4:1
I have said that some of the things we have read of in chapters 1-3 may be expressed in allegorical or metaphorical terms, but only some. We are now clearly dealing with historical events. We are now reading about what the effects of the fall are in very practical terms for life, and the picture is not pretty. “Adam made love to his wife Eve”. The Hebrew here says “knew”, and is an example of “know in the Biblical sense. So Eve became pregnant with Cain. Even though Eve had sinned, she recognises the involvement of the Lord in her “bringing forth a man”. There is an element of faith here. There is a recognition of the reality here, she could only give birth because the Lord made it possible.
4:2
“Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.” As we all know, there will follow a series of terrible events. Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. It is probably a mistake to read much into the distinction between one keeping flocks and the other being involved in agriculture. The key element is what they did with the fruits of their labour.
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