Word In Life Study Bible
WAS THE BIRTH OF THE CITY GOOD OR BAD?
Gen.4:18
Cain’s motivation to found a settled town may have sprung from the punishment he received for killing his brother, Abel. God placed a curse on Cain and forced him to wander the earth (Gen. 4:10–12). But he feared for his life, so God marked him to protect him from enemies (4:13–15). Still, he wandered east of Eden (“delight”) to the land of Nod (“wandering”)—a stark contrast!
Perhaps to end his fugitive status, offset the effects of God’s judgment, and maybe even recapture something of the original Eden, Cain founded Enoch. It’s interesting that he names the settlement after his firstborn son.
But was the birth of the city good or bad? Some would say bad, pointing out that the idea of the city came from a man who “went out from the presence of the Lord” (4:15). They would ask, how could a man who was alienated from God create anything positive?
Yet Cain’s descendants brought much good into the world, though none of them totally escaped the effect of either Adam’s fall or the curse placed on Cain. Cain’s progeny included Irad (meaning uncertain), Mehujael (“smitten of God”), Methushael (“man of God”), and Lamech (meaning unknown) (4:18).
The sons born to Lamech included another nomad or wanderer, Jabal (“nomadic”), but also a musician, Jubal (“playing”), and a skilled craftsman, especially in metals, Tubal-Cain (“smith” or “striker,” 4:21–22). Thus from Cain came both pastoral and urban descendants, with the artist perhaps moving between both worlds. Their sister was named Naamah (“lovely” or “graceful”), reinforcing the idea that these were relatively cultured people.
Yet before long another tragedy struck the Cain family. Lamech came to his two wives one day and admitted to murder. But Lamech pled self-defense as his reason for killing a man (4:23–24). He insisted that he be avenged ten times as much as his ancestor, Cain, who committed premeditated murder. In this way Lamech took the law into his own hands, perpetuating the violence and the “curse of Cain.”
So in the end, Cain left a legacy of good as well as evil. We see that dual heritage in the city to this day. For instance, certain cities in Europe gave rise to the Reformation, yet also to the Holocaust; they produced both an Einstein and a Hitler. Such a history reminds us of the sobering truth of God’s words to Cain, “If you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you” (4:7).
Study notes from the Word In Life Study Bible, copyright 1993,1996, by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission. The study notes from the Word In Life Study Bible appearing at this web site are for personal use only.
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