Encontramos la historia de Caín y Abel en el primer libro de la Biblia, en Génesis 4:1-16. Caín y Abel fueron los dos primeros hijos de Adán y Eva. Esto quiere decir que fueron los primeros bebés nacidos en todo el mundo. Tristemente, también son recordados porque entre ellos se produjo el primer asesinato de la historia de la humanidad.
El primero en nacer, Caín, trajo alegría a sus padres, en especial a Eva. Luego tuvieron otro hijo varón, Abel. No sabemos cuántos años pasaron entre un hijo y otro, pero sí sabemos que los niños crecieron y cuando eran suficientemente grandes y fuertes, comenzaron a trabajar. Abel trabajaba como pastor de ovejas y Caín como agricultor.
Un día, Caín y Abel trajeron cada uno su ofrenda delante del Señor. El texto bíblico no nos da todos los detalles, pero, por lo que dice, podemos pensar que de alguna forma, ellos dos sabían que ese día debían presentar su ofrenda ante Dios y el lugar donde la debían llevar.
Caín llevó como ofrenda lo que él cosechaba en la tierra. No sabemos si trajo los frutos más grandes, coloridos y bonitos o si solo trajo lo que encontró en ese momento. Sin embargo, sabemos que Abel ofrendó lo mejor que tenía en su rebaño, los primogénitos, y eso es algo que agradó a Dios. Cuando Caín se dio cuenta de que a Dios le había agradado más la ofrenda de Abel que la suya, se enfureció.
El hecho de que eso molestara tanto a Caín nos da una clave sobre su estado espiritual. Él no le preguntó a Dios cuál era el error que había cometido con su ofrenda ni cómo podía enmendarlo. ¡No! Él se enfureció de inmediato y permitió que su corazón se llenara de ira.
¿Por qué a Dios no le agradó la ofrenda de Caín?
La raíz del problema no parece haber sido la ofrenda en sí. Pero las ofrendas que ellos presentaron ante Dios reflejaban lo que había dentro de sus corazones. La Biblia dice que Dios miró con agrado a Abel y a su ofrenda, pero no miró así a Caín ni a su ofrenda.
El problema real estaba en la actitud del corazón de Caín. Con el corazón recto ante Dios, Caín habría sabido cómo y qué ofrendar ante Dios. Dios mismo le explicó eso a Caín...
Entonces el Señor le dijo: «¿Por qué estás tan enojado? ¿Por qué andas cabizbajo? Si hicieras lo bueno, podrías andar con la frente en alto. Pero, si haces lo malo, el pecado te acecha, como una fiera lista para atraparte. No obstante, tú puedes dominarlo».
(Génesis 4:6-7)
Dios intentó ayudar a Caín a entender el origen del problema, la razón por la que su ofrenda no había sido aceptable. Dentro del corazón de Caín había pecado y Caín se dejaba llevar por él. Dios le advirtió para que estuviera atento y rectificara su actitud. ¡Caín tenía la oportunidad de aprender a dominar el pecado y salir victorioso!
Pero Caín ignoró la advertencia de Dios. No permitió que su corazón rectificara ni aprovechó la oportunidad para enmendar su camino. Él podía haber comenzado a actuar correctamente, pero no lo hizo. Se dejó dominar por los celos y la ira, así que invitó a su hermano Abel, a dar un paseo por el campo y allí lo mató.
Lo que la Biblia dice sobre Abel
Hay tres pasajes bíblicos que nos pueden ayudar a entender lo que Dios vio en Abel cuando él fue a presentarle su ofrenda.
1. Hebreos 11:4 - Abel es uno de los héroes de la fe
Por la fe Abel ofreció a Dios un sacrificio más aceptable que el de Caín, por lo cual recibió testimonio de ser justo, pues Dios aceptó su ofrenda. Y por la fe Abel, a pesar de estar muerto, habla todavía.
(Hebreos 11:4)(Video) LA HISTORIA de Caín y Abel - Genesis Capitulo 4
Hebreos 11, el capítulo de los héroes de la fe, menciona a Abel. Lo que verdaderamente agradó a Dios de Abel fue su fe. Con su ofrenda él dio testimonio de la fe que ya había depositado en Dios. Y gracias a esa fe, Abel vive por la eternidad y su testimonio aún habla a nuestras vidas, recordándonos que «sin fe es imposible agradar a Dios» (Hebreos 11:6).
2. Lucas 11:50-51, Abel contado entre los profetas mártires
Por lo tanto, a esta generación se le pedirán cuentas de la sangre de todos los profetas derramada desde el principio del mundo, desde la sangre de Abel hasta la sangre de Zacarías, el que murió entre el altar y el santuario. Sí, les aseguro que de todo esto se le pedirán cuentas a esta generación.
(Lucas 11:50-51)
Jesús mismo contó a Abel entre los profetas que habían muerto por causa de su fe. Esto nos muestra claramente que la relación de Abel con Dios era una tan fuerte y real que su muerte fue contada como martirio. Abel murió asesinado por su hermano porque había dado su corazón a Dios y vivía una vida de obediencia ante él.
3. Hebreos 12:22-24, la sangre de la ofrenda de Abel presagió la necesidad de la sangre de Jesús
Por el contrario, ustedes se han acercado al monte Sión, a la Jerusalén celestial, la ciudad del Dios viviente. Se han acercado a millares y millares de ángeles, a una asamblea gozosa, a la iglesia de los primogénitos inscritos en el cielo. Se han acercado a Dios, el juez de todos; a los espíritus de los justos que han llegado a la perfección; a Jesús, el mediador de un nuevo pacto; y a la sangre rociada, que habla con más fuerza que la de Abel.
(Hebreos 12:22-24)
La oveja que Abel sacrificó y llevó ante Dios fue como un presagio de la muerte que sufriría Jesús en la cruz. El sacrificio de Jesús en la cruz, su sangre derramada por amor a nosotros, marcó el nuevo pacto con Dios: la salvación por medio de la fe en Cristo Jesús.
El castigo para Caín y su respuesta
El Señor le preguntó a Caín: ¿Dónde está tu hermano Abel?
—No lo sé —respondió—. ¿Acaso soy yo el que debe cuidar a mi hermano?
—¡Qué has hecho! —exclamó el Señor—. Desde la tierra, la sangre de tu hermano reclama justicia. Por eso, ahora quedarás bajo la maldición de la tierra, la cual ha abierto sus fauces para recibir la sangre de tu hermano, que tú has derramado. Cuando cultives la tierra, no te dará sus frutos, y en el mundo serás un fugitivo errante.
(Génesis 4:9-12)
Después de que Caín mató a Abel, Dios se acercó a él y usó una pregunta para darle la oportunidad de reflexionar y arrepentirse. Sin embargo, Caín no lo hizo. Solo se puso a la defensiva, no mostró ni vergüenza ni dolor por haber matado a su propio hermano.
Ante la falta de arrepentimiento, Dios pasó a explicarle el castigo que recibiría. Este consistiría de dos partes:
- Por más que cultivara y trabajara la tierra, no recibiría fruto. Caín era agricultor, así que, básicamente, estaba arruinado.
- Vagaría por la tierra como un fugitivo errante. No tendría ningún lugar al que llamar "hogar" donde ir a descansar y renovar fuerzas.
Este castigo es más de lo que puedo soportar —le dijo Caín al Señor—. Hoy me condenas al destierro, y nunca más podré estar en tu presencia. Andaré por el mundo errante como un fugitivo, y cualquiera que me encuentre me matará.
—No será así —replicó el Señor—. El que mate a Caín, será castigado siete veces.
Entonces el Señor le puso una marca a Caín, para que no fuera a matarlo quien lo hallara. Así Caín se alejó de la presencia del Señor y se fue a vivir a la región llamada Nod, al este del Edén.
(Génesis 4:13-16)
La respuesta inmediata de Caín fue saltar en su propia defensa. «¡Señor!!! ¡Este castigo es muy fuerte!» Él solo pensaba en sí mismo, otra prueba de lo lejos que estaba su corazón de Dios.
Caín sintió miedo por su vida. Cualquier persona que se encontrara con él podía intentar vengar el asesinato de Abel y eso lo atemorizaba. Sin embargo, Dios mostró misericordia hacia Caín. Puso una marca sobre él que indicaba básicamente lo siguiente: ¡quien mate a Caín será castigado siete veces!
La marca que Dios puso sobre Caín
Nadie sabe cómo era. Pudo haber sido una cicatriz o un tatuaje. No lo sabemos. Pero sí sabemos que su fin era proteger a Caín para que nadie lo matara. Puede verse como un símbolo de la misericordia de Dios para con el pecador - para con todos nosotros seres imperfectos y pecadores.
Los errores de Caín
Podemos resumir los errores que cometió Caín de la siguiente forma:
- Caín se dejó dominar por las emociones y por el pecado.
- Ignoró las instrucciones dadas por Dios y también ignoró las advertencias que Dios le dio con el propósito de lograr que recapacitara.
- No se arrepintió ni mostró remordimiento por haber matado a su hermano.
- Mantuvo su corazón duro e insensible aun cuando experimentó la misericordia de Dios.
¡No seamos como Caín! No endurezcamos el corazón ante la bondad y la misericordia de Dios. «Si ustedes oyen hoy su voz, no endurezcan el corazón como sucedió en la rebelión.» (Hebreos 3:15)
Lo que aprendemos con esta historia
La historia de Caín y Abel nos muestra el peligro que corremos cuando nuestras emociones no están bajo el dominio de Dios. También nos afirma algo importante sobre el carácter de Dios: él es misericordioso. Es por eso que él siempre nos da la oportunidad de arrepentirnos y de corregir nuestros malos caminos.
Otra lección importante de esta historia es la de dar lo mejor a Dios, tanto cuando ofrendamos como en todo lo que hacemos. Todo lo que tenemos proviene de Dios y es muestra de su bondad para con nosotros. Debemos estar agradecidos y eso se debe reflejar en nuestras ofrendas a Dios. Démosle a él lo mejor de nuestro tiempo, talento y ofrendas.
Otras historias bíblicas que pueden ser de interés:
- La historia de José (el soñador)
- La historia de la mujer samaritana y su encuentro con Jesús
- La historia de Job (personaje bíblico)
- La historia de Gedeón, el guerrero valiente
- La historia de Jonás - resumen y enseñanzas
FAQs
What is the moral lesson of the story of Cain and Abel? ›
While filled with tragedy, the story of Cain and Abel teaches us a valuable lesson about living with sincerity. Through their example, we learn how not just our actions, but our attitudes matter to God – and how devastating sin's consequences can be.
What does the story of Cain and Abel symbolize? ›Modern scholars typically view the stories of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel to be about the development of civilization during the age of agriculture; not the beginnings of man, but when people first learned agriculture, replacing the ways of the hunter-gatherer.
What is the memory verse for Cain and Abel story? ›In Genesis 4:1-16 God saw the hearts of Abel and his brother, Cain. What he saw in Abel's heart pleased him, because he was doing what was right. What he saw in Cain's heart displeased him, because Cain did not do the right thing.
Who are Kane and Abel for kids? ›After leaving the Garden of Eden, Eve gave birth to two boys—Cain and Abel. As adults, both men brought sacrifices to the Lord. When God accepted Abel's sacrifice but rejected Cain's, Cain became so angry and jealous that he killed his brother. Because of Cain's sin, God condemned Cain to a life of restless wandering.
What did Cain offer to God? ›Kneeling before a pink altar, Cain and Abel offer the fruits of their labor in sacrifice to God: a sheaf of wheat from Cain and a lamb from Abel. The repetition of the figure of God in the arc of heaven above allows the artist to show that God was pleased with Abel's sacrifice and dissatisfied with Cain's.
What is a very brief summary of the story of Cain and Abel in Beowulf? ›Cain was angered when the Lord preferred his brother's offering over his own. With this, he plotted the murder of his brother Abel and lied to God. He was exiled from the land, but the Lord promised that whoever killed him would be avenged sevenfold.
What does Abel represent in the Bible? ›In the Hebrew Bible, it is infamously the name of Adam and Eve's son, a favorite of God who is slain by his brother Cain. Refreshingly, Abel doesn't mean anything so sinister. Instead, it means “breath” or “vapor,” a calming association that will remind baby Abel of the powerful life force within him.
What does am I my brother's keeper mean? ›To be our brother's or our sister's keeper means being willing to put aside whatever we might be dealing with at the present time in our own lives, and receiving direction from God on how best to help someone.
What does the name Cain mean? ›Origin:Hebrew. Meaning:Acquired; Spearer. Cain is a boy's name of Hebrew origin and is strongly tied to the biblical figure Cain, the firstborn son of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis. According to the Hebrew Bible, Cain is also the first murderer on the earth after killing his younger brother Abel.
What is Cain's sin? ›According to Genesis 4:1–16, Cain treacherously murdered his brother, Abel, lied about the murder to God, and as a result, was cursed and marked for life. With the earth left cursed to drink Abel's blood, Cain was no longer able to farm the land.
What are Abel's last words to Cain? ›
ABEL'S LAST WORDS TO CAIN
Why do my sheep and cows lay dead? and use them as gauze bandages? and why is it red? Each day of this senseless war brings new atrocities.
Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman. Cain was a farmer and Abel was a herdsman. Both made offerings to God. God preferred the offering of Abel and this made Cain so jealous that he picked up a stone and killed him.
How many kids did Adam and Eve have? ›The book of Genesis mentions three of Adam and Eve's children: Cain, Abel and Seth. But geneticists, by tracing the DNA patterns found in people throughout the world, have now identified lineages descended from 10 sons of a genetic Adam and 18 daughters of Eve.
Who is first man in the world? ›Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human.
Why was Abel's offering better than Cain's? ›One of the more popular explanations has been that God preferred Abel's offering because it was the firstborn from his flock, while Cain's offering was a mere "garden variety" of assorted produce.
Why did God not accept Cain's offering? ›Neither the sacrifice nor God were deficient, rather it was Cain's action of keeping a portion of the offering for himself. Cain was a greedy worshipper who did not give God all of the offering.
Who did God reject in the Bible? ›God Rejects Saul as King.
Why was Cain jealous of Abel? ›The story of Cain and Abel demonstrates that there are no innocents. Every Abel needs his Cain in the struggle for recognition and admiration if he is to take pride in himself. Likewise, every Cain is aroused to anger by envy of the silent pageantry of the sanctimonious, self-effacing brother called Abel.
Why did God put a mark on Cain? ›The mark of Cain is God's promise to offer Cain divine protection from premature death with the stated purpose of preventing anyone from killing him. It is not known what the mark was, but it is assumed that the mark was visible.
Why was Cain punished by God in Beowulf? ›
In Genesis, after Cain perceives his brother Abel has been favored by God in his stead and murders his brother out of jealousy, God exiles Cain.
What is the purpose of Abel? ›Abel function is a special kind of solution of the Abel equations, used to classify them as superfunctions, and formulate conditions of uniqueness. which is also called "Abel equation". In general the Abel equation may have many solutions, and the additional requirements are necessary to select the only one among them.
What happened to Abel when he died? ›As tradition has it, Abel was beat to death with the jawbone of an ass. Michiel Coxcie chose to depict the moment immediately following the crime. Abel lies on his back with the jawbone on his body while, from Heaven, God banishes Cain. In the background are two fires with the two offerings.
What does Abel stand for? ›Meaning: Abel is a Hebrew name that means either “breath” or “son.” Abel is typically linked to the biblical story of Cain and Abel. Gender: Abel has primarily been a masculine name throughout history. Origin: Abel is a Hebrew name that appears in the Christian and Hebrew bibles. Its origin as a first name is biblical.
Did Jesus say we are our brothers keeper? ›Jesus himself said that whatever we do to the needy, the helpless, the oppressed, and the marginalized we do to him. We are our sibling's keeper. Our own well-being is bound forever to the well-being of everyone. That's what it means to love our neighbor as our self.
What does the word keeper mean in the Bible? ›The Lord Is Our Keeper
The Hebrew word translated keep or preserve is used six times in these six verses to describe our God. It means He watches over us. “It was used to describe a gardener tending his garden (Gen. 2:15), a shepherd watching over his flock (Gen.
For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
What does Eve mean in Hebrew? ›Eve /iːv/ is an English given name for a female, derived from the Latin name Eva, in turn originating with the Hebrew חַוָּה (Chavah/Havah – chavah, to breathe, and chayah, to live, or to give life). The traditional meaning of Eve is life or "living". It can also mean full of life and mother of life.
What is the Hebrew name for Abel? ›Abel is a biblical first name which may derive from the Hebrew Hebel, itself derived from hevel (breath or vapour), or from the Assyrian for son. In reference to the biblical story, Abel is usually linked with his brother who killed him, as Cain and Abel. Abel. Gender. Male.
What does the name Enoch mean? ›Origin:Hebrew. Meaning:Dedicated, trained, disciplined. Enoch is a boy's name of Hebrew origin, meaning “dedicated,” “trained,” and “disciplined.” This unique name was also born by a leading figure in the Torah; Enoch was the son of Jared, the father of Methuselah, and the great-grandfather of Noah.
Who is Cain's first wife? ›
...
| Aclima | |
|---|---|
| Spouses | Abel Cain (after Abel's death) |
| Parent | Adam and Eve |
| Relatives | Cain (brother) Azura (sister) Abel (brother) Seth (brother) |
| Cain and Abel | |
|---|---|
| Abilities | Cain: Apparently indestructible and possibly immortal; diabolical cunning; bears the "Mark of Cain" which protects him from all harm Abel: Possibly immortal and apparently indestructible; Resurrects from any fatal wound inflicted by Cain |
According to the standard reading of the biblical Cain and Abel story, Cain killed Abel after his sacrifice was rejected by God. He was so overcome by jealousy that one day he jumped on him and killed him in a murderous rage.
How old was Cain when he died? › Did Eve have a daughter? › Did Adam have a wife before Eve? ›
MEET LILITH – ADAM'S FIRST WIFE
Lilith was created by God from dust and placed to live in the garden with Adam until problems arose between Adam and Lilith when Adam tried to exercise dominance over Lilith. One story tells that Lilith refused to lay beneath Adam during sex.
Adam's age at death is given as 930 years. According to the Book of Jubilees, Cain married his sister Awan, a daughter of Adam and Eve.
Did Eve have children with her sons? › Did Abel slew Cain? ›[8] And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. [9] And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother?
Where is Cain and Abel buried? ›You can allow half a day for this adventure in Damascus. Cain carried his dead brother's body and buried Abel in the mountain on the border between Syria and Lebanon some 33 km from Damascus near Zabadaneh. A mausoleum with the remains of Abel (Habil in Arabic) is a popular site for tourists.
How many children did Adam have before he died? ›
Eve eventually bore 20 sets of twins, and Adam had 40,000 offspring before he died.
Did Adam and Eve have a third son? ›Seth, in the Abrahamic religions, was the third son of Adam and Eve. According to the Hebrew Bible, he had two brothers: Cain and Abel. According to Genesis 4:25, Seth was born after Abel's murder by Cain, and Eve believed that God had appointed him as a replacement for Abel.
What year did Adam and Eve live? ›They used these variations to create a more reliable molecular clock and found that Adam lived between 120,000 and 156,000 years ago. A comparable analysis of the same men's mtDNA sequences suggested that Eve lived between 99,000 and 148,000 years ago1.
Who was the first person died on earth? ›The first person to die is Abel at the hands of his brother, which is also the first time that blood is mentioned in the Bible (4:10–11).
How God created man? ›Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nos- trils the breath of life; and man became a living being. In Genesis 1, God created by speaking the physical world into existence. However, in Genesis 2 we find God creating humanity through a very different means: breath.
Who was the first person to be born? ›Homo habilis, sometimes known as "handyman", was one of the oldest known humans and lived between 2.4 million and 1.4 million years ago in Eastern and Southern Africa.
What does it mean to bear the mark of Cain? ›The mark of Cain is God's promise to offer Cain divine protection from premature death with the stated purpose of preventing anyone from killing him.
What is the theme of Cain? ›This research reveals that the central focus of the Cain and Abel story is the relationship between Cain and the LORD and not the expansion of sin. As one of the factors in this rivalry, sin is personified. God permits sin to exist as an independent entity. Sin has a desire for Cain which Cain can master.
What is the moral of the Adam and Eve story for kids? ›The choice given to Adam and Eve was a simple one: (1) obey, or (2) attain knowledge, in particular of good and evil. If those are my two choices, I'm choosing “knowledge” every day. Count me on Team Eve on this one. As far as I'm concerned, this wasn't the Original Sin, it was the Original Heroic Act.
What is the theme of the mark of Cain? ›The mark symbolizes his sinfulness, and by extension the sinfulness and guilt of all of the people on the island.
Who does the bear represent in the Bible? ›
The bear Daniel saw in a vision rising out of the sea represented the ancient Medes and Persians joining forces to defeat Babylon. The bear was reared up on one side to indicate that Persia would be the stronger nation, eventually absorbing the Medes into one empire.
What is the spiritual meaning of the name Abel? ›In the Hebrew Bible, it is infamously the name of Adam and Eve's son, a favorite of God who is slain by his brother Cain. Refreshingly, Abel doesn't mean anything so sinister. Instead, it means “breath” or “vapor,” a calming association that will remind baby Abel of the powerful life force within him.
What is the mark of God on the forehead? ›The Seal of God in the Forehead.
The seal to be placed in the forehead is "a mark which angels, but not human eyes, can read; for the destroying angel must see this mark of redemption. The intelligent mind has seen the sign of the cross of Calvary in the Lord's adopted sons and daughters" (7BC 968, my italics).
Cursed Mark: After killing his brother Abel, God had Amenadiel place a mark on Cain to curse and punish him for the very first act of murder. After falling in love with Chloe and truly believing himself worthy, the mark was removed.
What is Cain's heresy story? ›Cain's heresy is his claim not to care about his brother's welfare or safety. In response to a question by God about Abel's whereabouts, Cain replies, 'I know not; am I my brother's keeper? ' Stevenson uses this story to suggest that Utterson chooses not to get involved in the private business of others.
What land did God give to Cain? ›Cartier was presumably alluding to Genesis 4, in which Cain, having killed his brother, is condemned to till land that is barren. The Land God Gave to Cain, was Jacques CARTIER's description of the north shore of the Gulf of St Lawrence, which he first sighted in 1534.
Why is the story of Adam and Eve important today? ›They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. They also provide the basis for the doctrines of the fall of man and original sin that are important beliefs in Christianity, although not held in Judaism or Islam.
What is the symbolism in the story of Adam and Eve? ›In Christian symbolism Adam and Eve may represent both the dignity of the human race, and the shame of sin which led to the need for redemption by Christ.
What is the message of Adam and Eve and the forbidden fruit? ›It created a separation between humans and God. Pain, violence, lack and death entered the world and remain problems today. Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit is the reason we needed a savior. God in his mercy and love sent a way to repair the relationship and redeem his creation — his son, Jesus Christ.
What is the theme of Kane and Abel? ›The main idea of this story of Cain and Abel is that the intentions should be clean and clear and no hatred and jealousy should be kept in heart.