Genesis 4:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”

NIV: Then the LORD said to Cain, 'Where is your brother Abel?' 'I don't know,' he replied. 'Am I my brother's keeper?'

NASB: Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Where is Abel your brother?' And he said, 'I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?'

CSB: Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel? ""I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's guardian? "

NLT: Afterward the Lord asked Cain, 'Where is your brother? Where is Abel?' 'I don’t know,' Cain responded. 'Am I my brother’s guardian?'

KJV: And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?

NKJV: Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Following Cain's murder of his brother Abel in a field, God comes to confront Cain. As He did with Adam and Eve following their sin in the garden, God begins with a question He already knows the answer to: Where is your brother? God provides Cain the opportunity for confession. When God gave this option to Adam, he reluctantly confessed to what he had done. This was not ideal, but it at least reflected a willingness to obey God (Genesis 3:8–13).

Instead of taking this approach, Cain lies to God and remains defiant. He brazenly claims not to know where Abel is. He then asks a question siblings have been quoting to their mothers for generations: "Am I my brother's keeper?" This not only represents dishonesty, but disrespect. Cain flippantly rejected any responsibility for his murdered brother in a way which implies it's wrong of God to even ask the question.

In modern language, Cain is essentially telling God, "Why is Abel my problem?"

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.

Accessed 5/11/2024 5:30:55 AM