4:1 The Hebrew name "qayin" (Cain) and the term "qaniti" (I have produced) is another play on words that would be recognized in the original Hebrew, but is lost in translation. 4:4-5 Origin of sacrifice & various meanings: see below 4:15 The mark put on Cain was probably a tattoo. Tattooing of tribal marks has always been common among inhabitants of the Near Eastern deserts. 4:16 The land of Nod does NOT refer to a specific geographical location, instead it means "land of nomads" or "land of wanderers." Nod is play on the Hebrew word "nad" (line over a), which is the participle of "to wander." The original beginnings of the practice of sacrificing to God are much debated, though in the rest of the Bible much of the practice relies on Genesis 4:4-5 as the foundation for sacrifice being an appropriate behavior. One of the major questions is: was sacrifice a direct command of God -or- did man come up with the concept out of religious instinct? It is important to note that the offerings themselves weren’t the source of God’s rejection or acceptance. God doesn’t have a preference for meat over grain. It was the “spirit” in which it was given, aka- was the sacrifice given out of the spirit of faith or was it a mere "superstition"? Other scholars put forth the premise that Abel offered the first-born of his flock, the best part, and that Cain's offering was not of the best part of his crop. In today’s day and age, we don’t offer meat and grain to the Lord. However, we can offer a “proper” spirit and behavior. Can you name some examples of “proper” spiritual feelings or behavior that the Lord would “accept as an offering”? Due to the sin of killing his brother, Cain receives punishment from God. However, Cain complains that it is too great to bear. We receive trials and tribulations (as part of life and for God’s own reasons; not because we murdered someone). It is important to note that God will help us through those trials as long as we display faith in his all-knowing wisdom. Name one trial or tribulation that you have gone through. Did God help give you strength? In retrospect, did you gain any spiritual benefit from the trial/tribulation?
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My grandma sent me an e-mail with this story/joke in it. The e-mail claimed it was a true story, but as I cannot verify the truthfulness of the tale, I'm going to post it as a joke. Enjoy! The pastor of a church had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his backyard and then was afraid to come down. The pastor coaxed, offered warm milk, etc. The kitty would not come down. The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he tied a rope to his car and pulled it until the tree bent down, he could then reach up and get the kitten. That's what he did, all the while checking his progress in the car. He then figured if he went just a little bit further, the tree would be bent sufficiently for him to reach the kitten. But as he moved the car a little further forward, the rope broke. The tree went 'boing!' and the kitten instantly sailed through the air - out of sight. The pastor felt terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they'd seen a little kitten. No. Nobody had seen a stray kitten. So he prayed, 'Lord, I just commit this kitten to your keeping,' and went on about his business. A few days later he was at the grocery store, and met one of his church members. He happened to look into her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food. This woman was a cat hater and everyone knew it, so he asked her, 'Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?' She replied, 'You won't believe this,' and then told him how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing.. Then a few days before, the child had begged again, so the Mom finally told her little girl, 'Well, if God gives you a cat, I'll let you keep it.' She told the pastor, 'I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees, and ask God for a cat. And really, Pastor, you won't believe this, but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying out of the blue sky, with its paws outspread, and landed right in front of her.' I'm re-organizing the site the little bit, so give me a couple more days and I'll get back to posting regularly! Thanks! Facts: Genesis is the first book of the Pentateuch. The English title is derived from the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament), which is derived from of the Greek. Genesis means "the origin, source, creation, or coming into being of something" (also "beginning"). Author: Tradition states that Moses is the author, as he is credited with authoring the other books of the Pentateuch. The Pentateuch is Genesis through Deuteronomy. It is also possible (and a bit more likely) that the stories and laws were passed down via oral tradition and then written, with many different authors contributing to the text, with authorship suggested around 1446 to 1406 b.c.. Strictly speaking, Genesis is an anonymous work. If the author/editor was Moses, the date of authorship is suggested to be about 550 b.c. Theme: Genesis is concerned with origins- of the world, of human beings, and of Israel and its ancestors. Creation and the origin of the “specialness” of the tribe of Israel (as demonstrated by the tracing of the genealogy from Adam to Jacob) are the main themes of the book. The beginning of "salvation" is also a theme of Genesis, one which repeats throughout the Bible. Salvation includes: sin and grace, wrath and mercy, along with the idea of a covenant with God leading to redemption. Timeline: 2166-1991 b.c.- Abraham’s life 2070 b.c.- Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed 2066-1886 b.c.- Isaac’s life 2006-1859 b.c.- Jacob’s life 1915-1805 b.c.- Joseph’s life Outline (short version): I. Primeval History: Four Great Events (1:1-11:26) ---A. The Creation of the Universe; Adam and Eve (1-2) ---B. The Fall and the Results of Sin (3-5) ---C. The Flood (6-9) ---D. The Scattering of the Nations (10:1-11:26) II. Patriarchal History: Four Great Characters (11:27-50:26) ---A. Abraham (11:27-20:18) ---B. Isaac (21-26) ---C. Jacob (27:1-37:1) ---D. Joseph (37:2-50:26) Outline (long version): Part 1: Primeval History (1:1-11:9) I. The Creation (1:1-2:25) ---A. Creation of the World (1:1-2:3) ---B. Creation of Man (2:4-2:25) II. The Fall (3:1-5:32) ---A. The Fall of Man (3:1-3:24) ---B. After the Fall (4:1-5:32) III. The Judgment of the Flood (6:1-9:29) ---A. Causes of the Flood (6:1-6:5) ---B. Judgment of the Flood (6:6-6:22) ---C. The Flood (7:1-8:19) ---D. Results of the Flood (8:20-9:17) ---E. After the Flood: The Sin of the Godly Line (9:18-9:29) IV. The Judgment of the Tower of Babel (10:1-11:9) ---A. Family Lines after the Flood (10:1-10:32) ---B. Judgment on all the Family Lines (11:1-11:9) Part 2: Patriarchal History (11:10-50:26) I. The Life of Abraham (11:10-25:18) ---A. Introduction of Abram (11:10-11:32) ---B. The Covenant of God with Abram (12:1-25:18) ------1. Initiation of the Covenant (12:1-12:20) ------2. Separation of the Covenant (13:1-14:24) ------3. Ratification of the Covenant (15:1-16:16) ------4. Institution of the Covenant: Circumcision (17:1-17:27) ------5. Testing of the Covenant (18:1-20:18) ------6. Consummation of the Covenant (21:1-25:18) II. The Life of Isaac (25:19-26:35) ---A. The Family of Isaac (25:19-25:34) ---B. The Failure of Isaac (26:1-26:33) ---C. The Failure of Esau (26:34-26:35) III. The Life of Jacob (27:1-36:43) ---A. Jacob Gains Esau's Blessing (27:1-28:9) ---B. Jacob's Life at Haran (28:10-31:55) ---C. Jacob's Return (32:1-33:20) ---D. Jacob's Residence in Canaan (34:1-35:29) ---E. The History of Esau (36:1-36:43) IV. The Life of Joseph (37:1-50:26) ---A. The Corruption of Joseph's Family (37:1-38:30) ---B. The Exaltation of Joseph (39:1-41:57) ---C. The Salvation of Jacob's Family (42:1-50:26) 1 The man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, "I have produced a man with the help of the Lord." 2 Next she bore his brother Abel. Abel became a keeper of flocks, and Cain a tiller of the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the fruit of the soil, 4 while Abel, for his part, brought one of the best firstlings of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not. Cain greatly resented this and was crestfallen. 6 So the Lord said to Cain: "Why are you so resentful and crestfallen? 7 If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master." 8 Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out in the field." When they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the Lord asked Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" He answered, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" 10 The Lord then said: "What have you done! Listen: Your brother's blood cries out to me from the soil! 11 Therefore you shall be banned from the soil that opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 If you till the soil, it shall no longer give you its produce. You shall became a restless wanderer on the earth." 13 Cain said to the Lord: "My punishment is too great to bear. 14 Since you have now banished me from the soil, and I must avoid your presence and become a restless wanderer on the earth, anyone may kill me at sight." 15 "Not so!" the Lord said to him. "If anyone kills Cain, Cain shall be avenged sevenfold." So the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest anyone should kill him at sight. 16 Cain then left the Lord's presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 17 Cain had relations with his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. Cain also became the founder of a city, which he named after his son Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael; Mehujael became the father of Methusael, and Methusael became the father of Lamech. 19 Lamech took two wives; the name of the first was Adah, and the name of the second Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal, the ancestor of all who dwell in tents and keep cattle. 21 His brother's name was Jubal; he was the ancestor of all who play the lyre and the pipe. 22 Zillah, on her part, gave birth to Tubalcain, the ancestor of all who forge instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. 23 Lamech said to his wives: "Adam and Zillah, hear my voice; wives of Lamech, listen to my utterance: I have killed a man for wounding me, a boy for bruising me. 24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold." 25 Adam again had relations with his wife, and she gave birth to a son whom she called Seth. "God has granted me more offspring in place of Abel," she said, "because Cain slew him." 26 To Seth, in turn, a son was born, and he named his Enosh. At that time men began to invoke the Lord by name. 3:5 "liked gods who know" can also be interpreted as "like God who knows." 3:8 Adam and Eve heard the Lord God moving in the garden at the breezy time of day. The literal translation is "the wind of the day" and refers to the fact that in Palestine a cooling breeze blows from the sea shortly before sunset. 3:15 "He will strike....at his heel"- in translation it is turned to a singular from a multiple, aka: "They will strike...at their heels" is another meaning. Also, the word "serpent" is actually a play on the original Hebrew for the word "naked" making an alliteration in the original text. The word "serpent" is actually a play on the original Hebrew for the word "naked" making an alliteration in the original text. Later tradition hold that the serpent is actually "Satan", earlier tradition simply credits the serpent as being a "mischievous creature." Later theology ties this to the phrase in 1John 3:8 "the Son of God appeared that he might destroy the works of the devil", making this passage as the first promise of a Redeemer (Jesus Christ) for mankind. The serpent promises that the fruit will open their eyes to good and evil. The first thing they realize is that they are naked, which brings shame to them (as they hasten to cover themselves). We are later taught that true wisdom is following God's will perfectly. And his will was quite clear that they were not to eat the fruit. God, however, told them that they would die if they ate of the fruit. The serpent told them they would live, but gain wisdom. So, did the serpent lie?? If not, did man and woman gain wisdom by their act? What do you think and why? |
Jennifer Becker Landsberger
Who am I? Freelance writer (magazines, websites, & copywriting), Catholic, military wife, and Mensan. Double Bachelor's in History & Psychology. Witnessing by charity and love are above all. Studying the Bible and beyond helps me on this quest. Feel free to join my walk into the Bible.
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If you found the information helpful, even a small donation would be wonderful! Thank you & God bless you. ~~~Prayer before Writing-
Oh creator of the universe, who has set the stars in the heavens and causes the sun to rise and set, shed the light of your wisdom into the darkness of my mind. Fill my thoughts with a loving knowledge of you, that I may bring you like to others. Just as you can make even babies speak your truth, instruct my tongue and guide my pen to convey the wonderful glory of the Gospel. Make my intellect sharp, my memory clear, and my words eloquent, so that I may faithfully interpret the mysteries what you have revealed. Categories
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To my readers & fellow writers,
I promise: 1. I will pray that God's grace helps illuminate all of our interactions- both those of simple reading and more active conversations. 2. I will communicate with you respectfully and civilly. These are (rightly) issues which we feel passionate about. But even in disagreements, I will respect you fellow "seekers of truth." 3. I will not fall into negative behavior or words, such as insinuations, exaggerations, blames, or personal attacks. I respectfully ask you to do the same. 4. I will pray we will all find the truth and strive to fulfill the two greatest commandments: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31) This site will occasionally feature paid posts! I always 100% verify everything I endorse. You will not see posts for products or sites I would not use myself.
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