GENESIS CHAPTER 4 The birth of Cain and Abel, and their employment, GENESIS 4:1. Cain's offering, GENESIS 4:3. Abel's sacrifice, and God's acceptance, GENESIS 4:4. Cain's rejected; his discontent, GENESIS 4:5. God expostulates it with him, GENESIS 4:6. He murders Abel, GENESIS 4:8. God makes inquiry... [ Continue Reading ]
ABEL signifies _vanity, _ a vain, mortal, miserable man, whereas she thought Cain to be more than an ordinary man; or this name might prophetically design his miserable life, and untimely and unnatural death. To _till the ground_ was esteemed a more honourable calling than that of a shepherd, and th... [ Continue Reading ]
Either, 1. In general, at the return of the set time then appointed, and used for the solemn service of God. Or, 2. At the end of the year, when there might be now, as there was afterward among the Jews, more solemn worship and sacrifices; the word _days_ being often put for a year, as LEVITICUS 2... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FIRSTLINGS; either, 1. The first-born, which God reserved to himself, both at this time, and afterwards by an express law, EXODUS 13:2 NUMBERS 3:13. Or, 2. The choicest and most eminent of the flock; for the best of any kind are oft called first-born, as JOB 18:13 JEREMIAH 31:19 HEBREWS 12:23.... [ Continue Reading ]
CAIN WAS VERY WROTH; partly with God, who, had cast so public a disgrace upon him, and given the preference to his younger brother; and partly with Abel, because he had received more honour from God, and therefore was likely to have more respect and privilege from his parents than himself. HIS COUNT... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD SPOKE UNTO CAIN, that he might bring him to repentance, and the knowledge of his sin. WHY IS THY COUNTENANCE FALLEN? The cause of this dejectedness is not from me, but from thyself.... [ Continue Reading ]
IF THOU DOEST WELL, or, for the future _shalt do well, _ i.e. repent of thy sin, amend thy life, offer thy offerings with a willing and cheerful mind and honest heart, in faith and love, as Abel did, SHALT THOU NOT BE ACCEPTED? Or, _pardoned, _ received into favour? Or, _exalted, _ and either preser... [ Continue Reading ]
_ cir. 3865_ CAIN TALKED WITH ABEL, either, 1. Familiarly and friendly, as he used to do, thereby to make him secure and careless; or by way of expostulation and contention; IN THE FIELD, into which Abel was led, either by his own employment, or, 2. By Cain's persuasion; this being a fit place for... [ Continue Reading ]
WHERE IS ABEL? Not that God was ignorant where he was, but partly to convince him of his sin, and to lead him to repentance, and partly to instruct judges to inquire into causes, and hear the accused speak for themselves, before they pass sentence. THY BROTHER, whom nature and near relation obliged... [ Continue Reading ]
I hear thy words, but what say thy actions? What a hideous crime hast thou committed! In vain dost thou endeavour to hide it or deny it. In the Hebrew it is _bloods, _ either to aggravate the crime, or to show the plenty of the blood split, or to charge him with the murder of all those that might na... [ Continue Reading ]
As the earth was cursed for thy father's sake, so now art thou cursed in thy own person; FROM THE EARTH, or, _in regard of the earth, _ which shall grudge thee both its fruits and a certain dwelling-place, and which had more humanity to thy brother than thou hadst; for it kindly received and covered... [ Continue Reading ]
Or, _that ground, _ which doth or shall fall to thy share, besides the first and general curse inflicted upon the whole earth, shall have this peculiar curse added to it, IT SHALL NOT HENCEFORTH YIELD UNTO THEE HER STRENGTH, i.e. its virtue and fruit, in such proportion as it hath hitherto done. A V... [ Continue Reading ]
Hebrew, _My sin; _ but _sin_ seems here to be put for punishment, as before, GENESIS 4:7 GENESIS 19:15 LEVITICUS 5:1 PSALMS 69:27 PROVERBS 12:21; for Cain was not so sensible of his sin as of the ill effects of it, as himself shows, GENESIS 4:14.... [ Continue Reading ]
Consider how severely thou usest me; THOU HAST DRIVEN ME OUT, with public infamy, as the word signifies, FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH, or, _this earth, _ my native land, AND FROM THY FACE, i.e. favour and protection, as the public enemy of mankind, and as one devoted by thee to destruction. QUEST. Who... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE; or, _assuredly, _ as the word signifies, JEREMIAH 2:32, JEREMIAH 5:2, MALACHI 11:17; that thou mayst see how I hate murder, and how impartially I shall punish all murderers; and that thou mayst be unhappily free from this fear, that thou mayst live for an example to mankind, for a terror... [ Continue Reading ]
i.e. He was banished from the place of God's special presence and habitation, from the society of his father, and of the only church which God had upon earth; AND DWELT IN THE LAND OF NOD, in the land which was afterwards called _Nod, _ from Cain's unsettled condition, because he continued wandering... [ Continue Reading ]
_ circ. 3875_ CAIN KNEW HIS WIFE; of which phrase SEE POOLE ON "GENESIS 4:1". HE BUILT A CITY; partly to divert his troubled mind with business and pleasure, and partly for his own security against the enemies and evils which his guilty conscience made him fear, notwithstanding the assurance which G... [ Continue Reading ]
No text from Poole on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
LAMECH, the wicked branch of that cursed root of Cain, TOOK UNTO HIM TWO WIVES, against God's first institution, GENESIS 2:24 ZECHARIAH 2:15, and without God's leave.... [ Continue Reading ]
He taught shepherds to dwell in tents, and to remove them from place to place, for conveniency of pasture. The first authors or inventors of any thing are commonly called its _fathers._ And he was the inventor of the art of keeping and managing cattle.... [ Continue Reading ]
Or, _the lovely instrument; _ but what kind of instrument this was, even the Jews do not understand. The meaning is, he was the inventor of music and musical instruments.... [ Continue Reading ]
TUBAL-CAIN, whom (as the learned conceive, and the agreement of the name and function makes probable) the heathens worshipped by the name of _Vulcan, _ the god of smiths; and his sister _Naamah, _ by the name of _Venus._ He first taught men how to make arms, and other instruments of iron. NAAMAH; so... [ Continue Reading ]
ADAH AND ZILLAH, observing his fierceness and cruelty, feared that the vengeance of God or men would fall upon him, and upon them for his sake. Be it so that I have slain a man, and that a young man, why do you concern yourselves in it? It is TO MY own WOUNDING and _hurt, _ not to yours; I must suff... [ Continue Reading ]
If the slaughter of Cain shall be punished in him that shall kill him, whosoever he be, my death shall be much more certainly and severely revenged by God upon any man that shall murder me. These words may be either, 1. A profane scoff: q.d. Since Cain, my father and pattern in murder, was so far f... [ Continue Reading ]
_ Circ. 3874_ She gave the name, but not without Adam's consent, GENESIS 5:3. She spoke by Divine inspiration. Note that the word SEED is used of one single person here, and GENESIS 21:13, GENESIS 38:8; which confirms the apostle's argument, GALATIANS 3:16. INSTEAD OF ABEL; to succeed his father Ada... [ Continue Reading ]
ENOS properly signifies a _miserable man, _ to note the great wickedness and wretchedness of that generation, which the Hebrew writers generally observe. TO CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD; to pray unto God, to worship God in a more public and solemn manner; praying being here put for the whole worsh... [ Continue Reading ]