Genesis 4:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth."

NIV: When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."

NASB: When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a wanderer and a drifter on the earth.'

CSB: If you work the ground, it will never again give you its yield. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."

NLT: No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.'

KJV: When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

NKJV: When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”

In the previous verse, God began to pronounce His curse on Cain for murdering his brother Abel. Here, He concludes it. In addition to no longer being able to get crops from the ground, Cain would become a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth. He would be forced to separate from his family and seek other places to find food and shelter to survive.

Cain's curse is revealing. Even Cain, evil in his heart (1 John 3:12), found some satisfaction in working the ground to produce crops to feed himself and others. God took away what had brought some meaning and purpose to his life. In addition, of course, God drove Cain away from his family as He had driven Adam and Eve away from their home in the garden. Sin always leads to separation.

Interestingly, God does not yet demand Cain's life in response to his murderous act. God will later demand exactly that from His people, in response to the murder of the innocent. He does not kill Cain to satisfy justice for the murder of his brother, and He doesn't require Cain to make any animal sacrifice to atone for his sin. This seems to be extended as one last gesture of mercy. Cain, according to the following verses, will not only defy God's punishment by building a city (Genesis 4:17), he will produce a culture of evil, rebellious people.

Genesis 4:1–16 tells the beginning of human history in the wake of Adam's and Eve's sin and separation from God. This passage details the murder of Abel by his older brother Cain, the first son of Adam and Eve. Cain and Abel work the ground and tend sheep. They worship God, but Cain kills Abel in a fit of envy over God's rejection of Cain and his offering. The first human born on earth becomes the first murderer. God forces Cain to leave his family and wander the earth, but God also marks Cain with a promise of great vengeance on anyone who would kill him.

The consequences of sin become apparent in chapter 4: envy, arrogance, rebellion, murder, punishment, separation from family, and separation from God. Adam and Eve's firstborn son, Cain, jealously murders his brother Abel and loses everything. Adam and Eve lose them both. Cain's descendants amplify his sinfulness. Still, God provides help for Eve in childbirth and even provides protection for Cain in his wandering. Eve remains a woman of faith, even in her loss. And the sons of Seth, born after the murder of Abel, become a people who proclaim the name of the Lord.

The first three chapters of Genesis explain the creation and loss of paradise, as Adam and Eve are separated from God both physically and spiritually. Their relationship with Him does not end, however. Eve recognizes His help in bearing her son Cain and later Seth. Cain and Abel both worship God until Cain kills Abel. God provides protection for Cain, whose descendants become innovative, artful, arrogant, and violent. The descendants of Seth, however, begin to call on the Lord's name. This chapter bridges the story of Genesis from our ultimate origins to the story of Noah, introduced in the next chapter.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.