Cain

Cain was the first human being born into the world, the eldest son of Adam and Eve. He became a tiller of the ground while his brother Abel kept sheep. Both brothers brought offerings to the Lord: Abel brought the firstlings of his flock, while Cain brought fruit of the ground.

God had respect for Abel's offering but not for Cain's. The reasons, debated for millennia, likely involved the attitude of the heart—Abel brought his best with faith, while Cain's offering lacked devotion. God warned Cain that sin was crouching at his door, urging him to master it.

Instead, jealousy consumed Cain. He lured Abel into a field and killed him. When God asked, "Where is Abel thy brother?" Cain answered with history's most infamous deflection: "Am I my brother's keeper?" God cursed Cain from the ground, which would no longer yield its strength for him. He became a fugitive and vagabond.

Cain protested that his punishment was too great to bear and feared others would kill him. God placed a mark on Cain for protection—even in judgment, showing mercy. Cain settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden, and built a city named after his son Enoch. His descendants became inventors of music and metalwork, but the line was marked by increasing violence, as seen in Lamech's boast of killing a man.