The Story of Cain and Abel in the Bible
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Are you familiar with the story of Cain and Abel?
The story of Cain and Abel is one of the first to show us the contrast between good and evil in the Bible. We have two brothers both claiming to serve the same God, both raised to know what is good and honorable in God’s sight; and yet somehow they hostility manages to brew between them; resulting in the first act of murder know to man.
The story of Cain and Abel initiates a lot of questions. Here are some of the popular ones
What was Cain and Abel’s sin?
Did this all really start with Cain’s offering? Or was there hostility before then?
What was Cain’s offering and why did God reject it?
This article will serve as a sort of cliff notes – a Cain and Abel in the Bible summary. We’ll work through the original Bible story in Genesis, and then dig a bit deeper into Scripture to see what we discover beneath the surface of what we already know.
Are you ready for it?!
Who Is Cain In the Bible?
Cain was Adam and Eve’s first son. He became a farmer or as Scripture puts it, “a tiller of the ground” (see Genesis 4:2).
Some time after Can was born Eve conceived again and bore another son. His name was Abel. Abel became a Shepherd (see Genesis 4:2).
We don’t know too much about the family dynamics that were at play in this story. The Bible tells us that Adam and Eve had many children in addition to Cain and Abel. It doesn’t specify when those children were born. So there could have been siblings in between Cain and Abel. We know for sure there were children after.
In fact, Noah (of Noah and the Ark) comes from the line Adam and Eve’s son Seth (see Genesis 5).
Cain and Abel were both raised as God-fearers. Meaning they recognized the sovereignty of God and they were raised to serve Him and Him alone. Considering Adam and Eve’s past with God and the consequences they faced after He removed them from the garden, it makes sense that they would raise their children to know and fear God.
Unfortunately, just because we raise someone in truth doesn’t mean that they will wholeheartedly conform to the truth. And even if they conform in action, they don’t always conform in heart – which is what we witness first had through the story of Cain.
What happened to Cain? Keep reading to find out!
The Story of Cain and Abel
We’ll start with the basics. Where is the story of Cain and Abel in the Bible?
You can find the story of Cain and Abel Bible verses in Genesis 4:1-16.
It starts with Cain and Abel bringing God and offering. Why did Cain and Abel bring God and offering? There are a couple different theories about this (we’ll explore them in a minute) but at the very basic level – bringing the offerings was an act of both worship and obedience to God.
The Bible doesn’t tell us what kind of offering (first fruits, sin offerings, peace offerings, etc.) Cain and Abel were bringing to God. We don’t see the practice of tithing (at least that I’m aware of) until Abraham. And most of what we know about offerings we learn much later through the Levitical laws.
This could have been a shadow of those laws or it could have been something totally different.
What we do know if that offerings were typically given either as means of worship or as acts of repentance and obedience.
What was Cain’s offering?
“And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought the first born of his flock and of their fat…”
Genesis 4:3-4
According the Bible Cain’s offering was fruit from the ground he had tilled.
Abel’s offering was the first born of his sheep and their fat.
Why Did God Reject Cain’s Offering?
“… And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering…”
Genesis 4:4-5
There are two theories about the Cain and Abel offering story as well as two theories about why Cain’s offering Cain’s offering was rejected by God.
Theory #1
Cain’s offering didn’t meet the requirements for atonement. We learn through the Bible that the wages of sin is death and all sin requires atonement. This is a principle that is established as early as Genesis. Some say that Cain’s offering was rejected by God because it didn’t fulfill the requirements for atonement. There wasn’t any blood in it.
I haven’t done enough research to know if this is the case or not, but I do think it’s worth considering and researching.
Theory #2
It’s possible that Cain’s offering was sufficient but the condition of his heart and the way he was living caused something that would have been a beautiful act of worship to be a repulsive gesture. This is an attitude that God addresses A LOT in Scripture. It’s hypocrisy; having a divided heart where your actions appear to serve God but a heart that is far from Him. When we look at the patterns of rejected offering in the Bible you’ll find hypocrisy had a lot to do with them.
How did Cain feel when God rejected His offering? He was angry. Which is the response most of us have when our pride is hurt. It’s how God responded to Cain’s anger that makes me think that God was addressing a heart issue, not necessarily a sacrifice issue.
What did God say to Cain about His offering?
So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you shall rule over it.”
Genesis 4:7
God’s Instruction and Cain’s Rebellion
At the heart of what God told Cain is the message of repentance. God basically calls Cain out (this is my paraphrase) “Listen, I see your heart, I see how you’re living, yet you bring me this offering and call me Lord… I need your heart and your actions to be on the same page.”
God goes on to warn Cain that if he can’t wholeheartedly repent and live for Him, sin will devour Him. Yet, we weren’t created to be slaves to sin, we were meant to trample over it (Romans 6:1-11).
Instead of hearing God’s correction and repenting, Cain clung to his upset. The outcome is horrific.
Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose and up against Abel his brother and killed him.
Genesis 4:8
Can you imagine being so captive by pride anger and jealousy that you lash out and take the life of a loved one? When God to Cain, “sin lied at the door and it’s desire is for you…” He wasn’t speaking poetically, He was being literal. Sin was breeding in the heart of Cain and if he didn’t choose to “rule over it” it would devour him. And so it did.
How old was Abel when he died? We don’t have an exact answer but scholars suggest based on biblical timelines that Abel was between 100 and 120 years old when He died.
What Happened to Cain After He Killed His Brother?
We don’t always realize how sovereign God is until we have something to hide from Him. That was the case for Adam and Eve and we see that same scenario playing out in the story of Cain. Cain has just murdered his brother and God is about to confront him about it.
What does God say to Cain?
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”
He said, “I do not know. Am I my brothers keeper?.
And He said, What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground…”
Genesis 4:9-10
God always knows. And he always has a response for our rebellion. Though he often offers forgiveness, sometimes our choices still have real life consequences. Cain is about to find that out.
What was Cain’s punishment?
“…So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”
Genesis 4:11-12
Basically Cain was banished from the land that he had been working and tilling all his life. In addition God told him the he would have to wrestle with the ground to get it to till and produce. As a result, he would have to wander looking for futile soil and tillable ground in order to provide for his family.
The Mark of Cain
You’re probably wondering what happened to Cain after he was banished?
This is probably the moment where Cain’s grief hit the hardest and he realized the depths of what he had done. The weight of his consequences are so heavy he cries out to God. I think its worth noting that Cain did have some legitimate concerns. His life for one. Cain was concerned that if people saw came to know what he did they would try to kill him.
We can tell by God’s response that He saw this a legit concern too.
Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be take on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.
Genesis 4:15
In the original texts, the words “therefore” are replaced with the words “not so.”
God was letting Cain know that the death he anticipated was not going to happen. Cain was still under God’s covering, but just like Adam and Eve had to leave the garden behind, Cain had to leave his home behind and dwell outside of the place God had intended to dwell in with him.
What kind of mark did God put on Cain? The Bible doesn’t give us much detail. I believe it was a physical mark, but the verse above is the only real hint we information we have about it. What we do know is that God used the mark given to Cain to protect him from the hostility during his nomad years.
After he was banished, Cain “went out for the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.” (see Genesis 4:16)
Cain’s Legacy | The Descendants of Cain
Though Cain is widely known to as as the guy who murdered his brother, he did manage to leave somewhat of a family legacy.
He married, had a son (Enoch), and built a grand city in honor of his son.
Who was Cain’s wife? There’s a lot of debate surrounding this questions, but most scholars agree the answer is pretty simple. Cain wouldn’t have had any option other than to marry a family member; likely a niece, possibly a sister.
Other scenarios have been speculated but most of them aren’t supported by biblical narratives. For example, Scripture teaches that all humanity came from the seed of Adam and Eve. The idea that Cain might have married a woman from another people group goes against this basic Biblical principle of all human life springing from Adam and Eve. You run into questions like, where did this other people group come from if not from the man and woman God created? You won’t find an answer to this questions that aligns with the Bible.
Cain and his wife (whoever she was) had one son which lead to a small trail of descendants. Who are the descendants of Cain? Find a list of them in Genesis 4:16-22.
What Does the Story of Cain and Abel Teach Us About Human Nature?
When I look back on the story of Cain and Abel two things come to mind.
First, I notice how much of Cain’s story mirrors Adam and Eve’s story. The moment their hearts became divided, the moment they tried to have the best of both worlds, was the moments sin began to take root in their hearts.
It reminds me how easily we can stray from what is good and righteous. Even more extravagant though, was the reminder that sin does not have to rule over us. We’re told all the time that sin entered the world and our lives are battlefields for spiritual warfare. The story of Cain and Abel symbolizes that warfare.
This battle isn’t something to fret over. We forget sometimes that we already have the answer to our struggle and a source of victory. God has ALWAYS been our solution. When we abide in Him and are obedient to Him, sin can not rule our being. And when we fall short, we have the saving grace of Jesus to catch us and restore us.
We often view the idea of “slaves to sin or free from sin” as a new testament concept. The story of Cain and Abel symbolizes our fight for freedom from sin. It shows us that the only true way to rule over sin is to reject it and cling to God.
Cain’s Sin Was A Heart Issue
If you’re unfamiliar with the story of Cain and Abel, one of the first questions you’ll likely ask about it is what was Cain and Abel’s sin?
I can point out many ways that Cain went wrong with the choices he made; but like most sins, it’s not about a solitary choice. We may think the problem was a poor choice of sacrifice, but it was an insincere heart that lead to the insincere sacrifice. That same divided heart kept Cain from accepting correction.
Before its a sin issue, it’s a heart issue. In my opinion, that is the main point of the story of Cain and Abel.
Keep your heart will all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life.
Proverbs 4:23
Then Cain and Abel story for kids can be presented the same way. We can do all the good things that are expected of us, but if we do them with ill motives we are only deceiving ourselves. Nothing is hidden from God. He is a discerner of hearts. Just like he could see the evil in Cain’s heart and the good in Abel’s heart; He can see what fills our hearts.
If we claim to worship him, but our hearts are not devoted to him, God sees that. Often times He’ll reach out to us and correct us. How we respond to that correction is up to us. We can choose repentance or we can choose rebellion. The choice is always ours. Repentance leads us to freedom from sin. Rebellion keeps us captive to us.
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