stir up themselves to do more
in religion than they had done; perhaps not more than had been
done at first, but more than had been done since the defection of
Cain. Now men began to worship God, not only in their closets
and families, but in public and solemn assemblies.
2. The worshippers of God began to distinguish themselves: so the
margin reads it. Then began men to be called by the name of the
Lord, or, to call themselves by it. Now Cain and those that had
deserted religion had built a city, and begun to declare for
irreligion, and called themselves the sons of men. Those that
adhered to God began to declare for him and his worship, and
called themselves the sons of God.
Chapter 4:
| Calvin
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Revelation Exodus
This version of Wesley's Notes on the Bible is a derivative of an electronic version, Copyright 1997, by Sulu D. Kelley. All rights reserved. Used by permission. It may not be modified or used commercially without permission of Wesleyan Heritage Publishing and Sulu Kelley. A special thanks to Mr. Kelley and Wesleyan Heritage Publishing for permission to create and post this version of Wesley's Notes on the Bible.
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