Cain and Abel, Remarks on Genesis 4

The story of Cain and Abel is the timeless classic example of jealousy and its destructive power. It depicts the first sin after Eden, showing its consequences and G-d's justice.

Modern Day Allegory

Nobel prize winning author John Steinbeck adapted Genesis 4 for his 1952 novel, East of Eden, where in the Old Testament, it was east of Eden where G-d banished Cain, after he killed his brother, Abel.

In 1955, the movie ‘East of Eden’, which took place mostly in Salinas California, was deep-rooted in Steinbeck's family, particularly on his mother's side. While the family portrayed is fictional, it serves as a metaphor to the Old Testament’s Cain and Abel.

In the movie East of Eden, James Dean played a young man who found himself led astray because he vied for the affection of his deeply religious father, yet his father favored his brother. It was a modern-day adaptation of the Old Testament’s Cain and Abel. The film’s themes were palatable, good vs. evil, jealously and a man’s free will. I find it interesting that John Steinbeck, the author, appeared in the movie.

The film was highly acclaimed. Jo Van Fleett won an academy award for Best Supporting Actress. James Dean was nominated for Best Actor. Elia Kazan, the director, and Paul Osborn, who wrote the screenplay were nominated for Academy Awards. The film also starred legendary actors/actresses Julie Harris and Robert Massey.

So let us look at Genesis 4, Cain and Abel.

Cain and Abel

Genesis 4 is a lesson of the destructive power of jealousy. Moreover, it describes the first sin after Eve accepted the apple in the Garden of Eden.

Adam and Eve have a son Cain and Eve says, “I have a man form the Lord.” Then they have a second son, Abel. Cain grew up to be a farmer who tended his fields; Abel grew up to be a shepherd who tended his flocks of sheep.

The both brought offerings to G-d. Cain’s offering to the Lord was fruit from his fields. Abel’s offering to the Lord was portions of fat from the flock’s first born.

The Lord looked in favor, that is, accepted, Abel’s offering, but did not accept Cain’s offering.

Cain was furious. The Lord asked Cain, “Why are you angry? 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.”

Cain’s rection was to asked Abel to go out to the fields. Once in the field, he killed his brother.

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

Cain’s reply was a lie as he replied “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

The Lord said to Cain “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse.” He told Cain when he tended his fields, no crops would grow. His fate was to wander the earth. The Lord told Cain said when you tendered the fields, the fields will no longer yield its crops for you. “You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear.” Cain was worried that he would be killed.  The Lord’s response was that if anyone killed Cain, they would 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.”

Cain would go on to have a wife, a son Enoch, build a city which he names after his son. And then Cain had a second son.

Adam and Eve would go on to have another third son, Seth. Eve said, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”

The story of Cain and Abel. Two brothers who tended offerings to the Lord. G-d accepted Abel's offering but rejected Cain’s. Cain then slays his brother Abel. G-d curses Cain by banishing him to wander the earth, yet at the same time he marked him for protection.

As I said earlier, Cain and Abel is a classic example of jealousy and its destructive power. It depicts the first sin after Eden, showing consequences and G-d's justice.