Troublesome Topic: Qayin Gained an Advantage
We are also told that, after Qayin (“Acquired from God”) was sent away, he proceeded to build a city (Gen 4:17).
What does that mean? How could he start a city with just himself and his wife?
First of all, the Hebrew word means “a fortified structure.” It was usually applied to a walled city, but it could also apply to any fortified structure.
In the case of “Acquired from God” I think it meant two things – a greater population and a position that could be defended against attack.
I think “Acquired from God” was very purposeful about establishing a larger population on his side of the ledger than his relatives would have on the other side of the ledger. He had the advantage in that he could start having children right away, while the next son to be born to Adam (“The red man made from dirt”) and Chavva (“The one through whom God gives life”) would have to grow up first. The text of Genesis implies that “Acquired from God” was not yet a father when he was sent away (Gen 4:17). I believe that “Acquired from God” was determined to get back at his parents (and at God) by having children as quickly as possible and teaching his children to also have children earlier than his father had been telling him to do.
The fact that “Acquired from God” was building a fortified place of residence means that he feared retaliation for having killed Habel (Gen 4:14), and he may have been planning on using military force against his “opposition” and he wanted a secure place to retreat to.
In the fifth generation after “Acquired from God” we read about a man named Lamech (we don’t know what that name meant). This was a different Lamech than the one who was Noah’s father. The evil Lamech probably had many children, as all people who lived several hundred years did. But three of his sons became renowned specialists in their respective fields. Jabal was the expert in the area of animal husbandry; Jubal was a specialist in making and playing musical instruments, and Tubal-Cain was the recognized leader among all who worked with metals (Gen 4:19-22). This means that the descendants of “Acquired from God” had a general advantage over the descendants of “Substituted” in various areas. The advantage in metalworking was especially important because they were the first ones to have iron weapons, such as spears and swords.
Toward the end of the life of “The red man made from dirt,” giants began to intimidate others and rule over those who were smaller and weaker. Both groups had giants, but the wicked descendants of “Acquired from God” were more ruthless. At first the righteous people did not know what to do about this problem. Later, in the days of “The comfort of rest,” they started taking daughters of the wicked giants as wives for their sons in an attempt to stop the overpowering control of the wicked giants. But it was too little, too late. The descendants of Qayin had gained an advantage and the descendants of Shayth could not catch up because up until then the line of Shayth had been mixing small and large people in marriage. See my discussion of Gen 6:1-4 for a detailed look at this issue. A Replay of History
The last lesson in this study is The Final Years of Adam’s Life.