Do you feel bad because you were wrong or because you were caught?
It’s a question every parent eventually asks. Frankly, I don’t know what the answer is most of the time. But I do wonder about my children.
What about when I sin? When I’m confronted by my own sin, do I feel bad because I was wrong, or because I was caught (and am being confronted)?
Last week, we saw the results of Cain’s sinful heart: the murder of his brother Abel. The Lord issued Cain’s punishment, and as we continue in Genesis 4:13-16, we see Cain’s response to the Lord.
Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
Genesis 4:13-16, New International Version
But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.
So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Verse 13 is more complicated in Hebrew than it first appears. The verse could also be translated as “My guilt is more than I can bear.” Indeed, the Hebrew word can mean “punishment, iniquity, guilt, mischief, or sin.” Therefore, the context informs translators how to translate the word.
How does it change the meaning if it is “guilt”? If Cain expresses remorse, there would be a hint of repentance. If he repented, would he not be forgiven by the Lord?
Instead, if Cain says, “my punishment…” (as the NIV and most translations put it), then he is overwhelmed by the severity of the spanking, not the act that caused it. This means he is downplaying the murder of his brother! Instead of being convicted and saying, “What have I done!? Please forgive me! Remove the blot of my sin!!!” he would say, “It’s not that bad; Abel deserved it! You rejected me—you have caused me to murder.”
That’s a BIG difference between the intent of Cain’s argument!
So…what’s the “right” answer? Is Cain repenting or being obstinate?
As with all language issues (be it Biblical Hebrew, Biblical Greek, Spanish, German, or English), we must rely on context. The context of verse 14 is more in keeping with a complaint than a request.
Cain is complaining that his punishment is too harsh. His isolation from God’s protective presence equals a death sentence to him. His attitude is, “Better to kill me now and get it over with if this is what you’re going to do!” Cain is going to pieces, but he isn’t repenting.
Additionally, there is a marked difference between Cain’s response to God’s decree and Adam’s (go back to Genesis 3:20). Cain expresses no inkling of remorse, only self-pity and resentment. Additionally, the noted absence of forgiveness on the Lord’s part (being indicated in verse 16) demonstrates he made no request.
In verse 15, the Lord responds to Cain’s complaint: “Not so.”
The Lord corrects this challenge to His authority by protecting Cain’s “life sentence” (which He had just pronounced). Cain would not “get out of it” so easily by being murdered as soon as he left the area.
The Lord secured this protection by putting a “mark” on Cain. We don’t know what this “mark” was, but without question, it was recognizable. The Lord didn’t want Cain killed by others because any killing by another human being would be retributive, and vengeance belongs to the Lord.
Remember, there are no governments at this point, and there is no “Law of Moses” at this point. There is only God, what He taught to Adam, and what he had passed along. This “mark” or “sign,” then, was not so much a part of the curse but a mark of protection.
The Lord sends Cain eastward toward the “land of Nod” (verse 16). Not only was Cain removed spiritually from the Lord, but he would also be removed physically as well.
“Nod” is a pun (a play on words) with the Hebrew word which means “wanderer” (as in Cain will wander through the wilderness as a nomad). Scripture does not speak again of “Nod,” and no specific locale is known. Instead of being forgiven, Cain would be sent to the land of wandering (Nod).
The sobriety of the story reminds us of the seriousness of sin. The Lord will forgive the repentance, but He casts out those who refuse to repent for sin. When the Lord convicts you of sin, I urge you to repent quickly and bask in the warmth of His forgiveness and not the distance of “Nod.”
Aside
In the brevity of a blog, there isn’t space to often work through everything that comes up in a text. In this passage, we are suddenly faced with a glaring question: who was Cain afraid was going to kill him if/when he was removed from the Lord’s presence?
Adam? Eve? Animals?
No, he was afraid of the people killing him where he was going. Where did these people come from? So far, we’ve only heard about Adam, Eve, Abel, and Cain. Who are these people, and where did they come from?
In short, these are also children of Adam and Eve. These other people are Cain’s brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews. This will come up again in next week’s passage, so this information will also come in handy.
Life Meets Theology 