(Deuteronomy 4:2 [KJV]) Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I
command you.
(Proverbs 30:5, 6 [KJV]) Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
(Isaiah 28:10 [KJV])
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
(Isaiah 28:13 [KJV])
But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
(2 Peter 1:20 [KJV])
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
All of the studies, book or topical, found here, are done with research with mainly two things: The KING JAMES BIBLE and a plain old, 1828 Webster's Dictionary. Why? Outside of actually studying secular and Jewish history, archaeology, one needs nothing more. You do not need foreign, dead languages that no one speaks, lexicons, concordances or commentaries, because they differ not only with one another and with the KING JAMES BIBLE, but they create division, confusion, debate, and unbelief. We do not need them. That Word of God written and preserved for us in our own language is supposed to be enough, like the Old Testament was for the Jews, and the New Testament for the early Christians in Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, German, etc. There are studies within as tangents on words, subjects found within the two testaments, as to broaden the scope of the study, to learn more, deeper truths. This is not an intellectual site with PhDs, theologians, and no worldly wisdom.. Check everything out, everything. Not just here, but with everything you read and see and hear. Be Bereans:
(Acts 17:11 [KJV])
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Always research for yourself, use all of the context, and never privately interpret!
Genesis Chapter 4
Some idioms straight out of the Bible:
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
A little bird told me
A broken heart
A cross to bear
A drop in the bucket
A house divided against itself cannot stand
A law unto themselves
A man after his own heart
A soft answer turns away wrath
A two-edged sword
A voice crying in the wilderness
All things must pass
All things to all men
Am I my brother's keeper?
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
As old as Methuselah
As old as the hills
As white as snow
As you sow so shall you reap
Ashes to ashes dust to dust
At his wits end
Baptism of fire
Be fruitful and multiply
Beat swords into ploughshares
Bite the dust
Blessed are the peacemakers
By the skin of your teeth
By the sweat of your brow
Can a leopard change its spots?
Cast the first stone
Coat of many colours
Don't cast your pearls before swine
Eat drink and be merry
Faith will move mountains
Fall from grace
Fat of the land
Feet of clay
Fight the good fight
Fire and brimstone
Fly in the ointment
For everything there is a season
Forbidden fruit
Go the extra mile
Good Samaritan
Harden your heart
He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword
Holier than thou
In the twinkling of an eye
It's better to give than to receive
Labour of love
Lamb to the slaughter
Land of Nod (to Nod off)
Law unto themselves
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone
Let not the sun go down on your wrath
Let there be light
Letter of the law
Living off the fat of the land
Love thy neighbour as thyself
Man does not live by bread alone
Many are called but few are chosen
Mark of Cain
My cup runneth over
No rest for the wicked
Nothing new under the sun
ye, of little faith
Out of the mouths of babes
Physician heal thyself
Pride goes before a fall
Put words in one's mouth
Put your house in order
Red sky at night; sailor’s delight
Reap the whirlwind
See eye to eye
Set your teeth on edge
Sign of the times
Skin of your teeth
Sour grapes
Spare the rod and spoil the child
Strait and narrow
The apple of his eye
The blind leading the blind
The bread of life
The ends of the earth
The fruits of your loins
The letter of the law
The love of money is the root of all evil
The patience of Job
The powers that be
The root of the matter
The salt of the earth
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
The straight and narrow
The way of all flesh
The writing is on the wall
Thorn in the flesh
To everything there is a season
Wash your hands of the matter
Weighed in the balances and found wanting
Wisdom of Solomon
Woe is me
Wolf in sheep's clothing
**One of American writer John Steinbeck's most famous novels is East of Eden. The betrayal of a brother is one of its central themes.
The Land of Nod also refers to the mythical land of sleep, a pun on Land of Nod (Gen. 4:16) [1]. To “go off to the land of Nod” plays with the phrase to “nod off”, meaning to go to sleep. The first recorded use of the phrase to mean "sleep" comes from Jonathan Swift in his Complete Collection of Polite and Ingenious Conversation (1737) [2] and Gulliver's Travels. A later instance of this usage appears in the poem The Land of Nod[3] by Robert Louis Stevenson from the A Child's Garden of Verses and Underwoods[4](1885) collection.
In The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes book, The Land of Nod is a pun on the mythical land of sleep, or The Dreaming, Cain's destination after his murdering his brother.
In Bad Monkeys, a psychological thriller by Matt Ruff, the main character frequently refers to apparent contradictions in her back story as "Nod problems."
The Land of Nod Trilogy is a series of books by author Gary Hoover. The first book in the trilogy ( Land of Nod, The Artifact) was published by Fantasy Island Book Publishing in 2011.
(Genesis 4:1) And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
Cain= "Gotten"
Cain was the first person ever born on the earth
Abel="Vain, vapor, breath, whiff", same word used in Ecclesiastes "vanity of vanities"
(Genesis 4:2) And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Abel first person to die
Abel first person murdered
Abel first person to die as a victim of sin
Abel first person to die childless, making his life and his death in "vain"
(Genesis 4:3) And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
Commandment was given and understood for animal sacrifice to God-Cain violated it
(Genesis 4:4) And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Abel was not present when God sacrificed an animal to clothe his parents after the fall
How did he know to do this?
Commandment was already given for animal sacrifice to God-Abel obeyed it
Commandment was already given for animal sacrifice, even though permission to eat meat was not given yet, so the entire purpose of having a flock was for worshipping God, not for food
For this, he was killed (persecution for the righteous)
(Genesis 4:5) But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
The seed of murder is already planted
It is either jealousy or hate or both
Cain is already a murderer
(Hebrews 11:4) By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
(Matthew 5:21-22) Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
(Genesis 4:6) And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
God is again not asking because HE does not know......HE is asking for Cain to confess sin in his heart
It is in his heart and on his face both and plain for all to see
(Proverbs 16:15) In the light of the king's countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain.
(Matthew 6:16) Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
(Genesis 4:7) If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
The fact is that if Cain did well, he would be accepted. If he does not do well, just in his heart, the enemy is right there with his flesh, urging him and tempting him to sin
Our flesh, our bent is toward the evil, the enemy, the serpent, and not the good, ever since the Fall
Change of first person to the serpent from Cain
Our flesh is also the object of the desire of the enemy (unto thee shall be his desire)
Sin also rules over us if we let it
This is premeditated
(1 Peter 5:8) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
(Romans 6:12) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
(Romans 6:14) For : for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
(Genesis 4:8) And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
In the premeditation, Cain prepares the crime by acting normal with his brother
There is no indication of a provocation from Abel; he merely was in the field, and was previously offering blood sacrifices to God-his crime for which Cain killed him
He was killed far away from the First Couple, secretly
How long did he think it would be before Abel would be noticed missing?
(1 John 3:12) Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
(Genesis 4:9) And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
He learned irresponsibility from his parents
He did not learn lying, but he lied anyways
Today we say, "Can you prove I did it?"
Cain thinks God did not see what he did, visibly, visually
(Genesis 4:10) And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
Cain obviously would not answer the question above about the location of his brother
When people are murdered, God sees the bloodshed, witnesses the crime, does not forget what happened unless we get saved. Even then, there are consequences
Cain thinks God did not see what he did, visibly, visually
(Genesis 4:11) And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
Abel's blood was shed on the ground, God had used to cover and bury Abel, presumably
Cain was cursed for this bloodshed, and it was at his own hand ("from thy hand")
(Genesis 4:12) 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.
You wanted to eat and offer plants? Fine. Try gardening now!
One can imagine how Cain farming from here on out was made virtually impossible.
Would God then make animal husbandry work for Cain, to get that sacrifice?
Cain will be both on the run and wandering aimlessly about
Just as his parents were kicked out of the Garden, so now Cain is kicked out of society
FU'GITIVE, a. [L. fugitivus, from fugio, to flee. Gr.]
Volatile; apt to flee away; readily wafted by the wind.
The more tender and fugitive parts -
Not tenable; not to be held or detained; readily escaping; as a fugitive idea.
Unstable; unsteady; fleeting; not fixed or durable.
Fleeing; running from danger or pursuit.
Fleeing from duty; eloping; escaping.
Can a fugitive daughter enjoy herself, while her parents are in tears?
Wandering; vagabond; as a fugitive physician.
In literature, fugitive compositions are such as are short and occasional, written in haste or at intervals, and considered to be fleeting and temporary.
FU'GITIVE, n.
One who fees from his station or duty; a deserter; one who flees from danger.
One who has fled or deserted and taken refuge under another power, or one who has fled from punishment.
One hard to be caught or detained.
Or catch that airy fugitive, called wit.
VAG'ABOND, a. [L. vagabundus, from vagor, to wander; from the root of wag.]
Wandering; moving from place to place without any settled habitation; as a vagabond exile.
Wandering; floating about without any certain direction; driven to and fro.
Like to a vagabond flag upon the stream.
VAG'ABOND, n. [supra.] A vagrant; one who wanders from town to town or place to place, having no certain dwelling, or not abiding in it. By the laws of England and of the United States, vagabonds are liable to be taken up and punished. (Genesis 4:13) And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
Once the consequences of our actions hit home,we often realize too late that it really, in the end, was not worth it.
God can redeem a person from life of crime, but the victim in this case is to remain the victim.
Abel is still dead. His punishment was for being innocent of a crime, only to get the death penalty for it
(Genesis 4:14) Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
There were other people on the earth then, enough that Cain was worried about getting the death penalty when the word gets out who killed Abel
"From thy face shall I be hid" may indicate that his fellowship with God is over, or he never really had it; either way, God can not look at sin, unrepented of
There is no repentance here, so this indicates an unsaved man and his attitude of self-pity, "Woe is me!"
Cain has basically been sentenced to a prison without bars
(Genesis 4:15) And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
God's sign of mercy on Cain
God is God and can impose whatever sentence He wills, and spares Cain the death sentence from Himself and even others
Any attempts to kill Cain now will be considered vengeance
(Genesis 4:16) And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
An attempt at a normal life without God's presence
This is the best that this world has to offer in the end-separation from God, being accursed with a death sentence, restless, meaningless, uneasy, without peace with man and God, never to be heard much from again, wandering the earth alone, lost forever.
Cain is in The State Of Man, after the Fall
(Genesis 4:17) And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.This is the last word on Cain(Jude 1:11) Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
(Genesis 4:18) And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.
(Genesis 4:19) And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
(Genesis 4:20) And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.
(Genesis 4:21) And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
(Genesis 4:22) And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.(Genesis 4:23) And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
(Genesis 4:24) If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
(Genesis 4:25) And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
(Genesis 4:26) And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
