Observations Upon the Old Testament, Genesis · Chapter 4 – Chapter 5
CHAP. IV.
Verse 2. ABel] So the New Testament writes him, Matth. 23. 35. Luke 11. 5…. Heb 11. 4. and 12. 24. The Hebrew still is Hebel. Saith David, Psal. 39. 5. Verily every man at his best estate is altogether Abel, i. e. vanity. And so indeed Abel was, being slaine by his brother.
V… 3. of the fruit of the ground an offering] An Oblation, or Meat-offering of fine flower, or first-fruits in the eare, in Levit. 2. and chap. 22. 14. Exod. 22. 29 23. 19. The Heathen Greeks and Romanes, in their times did likewise: Likely by an imitation of the Jewes.
V. 4. firstlings] This afterwards by a special Law, upon a special reason, prescribed to the Jewes, Exod. 13. 2. Num. 3. 13.
and of the fat thereof] In Moses time this expressely commanded, Exod. 20. 13, 22, 25. Levit. 3. 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17. The fat is the food of the offering made by fire, for a sweet favour unto the Lord. All the fat is the Lords: neither Offerer, nor Sacrificer; nor yet in Civil use was any Jew to eate of it; at leastwise of the fat of such cleane beasts as were fit for sacrifice, Levit. 7. 23, 24, 25. The fat of the oile is mentioned, Num. 18. 12. meaning the best of it; And so of all things offered to the Lord, the best is required, which it seemes also that Abel here performed. Not as those did, Mal. 1. 13.
By Faith Abel offered this Sacrifice, Heb. 11. 4. And therefore it was no will-worship, but grounded on Gods Word for his warrant; revealed to Adam, and by him likely to his sonnes.
had respect] This was seene of Cain. It is likely therefore that God shewed it by some visible signe, as by fire from heaven consuming the Sacrifice; as, Levit. 9. 24. Judg. 6. 21. 1 Chron. 21. 26. 2 Chron. 7. 1. 1 Kings 18. 38. or it might be by some other wayes.
unto Abel, and to his offering] To the man first, to the Offering for the mans sake, as a fruit of his faith. He righteous, Matth. 23 35.
V. 5. not respect] Through his want of faith and sincerity in this service of God, 1 John 3 12.
very wroth] At God, and Abel both.
V. 7. Sinne lieth] Sinne is anom…e, or enormity; and the punishment of sinne, which like a Serjeant, or they, is couching, and lieth watching, ready to seize upon thee, and tear thee.
And unto thee shall be his desire] Subject to thee, as to the first-borne, as, chap. 3. 16. This is to allay his wrath and incensed spirit.
V. 8. talked] In a brotherly maner, dissembling his hatred, that he might get the better opportunity to kill him, when Abel should not think of it. See the Annotations on chap. 35. 22.
V. 11. Cursed from the earth] The earth shall plague thee, that received thy brothers blood; as is shewed in the next words.
V. 12. when thou tillest] A punishment, the more proper, because he was a tiller of the ground; and proper to Cains portion, where ever he was; not a second general curse upon all the earth.
a fugitive] Cast out from society with thy kindred and acquaintance; from Gods presence, and the communion of his Church, and pursued still with a guilty conscience. So in ver. 14, 16.
V. 14. Of the earth] Of this earth where I now dwell with my Parents and Kindred. Else he speaks like a man distracted by a guilty conscience. He dilates his punishment that denied his sin.
Every one that findeth me shall slay me] There might be many living by this time of Abels murther, of whom he might stand in feare, yea, of them as yet unborn. And his guilty conscience now feares every one, as having made himself odious to every one. And such flee when none pursueth; yea, the sound of a shaken leaf doth chase them: And he might justly fear the beasts of the field. Amongst the ancient Romanes, Greeks and others, such notorious offendors, whosoever would, might surely kill them. And what large power is given to the revenger of blood by Gods Law, we may see in Numb. 35. 19, 21.
V. 15. Seven fold] God would have him preserved alive, (though a life likely worse then death,) as a monument of his justice against murder and tratricide, Psal. 59. 11. Not for love to Cain, but to prevent future murder.
Mark] a mark of protection, and of ignominy too; likely a kinde of palsie and ghastly look; or some worse mark, that made him an horrible spectacle of Gods vengeance against so hainous a crime.
V. 16. From the Presence of the Lord] not of his general Providence, but of his special Presence, by grace, in the place of his Worship and Service; of which place, and the Presence of the Lord there, with Adam and his godly seed, it might be said, as, Gen. 28. 17. This is no other but the House of God, and this is the gate of Heaven.
Nod] so called by Anticipation, from his wandring there.
V. 17. Builded a City] at last; builded, or rather was building, began to build, as the builders of Babel, Gen. 11. as in many hundred years after he and his posterity well might, and yet he be a vagabond in body and minde neverthelesse.
V. 19. Two wives] The first bigamist, and corrupter of wedlock.
V. 23 I have slain, &c.] Beastingly he speaks of his valour and wrath, to asray and appease the brawles of his wives between themselves, and the vexing of him; that he was a man that would not suffer the least injury of them, or of any man, but he would avenge himself, and that fully: Or vaunting himself to his wives of his valour, to appease their feare of him, lest hurt should come to him from others, through his fiercenesse and boisterous violence; bragging what heavy vengeance he would take of him that should set upon lamech, many times more then God himself appointed to be taken for the avengement of Cain. Or, if he had slain a man, and was wounded himself, and thereupon his wives afraid of his life, he seeks to appease them, but in a fierce and insolent manner, as scorning their feare of his danger, and thinking it a disparagement to him and his valour, and upon this reason too; That he had a juster cause for what he had done, then Cain had, and therefore might be the more secure, that if Cains death should be avenged, much more his; or rather in an Atheistical scorne, vaunting, That if God did set such a guard upon Cain, surely Lamech they needed not to doubt, should scape well enough; Cains impunity might well serve for his security. Thus variously may these vaunting words of this wrathful, lustful man, be understood and taken; bearing himself haply the more proudly upon his sons inventions, v. 20, 21, 22.
V. 25. Seth] borne, when Adam was 130. years old, ch. 5. 3. Therefore in all probability Cain slew Abel, not long before that time.
For God] Eve rejoyceth, that her whole number of children in him was filled up again. For it is not imaginable, that she had no more then Cain and Abel in all that time And it might be she foresaw by the Spirit of God, that Seth should be like righteous faithful Abel, and the roo… of that holy progeny, wherein the Church was afterward established.
V. 26. Enos] Sorrowful, Psal. 9. 20. that the Nations may know themselves to be but Enos, i. e. woful men. foreign
Then began men to call] the Worship of God grew more publick and solemne, and in a sort restored and revived again, in the persons and families of Seth and Enos, having bin almost buried in the paucity and privacy of the godly before this time; a separation now being made by them from the profane society of the wicked; such as were generaly the posterity of Cain.
CHAP. V.
Ver. 3. IN his own likenesse after his image] such as he was now sinful; not as he was created Holy. Yet still God was the Father of spirits, the God (and Creator) of the spirits of all flesh, Heb. 12. 9. Numb. 16. 22.
V. 4. And he begat sonnes and daughters] after Seth; yet not excluding some to be begotten before Seth; as Cain and others. And the same is likely to be understood of the rest of the ten Patriarches in this chapter before the flood; That they begat sons and daughters, as well before as after the birth of those Patriarchs, by whom the line of the Genealogy and Chronology is drawn. For it is scarce probable, that in this first Age of the world before the flood, wherein mankinde had most need of multiiplication, the Patriarchs should be so old, as the half of them above 100. yea, Jared 162, Lamecb, 182. Methusalah 187. Noah 500. before they had any children: though indeed Noah for his part, had no more then three, when the flood came, 1 Pet. 3. 20. But so old they were before that sonne was borne who was the Progenitor of our Saviour, and in whose race the main progresse and succession of the true Church did consist.
V. 5. All the dayes] Adam was living in Lamechs dayes.
V. 21. Enoch walked with God] the seventh of Adam followed not the wickednesse of his age; But pleased God, prophesied, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Sants, to execute judgement upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him, Jude ver. 14, 15. And Henoch was not; died not as others: but was translated by faith; God took him, body and soule, as after he did Elias, that he should not see death, and he was not found, Heb. 11. 5. after he had lived on earth so many yeares as there are dayes in our yeare; Thus was he a pledge and pawne of the Resurrection, and life eternal and celestial, and prophesied of the last and general judgement; Adam and Methusalah, and five Patriarchs between them were living witnesses of his Translation.
V. 27. All the dayes of Methusalah] the longest liver, and died the last of the nine Patriarchs, in the beginning of the yeare of the flood.
V. 29. Noah] Thus Lamech his father prophesied of him at his birth, presaging comfort and rest by him, in the midst of all miseries, in those evil and uncomfortable times.
V. 32. And Noah begat] i. e. began to beget. So, chap. 11. 26. and, chap. 7, 10. Japheth the eldest, Sem the second, Cha… youngest.
Of the LXX-Chronology in this Chapter. They extend the age of Methusalah beyond the flood, contrary to Scripture, and adde almost 1600. yeares, to the true Chronology, in this and the eleventh chapters. Haply out of some considerations touching the Heathens, for whom that Greek Translation was made. But the LXX. now is no where extant, but patched infinitely.