Genesis 4:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.

NIV: Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock.

NASB: Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and have livestock.

CSB: Adah bore Jabal; he was the first of the nomadic herdsmen.

NLT: Adah gave birth to Jabal, who was the first of those who raise livestock and live in tents.

KJV: And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.

NKJV: And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.

This section provides genealogies listing the important descendants of Cain. Ancient genealogies did not typically mention every single son or daughter. Rather, they focused on important figures, or simply listed the bloodline from one person to another. Even then, generations would sometimes be skipped to make the list shorter.

Lamech is the seventh generation from Adam, through Cain. One of his two wives, Adah, gives birth to a son called Jabal. We're told Jabal became the father of those who live in tents and have livestock. In other words, Jabal and his descendants likely became a nomadic people managing herds of several kinds of animals, perhaps including sheep, cattle, and others.

Later, we will see Lamech bragging about his murder of a younger man. The society which came from Cain was not only defiant towards God, but boldly and arrogantly sinful. As we move close to the story of the flood, this is crucial for realizing just how depraved mankind will become.

Genesis 4:17–26 describes Cain's family line after his murder of Abel. While the details are limited, Scripture does mention a few points of concern. Lamech, Cain's great-great-great-grandson not only took two wives, he also bragged about murdering a younger man. This attitude of blatant defiance sets the stage for God's judgment of a depraved earth in the story of the flood in Genesis chapter 6. This passage also describes Adam and Eve's son Seth, born after Cain, who becomes the ancestor of Noah.

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.

Accessed 5/7/2024 6:59:58 AM