14 lo, Thou hast driven me to-day from off the face of the ground, and from Thy face I am hid; and I have been a wanderer, even a trembling one, in the earth, and it hath been -- every one finding me doth slay me.'
`All days of the wicked he is paining himself, And few years have been laid up for the terrible one. A fearful voice `is' in his ears, In peace doth a destroyer come to him. He believeth not to return from darkness, And watched `is' he for the sword. He is wandering for bread -- `Where `is' it?' He hath known that ready at his hand Is a day of darkness. Terrify him do adversity and distress, They prevail over him As a king ready for a boaster.
`The redeemer of blood himself doth put the murderer to death; in his coming against him he doth put him to death.
for, because of the anger of Jehovah, it hath been in Jerusalem and Judah till He hath cast them from before His face, and Zedekiah doth rebel against the king of Babylon.
Haste, answer me, O Jehovah, My spirit hath been consumed, Hide not Thou Thy face from me, Or I have been compared with those going down `to' the pit.
and the redeemer of blood hath found him at the outside of the border of the city of his refuge, and the redeemer of blood hath slain the man-slayer, blood is not for him;
or in enmity he hath smitten him with his hand, and he dieth; the smiter is certainly put to death; he `is' a murderer; the redeemer of blood doth put the murderer to death in his coming against him.
`And only your blood for your lives do I require; from the hand of every living thing I require it, and from the hand of man, from the hand of every man's brother I require the life of man; whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man is his blood shed: for in the image of God hath He made man.
And Jehovah saith to him, `Therefore -- of any slayer of Cain sevenfold it is required;' and Jehovah setteth to Cain a token that none finding him doth slay him. And Cain goeth out from before Jehovah, and dwelleth in the land, moving about east of Eden;
And these shall go away to punishment age-during, but the righteous to life age-during.'
and I have set My face against you, and ye have been smitten before your enemies; and those hating you have ruled over you, and ye have fled, and there is none pursuing you.
Then shall he say also to those on the left hand, Go ye from me, the cursed, to the fire, the age-during, that hath been prepared for the Devil and his messengers;
And unto the land it looketh attentively, And lo, adversity and darkness! -- Dimness, distress, and thick darkness is driven away, But not the dimness for which she is in distress!
In his wickedness is the wicked driven away, And trustful in his death `is' the righteous.
And wander continually do his sons, Yea, they have begged, And have sought out of their dry places.
Cast me not forth from Thy presence, And Thy Holy Spirit take not from me. Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, And a willing spirit doth sustain me. I teach transgressors Thy ways, And sinners unto Thee do return. Deliver me from blood, O God, God of my salvation, My tongue singeth of Thy righteousness.
and lo, the whole family hath risen against thy maid-servant, and say, Give up him who smiteth his brother, and we put him to death for the life of his brother whom he hath slain, and we destroy also the heir; and they have quenched my coal which is left -- so as not to set to my husband a name and remnant on the face of the ground.'
And the sons of Israel speak unto Moses, saying, `Lo, we have expired; we have perished; we have all of us perished; any who is at all drawing near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth; have we not been consumed -- to expire?'
`And those who are left of you -- I have also brought a faintness into their heart in the lands of their enemies, and the sound of a leaf driven away hath pursued them, and they have fled -- flight from a sword -- and they have fallen, and there is none pursuing.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Genesis 4
Commentary on Genesis 4 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 4
In this chapter we have both the world and the church in a family, in a little family, in Adam's family, and a specimen given of the character and state of both in after-ages, nay, in all ages, to the end of time. As all mankind were represented in Adam, so that great distinction of mankind into saints and sinners, godly and wicked, the children of God and the children of the wicked one, was here represented in Cain and Abel, and an early instance is given of the enmity which was lately put between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. We have here,
Gen 4:1-2
Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters, ch. 5:4. But Cain and Abel seem to have been the two eldest. Some think they were twins, and, as Esau and Jacob, the elder hated and the younger loved. Though God had cast our first parents out of paradise, he did not write them childless; but, to show that he had other blessings in store for them, he preserved to them the benefit of that first blessing of increase. Though they were sinners, nay, though they felt the humiliation and sorrow of penitents, they did not write themselves comfortless, having the promise of a Saviour to support themselves with. We have here,
Gen 4:3-5
Here we have,
Gen 4:6-7
God is here reasoning with Cain, to convince him of the sin and folly of his anger and discontent, and to bring him into a good temper again, that further mischief might be prevented. It is an instance of God's patience and condescending goodness that he would deal thus tenderly with so bad a man, in so bad an affair. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Thus the father of the prodigal argued the case with the elder son (Lu. 15:28, etc.), and God with those Israelites who said, The way of the Lord is not equal, Eze. 18:25.
Gen 4:8
We have here the progress of Cain's anger, and the issue of it in Abel's murder, which may be considered two ways:-
Gen 4:9-12
We have here a full account of the trial and condemnation of the first murderer. Civil courts of judicature not being yet erected for this purpose, as they were afterwards (ch. 9:6), God himself sits Judge; for he is the God to whom vengeance belongs, and who will be sure to make inquisition for blood, especially the blood of saints. Observe,
This was the sentence passed upon Cain; and even in this there was mercy mixed, inasmuch as he was not immediately cut off, but had space given him to repent; for God is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish.
Gen 4:13-15
We have here a further account of the proceedings against Cain.
Gen 4:16-18
We have here a further account of Cain, and what became of him after he was rejected of God.
Gen 4:19-22
We have here some particulars concerning Lamech, the seventh from Adam in the line of Cain. Observe,
Gen 4:23-24
By this speech of Lamech, which is here recorded, and probably was much talked of in those times, he further appears to have been a wicked man, as Cain's accursed race generally were. Observe,
Now this is all we have upon record in scripture concerning the family and posterity of cursed Cain, till we find them all cut off and perishing in the universal deluge.
Gen 4:25-26
This is the first mention of Adam in the story of this chapter. No question, the murder of Abel, and the impenitence and apostasy of Cain, were a very great grief to him and Eve, and the more because their own wickedness did now correct them and their backslidings did reprove them. Their folly had given sin and death entrance into the world; and now they smarted by it, being, by means thereof, deprived of both their sons in one day, ch. 27:45. When parents are grieved by their children's wickedness they should take occasion thence to lament that corruption of nature which was derived from them, and which is the root of bitterness. But here we have that which was a relief to our first parents in their affliction.