Ge 4:1
4:1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she {a} conceived, and bare
    Cain, and said, I have gotten a man {b} from the LORD.

    (a) Man's nature, the estate of marriage, and God's blessing
        were not utterly abolished through sin, but the quality
        or condition of it was changed.
    (b) That is, according to the Lord's promise, as some read
        @Ge 3:15, "To the Lord" rejoicing for the son she
        had born, whom she would offer to the Lord as the first
        fruits of her birth.

Ge 4:3
4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of
    the fruit of the ground an {c} offering unto the LORD.

    (c) This declares that the father instructed his children in
        the knowledge of God, and also how God gave them
        sacrifices to signify their salvation, though they were
        destitute of the ordinance of the tree of life.

Ge 4:7
4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be {e} accepted?  and if
    thou doest not well, sin lieth at the {f} door.  And unto
    thee [shall be] his {g} desire, and thou shalt rule over
    him.

    (e) Both you and your sacrifice shall be acceptable to me.
    (f) Sin will still torment your conscience.
    (g) The dignity of the first born is given to Cain over
        Abel.

Ge 4:9
4:9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where [is] Abel thy brother?
    And he said, I know not: {h} [Am] I my brother's keeper?

    (h) This is the nature of the reprobate when they are rebuke
        for their hypocrisy, even to neglect God and outrage
        him.

Ge 4:10
4:10 And he said, What hast thou done? the {i} voice of thy
     brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

     {i} God avenges the wrongs against his saints, though no
         one complains: for the iniquity itself cries for
         vengeance.

Ge 4:11
4:11 And now [art] thou cursed {k} from the earth, which hath
     opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy
     hand;

     (k) The earth will be a witness against you, which
         mercifully received the blood you most cruelly shed.

Ge 4:12
4:12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield
     unto thee her strength; a {l} fugitive and a vagabond shalt
     thou be in the earth.

     (l) You will never have rest for your heart will be in
         continual fear and worry.

Ge 4:13
4:13 And Cain said unto the LORD, {m} My punishment [is] greater
     than I can bear.

     (m) He burdens God as a cruel judge because he punished him
         so severely.

Ge 4:15
4:15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth
     Cain, {n} vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And
     the LORD set a {o} mark upon Cain, lest any finding him
     should kill him.

     (n) Not for the love he had for Cain, but to suppress
         murder.
     (o) Which was some visible sign of God's judgment, that
         others should fear by it.

Ge 4:17
4:17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch:
     and he builded a {p} city, and called the name of the city,
     after the name of his son, Enoch.

     (p) Thinking by this to be safe, and to have less reason to
         fear God's judgments against him.

Ge 4:19
4:19 And Lamech took unto him {q} two wives: the name of the one
     [was] Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.

     (q) The lawful institution of marriage, which is, that two
         should be one flesh, was first corrupted in the house
         of Cain by Lamech.

Ge 4:23
4:23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my
     voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: {r} for
     I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my
     hurt.

     (r) His wives seeing that all men hated him for his
         cruelty, were afraid, therefore he brags that there is
         none strong enough to resist, even though he was
         already wounded.

Ge 4:24
4:24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech {s}
     seventy and sevenfold.

     (s) He mocked at God's tolerance in Cain jesting as though
         God would allow no one to punish him and yet give him
         permission to murder others.

Ge 4:26
4:26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he
     called his name Enos: then began men to {t} call upon the
     name of the LORD.

     (t) In these days God began to move the hearts of the godly
         to restore religion, which had been suppressed by the
         wicked for a long time.



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