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The fall of humankind witnesses the enlargement of sin in terms of its occurrence and intensity. Ch. 4 relates the first murder and its consequences. The logic of alienation from God is alienation from one’s fellows. Cain, whose name is derived from the Hebrew qânāh meaning “to get” (v.1), is brought into confrontation with his younger brother Abel (Heb. “vapour,” “nothingness”). For whatever reason, Abel’s offering was accepted by Yhwh, whereas Cain’s was not. The predicament thus presented is a common one. Life deals its bitter blows. How will Cain deal with it? Presumably the older brother bore some culpability in the rejection of his offering (cf. v.7a). The dilemma to do good or evil is dramatically portrayed in the warning Cain receives from God (v.7). Sin aggressively stalks its prey like a wild animal, eager to destroy the harmony of the created order (cf. 1Pe 5:8). Whereas the serpent illustrated the subtle craftiness of sin, evil is here depicted as powerful and destructive. Yet, nevertheless, it is a force that can be mastered (v.7b), though, alas, not on this occasion by Cain.
The latter half of the narrative concerns Cain’s punishment and has similarities with the judgment of 3:9ff. With inquiry (vv.9-10), judgment (v.11), and sentence (v.12) culminating in banishment (v.16), Cain is condemned to be a fugitive away from the presence of God yet incomprehensibly marked and protected by the God whom he has offended. Cain has not only been guilty of murder but of lying and insolence to God (v.9). He has abrogated his responsibility toward his brother (v.9b). By repeating the term brother three times (vv.9, 10, 11), God asserts the responsible nature of our existence within the created order. Murder, then, is not only an attack against God’s sovereignty over creation in that all life belongs to him, but a strike against the harmony intended between creatures.