But Cain said to the LORD,Cain's direct communication with the LORD indicates a personal relationship and awareness of God's presence, reflecting the early human experience of direct interaction with the divine. This moment follows the murder of Abel, highlighting the gravity of Cain's sin and the immediacy of divine justice. The narrative underscores the theme of accountability before God, a recurring motif throughout Scripture, as seen in the interactions between God and other biblical figures such as Adam, Eve, and later, Moses.
“My punishment is greater than I can bear.
Cain's response reveals his awareness of the severity of his actions and the consequences that follow. The term "punishment" can also be understood as "iniquity" or "guilt," suggesting Cain's recognition of his moral failure. This phrase reflects the human tendency to focus on the consequences of sin rather than the sin itself, a theme echoed in the lamentations of other biblical figures like King David inPsalm 51. Cain's lament can be seen as a precursor to the concept of divine justice and mercy, which is fully realized in the New Testament through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The burden of sin and its consequences are central to the biblical narrative, ultimately pointing to the need for a savior who can bear the weight of humanity's transgressions.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
CainThe firstborn son of Adam and Eve, who becomes the first murderer by killing his brother Abel. His actions and subsequent punishment are central to this passage.
2.
The LORD (Yahweh)The covenant name of God, who interacts directly with Cain, pronouncing judgment and offering a mark of protection despite Cain's sin.
3.
The Event of Cain's PunishmentFollowing the murder of Abel, God curses Cain to be a restless wanderer on the earth, which leads to Cain's lament in this verse.
Teaching Points
The Weight of SinCain's lament, "My punishment is greater than I can bear," reflects the heavy burden of sin and its consequences. It serves as a reminder of the seriousness of sin and the need for repentance.
God's Justice and MercyDespite Cain's sin, God provides a mark of protection for him. This demonstrates God's justice in punishing sin but also His mercy in offering protection and a chance for redemption.
The Importance of Heart AttitudeCain's response to his punishment reveals a focus on self-pity rather than genuine repentance. This challenges us to examine our own hearts and attitudes towards sin and its consequences.
The Consequences of SinCain's account illustrates how sin can lead to further alienation from God and others, urging us to seek reconciliation and restoration through Christ.
Lists and Questions
Top 10 Lessons from Genesis 4
What caused Cain's death?
What is the significance of the Way of Cain?
Where did Cain go after being banished by God?
What does 'Raising Cain' mean?(13, 14)
My punishment (ormy iniquity) is greater than I can bear.--Literally,
than can be borne,or
"forgiven." It is in accordance with the manner of the Hebrew language to have only one word for an act and its result. Thus
workand
wagesare expressed by the same word in
Isaiah 62:11. The full meaning, therefore, is, "My sin is past forgiveness, and its result is an intolerable punishment." This latter idea seems foremost in Cain's mind, and is dwelt upon in
Genesis 4:14. He there complains that he is driven, not
"from the face of the earth," which was impossible, but from the
adamah,his dear native soil, banished from which, he must go into the silence and solitude of an earth unknown and untracked. And next, "from thy face shall I be hid." Naturally, Cain had no idea of an omnipresent God, and away from the
adamahhe supposed that it would be impossible to enjoy the Divine favour and protection. Without this there would be no safety for him anywhere, so that he must rove about perpetually, and "every one that findeth me shall slay me." In the
adamahJehovah would protect him; away from it, men, unseen by Jehovah, might do as they liked. But who were these men? Some commentators answer, Adam's other sons, especially those who had attached themselves to Abel. Others say that Adam's creation was not identical with that of
Genesis 1:27, but was that of the highest type of the human race, and had been preceded by the production of inferior races, of whose existence there are widespread proofs. But others, with more probability, think that Cain's was a vain apprehension. How could he know that Adam and his family were the sole inhabitants of the earth? Naturally he expected to find farther on what he had left behind; a man and woman with stalwart sons: and that these, regarding him as an interloper come to rob them, and seeing in his ways proof of guilt, would at once attack and slay him.
Verses 13, 14. -
And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment (or my sin)
is greater than I can bear. Or, than can be borne away. Interpreted in either way, this is scarcely the language of confession, "sufficiens confessio, sod intempestiva" (Chrysostom); but, as the majority of interpreters are agreed, of desperation (Calvin). According to the first rendering Cain is understood as deploring not the enormity of his sin, but the severity of his punishment, under which he reels and staggers as one amazed (Aben Ezra, Kimchi, Calvin, Keil, Delitzsch, Murphy, Alford, Speakers, Kalisch). According to the second, from the terrific nature of the blow which had descended on him Cain awakens to the conviction that his sin was too heinous to be forgiven (margin, Septuagint, Vulgate, Theodotion, Arabic, Syrlac, Onkelos, Samaritan, Gesenins, Wordsworth). The first of these is favored by the remaining portion of his address, which shows that that which had paralyzed his guilty spirit was not the wickedness of his deed, but the overwhelming retribution which had leapt so unexpectedly from its bosom. The real cause of his despair was the sentence which had gone forth against him, and the articles of which he now recapitulates.
Behold, thou hast driven me this day - "Out of the sentence of his own conscience Cain makes a clear, positive, Divine decree of banishment" (Lange) -
from the face of the earth. Literally,
the ground,
i.e. the land of Eden. "Adam's sin brought expulsion from the inner circle, Cain's from the outer" (Bonar).
And from thy face shall I be hid. Either
(1) from the place where the Divine presence was specially manifested,i.e. at the gate of Eden, which does not contradict (Kalisch) the great Biblical truth of the Divine omnipresence (cf.Exodus 20:24); or,
(2) more generally, from the enjoyment of the Divine favor (cf.Deuteronomy 31:18). "To be hidden from the face of God is to be not regarded by God, or not protected by his guardian care" (Calvin).And I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond. "A vagabond and a runagate" (Tyndale, Coverdale, 'Bishops' Bible').Vagus et profugus (Vulgate; vagus etinfestus agitationibus (Tremellius and Junins).In the earth. The contemplation of his miserable doom, acting on his guilty conscience, inspired him with a fearful apprehension, to which in closing he gives expression in the hearing of his Judge.And it shall come to pass, that every one - not beast (Josephus, Kimchi, Michaelis), but person -that findeth me shall slay me. "Amongst the ancient Romans a man cursed for any wickedness might be freely killed (Dionysius Halicarnass., 1. 2). Amongst the Gauls the excommunicated were deprived of any benefit of law (Caesar. 'de Bello Gallico,' 50:6; cf. also Sophocles, '(Edip. Tyrannus')" (Ainsworth). The apprehension which Cain cherished has been explained as an oversight on the part of the narrator (Schumann and Tuch); as a mistake on the part of Cain, who had no reason to know that the world was not populated (T. Lewis); as referring to the blood avengers of the future who might arise from his father's family (Rosenmüller, Delitzsch); and also, and perhaps with as much probability, as indicating that already, in the 130 years that had gone, Adam's descendants were not limited to the two brothers and their wives (Havernick).
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
But Cainקַ֖יִן(qa·yin)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 7014:Cain -- a city in southern Judahsaidוַיֹּ֥אמֶר(way·yō·mer)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559:To utter, saytoאֶל־(’el-)Preposition
Strong's 413:Near, with, among, tothe LORD,יְהוָ֑ה(Yah·weh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068:LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel“My punishmentעֲוֺנִ֖י(‘ă·wō·nî)Noun - common singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5771:Iniquity, guilt, punishment for iniquity[is] greaterגָּד֥וֹל(gā·ḏō·wl)Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 1419:Great, older, insolentthan I can bear.מִנְּשֹֽׂא׃(min·nə·śō)Preposition-m | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 5375:To lift, carry, take
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OT Law: Genesis 4:13 Cain said to Yahweh My punishment (Gen. Ge Gn) 
