Gen 4:2-11 | TNotes | STEP | 4:2 his brother ... Abel: The name (Hebrew habel ) means “breath,” “vapor,” or “meaningless,” anticipating his tragically brief life (cp. Eccl 1:2 ).

4:2 ^a his brother ... Abel: The name (Hebrew habel) means “breath,” “vapor,” or “meaningless,” anticipating his tragically brief life (cp. Eccl 1:2 ^b).
4:3 ^c There was nothing wrong with offering grain to the Lord (Lev 2:14 ^d; Deut 26:2-4 ^e), but Cain brought only a token gift (some of his crops), whereas God requires the first and best (Exod 23:16 ^f, 19 ^g; 34:22 ^h, 26 ⁱ). Cain’s heart attitude made his offering inferior to Abel’s (cp. Heb 11:4 ^j).
Summary for Gen 4:4-5: 4:4-5 ^k the best portions of the firstborn lambs: Or the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. Abel was giving God the best animals and the richest parts. Abel’s offering, in contrast to Cain’s, was the best he had to offer. True worship is a costly privilege.
4:7 ^l Sin is crouching at the door ... you must subdue it: Sin is pictured as a vicious animal lying in wait to pounce on Cain (cp. study note on 3:16). Either sin will dominate Cain, or Cain will resist the temptation to sin. There is no neutral ground in that conflict.
4:8 ^m The effects of the Fall on human relationships are tragically expressed in the first murder.

• The word brother is used seven times in 4:2-11 ⁿ, highlighting Cain’s fratricide in the face of familial responsibility.
4:9 ^o Where is your brother? The questions God asked Cain (4:6 ^p, 9 ^q, 10 ^r) recall those that God asked Cain’s parents (3:9-13 ^s). In both cases, humans put up evasive answers (cp. 3:12-13 ^t). Cain’s answer is shockingly defiant—another clue that the problem with his token offering was the attitude that lay behind it.
4:10 ^u What have you done? is more an expression of horror and rebuke than a fact-finding question (cp. 3:13 ^v).

• Abel’s blood is personified as a legal witness that cries out against Cain.

• from the ground: See study note on 4:11-12.
Summary for Gen 4:11-12: 4:11-12 ^w As with his father (cp. 3:9-12 ^x, 17-19 ^y), Cain’s interrogation (4:9-10 ^z) was followed by God’s verdict. Adam’s sin had already caused the ground to be cursed. Now Cain was cursed and banished from the land he farmed because he had contaminated it with innocent blood.

• homeless wanderer: Cain was condemned to ceaseless roving in a land that would provide neither sustenance nor security. The effects of sin were escalating.