Genesis, Creation, and Ancient Interpreters: What Was Wrong with Cain’s Sacrifice?

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Today's entry was written by Pete Enns. Pete Enns is a former Senior Fellow of Biblical Studies for The BioLogos Foundation and author of several books and commentaries, including the popular Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament, which looks at three questions raised by biblical scholars that seem to threaten traditional views of Scripture.

According to Genesis 4:1-5, Cain killed his brother Abel out of anger when God preferred Abel’s offering of “the fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock” (v. 4) over the offering of Cain, “some of the fruits of the soil (v. 3).

But no rationale is given for why God found Abel’s offering more acceptable. What is especially puzzling is that both types of offerings—animal and agricultural—are commanded of Israel later on (on grain offerings, see for example Leviticus 2). As we have seen so often in these opening chapters of Genesis, there are “gaps” in the text that raise natural questions, then and now. Several explanations were given in antiquity to account for why God preferred Abel’s offering to Cain’s.

Tending the Earth is a Lower Profession

Some early interpreters thought that there must be something less worthy about tending the earth compared to tending to animals. The first century Jewish philosopher Philo, who advocated an allegorical approach to Scripture, put it this way:

One of them labors and takes care of living beings…gladly undertaking the pastoral work which is preparatory to rulership and kingship. But the other occupies himself with earthly and inanimate things (Questions and Answers in Genesis 1:59 and The Sacrifices of Cain and Abel 14, 51).

Of course, Genesis 4 says nothing of the kind, but Philo did not pull his explanation out of nowhere. Both David and Moses herded flock before they were called to shepherd Israel (see 1 Samuel 16:1-13 and Exodus 3:1). So, Philo thought that Abel’s superior occupation signaled that his sacrifice had greater value.

The first century Jewish historian Josephus gives a similar explanation. He writes that shepherding was a virtuous profession, where as plowing the earth was not. Why? Because farming brings things out of the ground by “force,” which for Josephus suggests greediness. Tending flocks, according to Josephus, is simply a matter of letting things grow “on their own” (see Jewish Antiquities 1:53-54).

The Problem is a Defective Offering

Other interpreters took another approach. Abel’s animal offering was from the firstborn (meaning the best because it is first) of his flocks, but all we read about Cain’s offering is that he brought “some of the fruits of the soil.” Some interpreters understood this to mean that Cain’s offering was second rate—not of the firstfruits. In fact, that Cain offered “some of the fruits” seems to violate Leviticus 2:14, where offering the firstfruits of the grain is commanded.

Since Genesis 4 has little to say on why God was displeased, interpreters sought for an answer, and the wording of Cain’s offering certainly raises some suspicion. This interpretation can be found for example in Philo (The Sacrifice of Cain and Abel 52) and a medieval rabbinic commentary on Genesis called Genesis Rabbah 22:5 (which refers to Cain’s offer as the “leftovers” of the harvest).

The Problem is Cain

A third approach to explaining God’s displeasure with Cain’s offering is to find some shortcoming in Cain himself. The problem is not that Cain was a farmer (solution one), or that he got the offering wrong by not giving the firstfruits (solution two). Rather, Cain’s disposition was wrong (which, incidentally, might explain solution two).

It makes some sense to focus on Cain’s spiritual shortcomings to explain God’s displeasure—surely the problem has to be more than God not thinking much of grain. Once again, if only the text were explicit we could arrive at some definitive answer. But the closest the text comes is that God looked favorably on “Abel and his offering” but disfavorably on “Cain and his offering.” That word “and” suggests that God might have been taking into account not only something about the offering itself, but something about the offerer as well. Most commentators today would say that expecting “and” to help us in answering our questions is a bit of an exegetical reach, and I agree. “And” likely can’t bear that burden; the phrases simply mean the offerer was evaluated on the basis of the offering, not some other basis independent of the offering.

Nevertheless, some early interpreters felt that there was something corrupt about Cain and not Abel that led to God’s displeasure. The fact that the story in Genesis is silent on the matter led interpreters to make up a story to fit the interpretation. It was mused that Cain already had a long history of sins and evil deeds that lie behind God’s anger—Cain’s offering was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

For example, Targum Neophyti to Genesis 4:8 says that, just after the murder, Cain and Abel have a theological disagreement about why Abel’s offering was preferred. Cain says that God is not loving and the world is not just, for otherwise his offering would have been accepted, too. Abel answers:

No, it is my view that the world was indeed created with divine love and is altogether arranged in keeping with people’s good deeds. But it was because my deeds have been better than yours that my sacrifice was accepted with favor and your sacrifice was not.

Abel argues here that he has a track record of goods deeds whereas Cain does not, and that God’s displeasure stemmed from Cain’s sinfulness. In this sense, Cain’s reaction of anger is just another example of his character. Cain killed Abel not just because he was angry in general. According to this interpretation in the Targum, Cain was angry with Abel for pointing out his sins.

Slow Down and Listen

In the opening chapters of Genesis, we have seen repeatedly that some of the details needed to clarify the creation and garden stories are not given to us. But readers today need not think of these gaps as simply problems to overcome. These gaps can serve a positive spiritual purpose: they encourage faithful readers to ponder over and meditate upon Scripture—precisely because the meaning of certain portions is not necessarily obvious. These sorts of “gaps” invite readers into God’s presence and to sit with the word of God with patience and humility.