Genesis 4:16

Went out from the presence of the Lord] from the land he had before inhabited. See on Genesis 4:14. Nod] The word, which means 'wandering,' is by some regarded as merely a figurative exprèssion for a nomadic life, but Cain appears to have built a city there (Genesis 4:17).

17-24. The descendants of Cain. In these vv. is traced the origin of the different forms of civilisation and culture. Their religious value lies in the fact that the inventions are attributed to men, whereas in heathen mythologies they were thought to be due to various deities.

It will be observed that great similarity exists between the names of the descendants of Adam in this chapter and those given in Genesis 5. The two accounts come from different documents, and although the names differ somewhat in form and order, it is now generally supposed that they are merely two versions of the same traditional list of the Patriarchs before the Flood. The most important difference is that, whereas in Genesis 5 Seth and Enos are given as the son and grandson of Adam, and Cainan (whom we may identify with Cain) appears as the great-grandson, in the present chapter Seth and Enos are put in a supplementary list (Genesis 4:25) and Cain appears as Adam's son. If the list in Genesis 5 is correct and the Cain of this chapter be identified with Cainan there, it is evident that there must have then existed a considerable population of his tribe. And this is indeed presupposed in Genesis 4:14 where Cain expresses his dread of Abel's avengers, and in Genesis 4:17 where he is said to have built a city.