Why didn’t God Kill Cain for Slaying his Brother Abel?
By Peter Salemi
God says that if someone kills another person, “He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.” (Ex 21:12). God says, “then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” (Ex 21:23-25). Why didn’t God execute the death penalty on Cain, since he is, “Judge of all the earth” (Gen 18:25)?
Did God contradict his own law when he did not slay Cain for killing his brother? Many critics of the Bible claim that God contradicted himself and that he doesn’t follow his own law when it came to this situation; but the reality is, God doesn’t contradict himself and we find that God followed his law to the letter!
Different Types of Killings
Did Cain murder his brother? The commandment, “You shall not kill” is actually not a command found in the Ten Commandments. The command from scripture in the original language actually says “You shall not murder [Heb. “râtsach” Strong’s #7523] (Exodus 20:13). The Hebrew word for “murder” literally means “the intentional, premeditated killing of another person with malice.” “The verb signifies to slay with premeditation and malice, and is properly rendered by the Septuagint:” (Jamieson Fausset and Brown, emphasis added).
The California Penal Code provides the same definition for murder:
“187. (a) Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being, or a fetus, with malice aforethought.” Malice is a form of evil intent that separates “murder” from “killing”.
There are different types of killings that the bible speaks of. There are acceptable forms of killing that lack this kind of evil intent. Not just in the Bible but even in the laws of the United States which of course originate from the Bible.
Notice a “killing” is justified if one of the following conditions is met:
· A person kills someone accidentally
· A person is trying to defend him or herself and prevent his or her own murder (self-defence)
· A person is trying to prevent someone from entering his or her house to commit some violent felony
· A person is trying to prevent the murder of someone else (protecting an innocent)
In all these situations, killing is actually legal and justifiable, and exceptions of this nature exist in the Penal Codes of every state in America. Even those who don’t accept the existence of God or the authority of the Bible recognize the necessity for laws like these; laws that allow for deadly force to be used to accomplish some greater good. This source states: “It’s interesting to note, however, these exceptions are not the invention of modern humans; they are simply a reflection of ancient Biblical Law. The Bible is the source for these modern laws and the exceptions come straight from the pages of scripture” (Article: The Difference between Killing and Murdering by J. Warner Wallace, emphasis added).
Notice the verses about the different types of killings that scriptures speak about:
· An accidental killing is not murder: Exodus 21:13; Numbers 35:22-25
· A killing performed in self-defence (or in defense of one’s home) is not murder: Exodus 22:2.
· A killing performed in an attempt to save the life of an innocent person is not murder: Exodus 2:11-12. (God did not judge Moses as a murderer because he was protecting the life of the slave). See also Gen 14:14-16
“Killing becomes murder when (and only when) it is not properly justified, and the justifications are clear: you can use whatever force necessary to protect your own life from a hostile aggressor, or to save the life of an innocent from such imminent, life-threatening danger. The difference between the legal or illegal use of deadly force is really a matter of motive, intent and justification, and these distinctions come straight from the pages of Scripture.” (ibid, emphasis added).
Cain’s Sacrifice
It all began with Cain’s sacrifice. The text says, “And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.” (Gen 4:5). Can was upset because God did not respect his offering. So already Cain was irritated, “He seems to have been naturally a man of an irritable, morose, choleric, discontented, malignant temper;” (JFB Commentary).
God says to Cain, “…Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
“If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” (vv.6-7). God said to him you made a mistake in your offering, but do it right next time and your offering will be acceptable.
Here then God gives him a choice, “and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” This verse is a little difficult to understand due to the way it’s translated.
God says here, “and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.” The word for “sin” also means “a sacrifice for sin” (Matthew Henry Commentary). Other translations have “And if you do not do well, sin [[or a sin-offering]] is lying at the opening” (LSV); in the footnotes of “The Scriptures 2009” version they write, “Or, sin-offering (feminine).”
Young’s Literal Translation has “and if thou dost not well, at the opening a sin-offering is crouching,” Given the context of the story, this was about Cain’s offering so it is correct that God really said that if Cain did not do well [Sin], that “a sin-offering is lying at the door.” The word “door” [“pethach” Strong’s #6607] is the same word used for the “door of the tabernacle of the congregation.” Where the sacrifices were brought and slain for their offerings for sin. “And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door [“pethach” Strong’s #6607] of the tabernacle of the congregation.” (Ex 29:11). God did not respect Cain’s offering because it was not a blood sacrifice like Abel’s (Gen 4:4). Cain brought, “fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.” (Gen 4:3). It is only by blood that sins are atonement for (Lev 17:11; Hebrews 9:22).
Now the Jamieson Fausset and Brown commentary states that, “and as the scene described most probably took place at a solemn assembly, in presence of a large company, consisting of their congregated descendants, of whom, according to patriarchal usage, the fathers were the priests, the rejection of Cain’s offering was felt by him as a public affront, which wounded his pride and remained rankling in his breast.” (Emphasis added). So this sacrifice must have taken place in a designated place of sacrifice and “tabernacle” for the people to sacrifice to God.
So God says that if you sin bring a sin offering at the door of the tabernacle. And then God says, “And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” The Concordant Literal version has it, “and for you is its restoration. And you are ruler over it.” By sacrifice you can be restored and sins is taken care of. So God says you can be redeemed, restored, these are comforting words from God.
Was it Premeditated Murder?
After this Cain spoke to his brother. The scripture says, “And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.” (Gen 4:8). Now many commentaries say that the first half of the verse should read, “Cain told it unto Abel his brother” (Ellicott) that is, told Abel the conversation he had between him and Jehovah (Jamieson Fausset and Brown; Pulpit, and K&D Commentaries).
Now it says, “and it came to pass” meaning some time passed between the offerings and the time that Cain and Abel were in the field (see similar statement in the same chapter, Gen 4:3). By this time the anger hatred and jealousy Cain had for his brother Abel was growing inside of him, probably consuming his very being.
Now Abel wasn’t ‘innocent’ but he was obedient to God. He sinned just as his brother and was by no means perfect. The difference was he was obedient and repentant-performing the sacrifices of thanksgiving and whatever other sacrifices they performed regularly-and in doing them the right way with the right attitude and motivation he was an overcomer and he became righteous.
Cain on the other hand, John wrote, “…we are not to be like Cain, who belonged to the evil One and slew his brother. And why did he slay him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's just.” (1 John 3:12 Moffatt Translation) Cain belonged to the Devil and did not repent and overcome his sins; instead He gave into the flesh and its deeds, including jealousy towards his brother. This is why he slew him.
Notice that Cain did not speak of his sin, but his punishment. JFB Commentary states, “The magnitude and atrocity of the crime appeared to extinguish in Cain's mind all hope of forgiveness; and therefore, like Judas, he abandoned himself to wild, reckless despair…But although ‘sin’ or ‘iniquity’ is the primary meaning of the Hebrew term, it denotes also the punishment of sin; and the context seems rather to point to the secondary meaning; because Cain was overwhelmed with a sense, not of the greatness of his guilt, but of the severity of the sentence. His exclamation, ‘My punishment is greater than I can bear,’ was prompted by a weight of unendurable misery. He had spurned all offers of grace; there was no sign of penitence, no cry for pardon: but he was fully alive to the terrible sentence which had been pronounced upon him, and he dwelt exclusively upon it, specifying four particulars in which its tremendous character appeared.” (emphasis added). Cain would not repent of his sin and God knew his heart, and so for the unrepentant, “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,” (Hebrew 10:26); therefore Cain was cut off from the sacrifices and God’s grace, mercy and presence as we see in the following verses.
Jealousy took over his heart and, “when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.” John is saying do not be like Cain full of jealousy and envy towards your brother in Christ but “love one another” (1 John 3:11). John says look how that turned out, the end result was that he “slew” his brother. He did not want that to happen in the church. He wanted a church that overcame sin and was repentant like Abel, as God told him to write in Revelation, “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
“ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.” (2:16-17).
But was Cain’s act premeditated?
First, nowhere does the scripture say that Cain was “laying of wait,” (Numbers 35:20, 22; Deut 19:11) meaning premeditated murder.
Notice, the word John used for “kill” or “slew” is “sphazō” (Strong’s # 4969). This is a different word than “murder.” The word for “murder” is “anthrōpoktonos” (Strong’s 443). John spoke of “murder” when it came to the “world” (v.13) because the world was plotting to kill Christians wherever they found them-this was premeditated and evil. He said, don’t be like the world, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him” (v.15). In the “world” there is a lot of hate and murder and John did not want to see that in the church. So John was telling the church don’t be jealous and hateful like the world and Cain.
Jesus used this word in John 8:44 saying the Devil was a “murderer [“anthrōpoktonos”] from the beginning…” Plotting to destroy mankind in the Garden-premeditated murder which he succeeded to do, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Gen 2:17).
When it came to Cain, he killed his brother but when looking at the scriptures- being quick tempered and jealous, it was not premeditated and the punishment God gives his proves that it was not.
Notice what this commentary says, “We cannot suppose that this murder was premeditated. Cain did not even know what a human death was.” (Ellicott Commentary, emphasis added). Premeditated murder was not fully developed in the human psyche yet. So what happened? He was already jealous of his brother because everything his brother was doing was right and good, and everything he did was wrong and cause terrible things to occur.
So with this in mind, it says, “and it came to pass, when they were in the field,” (Gen 4:8). This is key! The Ellicott Commentary continues, “But, as Philippson remarks, there was a perpetual struggle between the husbandmen who cultivated fixed plots of ground and the wandering shepherds whose flocks were too prone to stray upon the tilled fields. Possibly Abel’s flocks had trespassed on Cain’s land, and when he went to remonstrate, his envy was stirred at the sight of his brother’s affluence. A quarrel ensued, and Cain, in that fierce anger, to fits of which he was liable (Gen 4:5), tried to enforce his mastery by blows, and before he well knew what he was doing, he had shed his brother’s blood, and stood in terror before the first human corpse.” (emphasis added). The fight resulted in Abel’s death! According to the tradition of the Jews he struck a stone into his forehead, and killed him: (Targum Jon. in Gen. iv. 8. Pirke Eliezer, c. 21). It wasn’t premeditated, it was a fight and unfortunately Abel died because of it; but was not Cain’s intention to kill him, it was manslaughter, not premeditated murder! “The crime of killing a human being without malice aforethought, or otherwise in circumstances not amounting to murder” (Dictionary.com under “Manslaughter, emphasis added). Anyone can see from the circumstances in scripture that Cain was overtaken by his jealousy and rage, and this led to the death of his brother Abel.
God’s Response reveals it!
How does God respond to this terrible crime?
The scriptures say, “And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?” (v.9). When did this occur?
“ ‘Probably soon after the event, at the next time of sacrifice, and at the usual place of offering’ (Bonar).” (Pulpit Commentary). At the tabernacle where the offerings were being made for sin, God asks Cain where Abel was! Of course Cain lies through his teeth right to God’s face!
God says, “…What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground” (v.10). This “blood” crying from the ground shows:
1. This was occurring at the tabernacle where the sacrifices took place. The language is the same as in Leviticus 4:7, 18; 5:9, “the priest poured out [the blood] at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering,” (Ellicott) and then “was disposed elsewhere.” (Poole’s Commentary) Abel’s blood was outside of the tabernacle buried somewhere else.
2. The “voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground” is a symbol for vengeance see Rev 6:10. Christians were “slain” (v.9) for the word of God and died by premeditated means and also by manslaughter, asking God, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” Abel’s blood was crying out for vengeance.
Now here is the key to understanding why God did NOT kill Cain [Or His father Adam who was the head of the human race at the time] as his law requires.
Notice how God responds to the situation. The people [Adam and his children] and Abel’s blood are crying out for vengeance because Cain proclaims “every one that findeth me shall slay me” (Gen 4:14). God says, “And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” (Gen 4:15). God did not want Cain killed. Why?
The Avenger of the Blood
Vigilantism is something that God does not approve of. Justice must be served not self-gratifying vengeance. God told his people, “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people…” (Lev 19:18; Rom 12:19). This is not justice!
Vigilantism is often considered problematic for several reasons:
1. Rule of Law: Vigilantism undermines the legal system and the rule of law. When individuals take justice into their own hands, it bypasses established legal processes and can lead to chaos and anarchy.
2. Due Process: Vigilantes typically do not follow legal protocols, which means accused individuals may not receive a fair trial. This can lead to wrongful punishments and exacerbate injustices.
3. Escalation of Violence: Vigilante actions can escalate conflicts and lead to cycles of violence. Instead of resolving issues, they can create further tensions between communities and law enforcement.
4. Subjectivity and Bias: Vigilantes often act based on personal beliefs or emotions, which can lead to biased actions and disproportionate responses. This subjectivity can further entrench social divisions.
5. Public Safety: Vigilantism can endanger public safety. Untrained individuals attempting to enforce the law may lack the skills necessary to handle dangerous situations, potentially putting themselves and others at risk.
6. Erosion of Trust: When communities resort to vigilantism, it can erode trust in law enforcement and government institutions, leading to a cycle where citizens feel they cannot rely on official channels for protection or justice.
7. Legal Consequences: Engaging in vigilantism can lead to legal repercussions for the vigilantes themselves, including arrest and prosecution for crimes such as assault or unlawful detention.
While some may feel justified in their actions due to perceived failures of the legal system, the broader implications of vigilantism can often lead to more harm than good. The movie “The Purge” is an excellent example of how society would become if vigilantism was legal.
God says that people who have been killed accidently (manslaughter) would go into a “city of refuge” and live out there days there. God says, “And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.” (Ex 21:13). Expanded further, “Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:
“That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
“And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.
“And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime.
“And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.” (Joshua 20:2-6; see also Numbers 35:12; Deut 19:2-6). Here God sets these cities up so no vigilante can take justice into his own hands. So even though people at that time were screaming for vengeance because of Abel's death, God said NO! A place of exile is justice for accidental death-not putting Cain to death. God is upholding his justice!
The “Avenger of the Blood” was the, “…person who is authorized by law, or who is duty-bound, to kill a murderer is called go'el ha-dam – usually translated as an avenger of blood, but more accurately to be rendered as a redeemer of blood (cf. Lev. 25:25; Ruth 3:12; I Kings 16:11). By putting the murderer to death (Num. 35:19, 21), the avenger expiates the blood shed on the polluted land (Num. 35:33).” (Jewish Virtual Library, article “Avenger of the Blood”). He was the one to execute justice authorized by law [“as the judges determine” (Ex 21:22)] to the family, and not by some vigilante.
What do these cities of refuge have to do with Cain?
Cain’s Mark Explained
What is the true meaning of the Mark of Cain? The scripture says, “And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.” What is this mark?
First, it is not a mark on his body and some claim. The Ellicott commentary writes, “This rendering suggests an utterly false idea. Cain was not branded nor marked in any way. What the Hebrew says is, ‘And Jehovah set,’ that is, appointed, ‘unto Cain a sign, that no one finding him should slay him.’’’ (emphasis added). The word and context suggests a place appointed and to segregate him from the rest of mankind.
The K&D Commentary says, “The mark which God put upon Cain is not to be regarded as a mark upon his body, as the Rabbins and others supposed, but as a certain sign which protected him from vengeance…” (emphasis added). What is this sign that protected him?
The word “mark” in Genesis 4:15 in the King James Version of the Bible is a translation of the Hebrew word “owth.” According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, the Hebrew word “owth” (#226) may be rendered “mark,” or “signal, flag, monument, sign, or beacon.”
Brown, Driver and Briggs has “signal” and “banner.”
The Hebrew word “owth” could indicate a boundary marker that God set up to separate or segregate Cain and his descendants from the rest of mankind. Genesis 4:12, 16 show that God banished Cain to the land of Nod, east of Eden.
The Jewish Publication Society translation renders Genesis 4:15, “And the Lord said unto him [Cain]: ‘Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.’ And the Lord set a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him.” The original Hebrew conveys a sign set up to segregate him from others. (see also The Revised Version; New Heart English Bible; Word English Bible; American Revised version) . The Scriptures version translates it, “And יהוה set up a sign for Qayin,” God sets up a place for Cain with a flag or a boundary marker to remind everyone that the land of Nod was his place of exile and not to take vengeance on him. Lange writes, “The warning sign that should serve for the protection of Cain, must disclose to the pursuers the threatening prospect of a seven-fold blood-vengeance” (emphasis added).
The Jamieson Fausset and Brown Commentary writes, “The original words, literally rendered, are, ‘the Lord gave a sign, a token or pledge, to Cain, that no one who found him should kill him;’ i:e., God assured him of his personal safety by some external sign or evidence, which allayed his apprehensions from the snares or pursuit of the blood-avenger.” (emphasis added).
As God says in his Law, “And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.” (Ex 21:13). This is what God did for Cain! He set up a place of exile so Cain could live out his days away from his family and away from the presence of God and set up a boundary maker-a flag as a reminder for others not to go and take vengeance on Cain. God was following his law to the letter as he always does. This was the punishment for accidental death! This is why Cain said, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.” (Gen 4:13). To be isolated from the rest of the world is a great punishment indeed.
“Wanderer” and a “Fugitive”?
Was Cain really and “wanderer” and a “fugitive”? God said, “When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.” (Gen 4:12). No more was he going to be a tiller of the ground which he loved to do, instead he will be “a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.” How can this be when verse 17 says, “And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.” He settled and built a “city.” Isn’t he a “wanderer” and a “fugitive?”
The word “vagabond” in Hebrew is “nûd nood” (Strong’s #5110) and it can also mean to “flee.” We find this in Psalms 11:1, “In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?” It is speaking of “fleeing” to a mountain meaning his place of refuge.
“Fugitive” in Hebrew “nûa‛ noo'-ah” and can mean “to remove” (Strong’s #5128). “It is noteworthy that Cain’s punishment is a form of exile, similar to Adam and Eve’s consequence for their sin when they were exiled from Eden. Cain was exiled from farming the land.” (The “Bible Says” Bible Commentary, emphasis added).
God told Cain that he would be removed and he was to flee to a place of Exile separated from his family and God.
It says Cain, “…builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch” (Gen 4:17). Why did he build a “city”? Remember the “mark” God put on him. It was a boundary marker that God set up to separate or segregate Cain and his descendants from the rest of mankind. God directed him to a place where he can build a city of exiled, because he killed Abel, and since it was not a premeditated killing but manslaughter an accidental killing, as God told Moses, “And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.” (Ex 21:13). What you are reading is the first “city of refuge.” This is why God or Adam did not slay Cain! The murder was not premeditated, but accidental, and God being true to his law set up a city of refuge for Cain to “flee” to, be exiled and “removed” from his family and God for the rest of his days! The book of Genesis is a book of origins, and here we are reading the story of the origin of the city of refuge. God always stays true to his word!
After the Flood
The whole reason God sent the flood was that, “…GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
“And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
“And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them…. The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. ” (Gen 6:5-7, 13). Man was violent in those days and they did not apply the deterrent to stop the violence of applying the “eye for an eye” law God established for them.
God told Noah after the flood, “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” (Gen 9:6). God made sure Noah instituted this deterrent to crime so man would not go back into that violent stage he was in before the flood. Unfortunately man will return to that in the end time as Jesus said, “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:37). However when Christ comes again, the “eye for an eye” law will be in full effect all over the whole world, and man will have peace! “…for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem….And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:3-4).
If you wish to donate to the BICOG Please click here