Cain

In the Book of Genesis (Bible, Old Testament), Cain is a son of Adam and Eve. He killed his brother Abel.^[1][2]

Cain and Abel both gave gifts to God. God liked Abel's gift more than Cain's. Cain became jealous of Abel. Later, Cain hit Abel in the head with a rock. Abel died. When God asked Cain where Abel was, Cain pretended he did not know. He said, "Am I my brother's keeper?"

God punished Cain by exile: He made Cain leave the place where he lived. He made Cain go away. He told Cain that if he tried to build a farm, the earth "would not yield up its strength." When Cain said he was afraid, God put a mark on him to protect him.

Cain went east and lived as a wanderer. Some scholars say that the story of Cain was told to explain why some humans build farms and stay in one place and others move from place to place.^[1]

References

1. Wendell Reilly (1908). "Cain". New Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
2. Byron, John 2011. Cain and Abel in Text and Tradition: Jewish and Christian interpretations of the First sibling rivalry. Leiden and Boston: Brill Publishers. ISBN 978-9004192522