Adam made love to (1984 lay with, KJV knew) his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? ... .”
v1 Adam lay with his wife Eve. New NIV translation of made love to seems weird to me here.
Q Where did this happen?
A? Hebrew Bible (JSB) reports one scholar saying knew could be read had known, as in it happened earlier, before the fall, in the Garden of Eden. This could mean that we weren’t all "conceived in sin" tho, and apparently this interp doesn’t have much support. Can't buy it.
Q But if Eve didn't get pregnant until they were ousted from the garden, I've gotta wonder why. If God meant them to re-create, why wasn't it happening in the garden before they sinned?
A? Maybe they sinned on their very first day together. That would be discouraging, tho not surprising.
v1 Observation: Even with the curse on childbirth, Eve acknowledges that God helps her through it. The word help is in both NIV and JSB, but Young’s Literal says: “I have gotten a man by Jehovah.” This one sounds like an immaculate conception! So I'm rejecting this conjecture too.
Q v4 Is this judgement capricious of God since we see no prior instruction of expectations to the young men?
A? Hebrews 11:4 clarifies that Able gave by faith.
A? JSB points out that Able gave “the choicest of the firstlings;” whereas Cain gave “the fruit of the soil.”
So JSB sees it as Able gave the best and Cain gave only, meh, whatever was available.
But that's not ringing true to me. Cain was so upset that I think he must have put a lot into his offering.
Q v6 God asks Cain why he is distressed. “If you do right, you’ll be accepted.” How is Cain to know what is right? There is no mention of faith as criteria.
A? Cain, like (or from) his parents, would have had the knowledge of good and evil.
He would have had a conscience, correct?
Q v6 Why was giving the best of the flock right while the fruit of the ground was unacceptable?
A? Because Adam, made from dust, was fruit of the ground?
NO. Tho Adam was made up from the dust of the ground, he, unlike vegetation & other animals, was special creation, not produced by ground.
(Gen 1.11 & 12 “The land/earth produces/brings forth vegetation.” Combo NIV & JSB; Gen 1.24 “Let the land produce living creatures.” NIV; Gen 1.24 “Let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature.” JSB BUt God created man in his own image. Gen 1.27)
A? Because the ground was cursed?
Cain’s gift came from the cursed ground! Maybe a reminder of sin? Maybe.
A? Because Cain’s gift came as a result of Cain’s own work to overcome the curse?
Cain worked to produce an acceptable gift; Whereas Able just accepted and returned what came from God.
Able kept flocks while Cain worked the soil (v 2).
There’s more work to working than to keeping, right? Able just had to sit back and watch the animals, by God’s providence, multiply. Then he chose the best and gave it back to God as sacrifice.
God did what was necessary, and Able, by faith, accepted that.
Now that seems more reasonable to me.
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