Cain Slays Abel and Lamech Boasts: The first siblings are unable to live in harmony. Hatred propels Cain to murder his own brother. The tragic, brute power of sin also finds expression in Lamech’s boasting song, in which he brazenly gloats over a wanton killing while pronouncing threats against others. These incidents illustrate how Adam and Eve’s disobedience unleashed sin as a destructive power in society and brought death into the world.

This chapter has four parts: the births of Cain and Abel (vv. 1–2a), Cain’s murder of Abel (vv. 2b–16), Cain’s genealogy (vv. 17–24), and the birth of Seth (vv. 25–26). Eve glories in her achievement by naming her first (v. 1) and third sons (v. 25). The reports of Eve’s giving birth thus frame the portrait of Cain’s family. Reports of the birth of new l…