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The Mark and Curse of Cain

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The Mark and Curse of Cain
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Old Testament Cultural Insights

Avram Shannon

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Contents

An Ancient Concept of Heredity
Angels
Authorship
Babylon
Beth-el
The Book of Leviticus
Camels
Categories of Animals
Cherubim
Child Sacrifice in the Old Testament
Circumcision
Deferential Speech
Esau and Edom
Firmament
Giants
Glory of the Lord
Gopher Wood
Hebrew
Hospitality
Introduction to Genesis
The Mark and Curse of Cain
Matzebot
Meaning of the Name Isaac
Melchizedek
Moab
Moses 1
Names and Covenants: Abraham and Sarah
Names of God
Polygamy
Pottage
Satan
Shekel
Shinar
Slavery
Sons of God
Soul
Symbolic Meaning of the Name Adam
Symbolic Meaning of the Name Eve
Symbolic Meaning of the Name Noah
Tree of Life
Tribe of Asher
Tribe of Benjamin
Tribe of Dan
Tribe of Gad
Tribe of Issachar
Tribe of Naphtali
Twelve Tribes of Israel
Urim and Thummim
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Contents

An Ancient Concept of Heredity
Angels
Authorship
Babylon
Beth-el
The Book of Leviticus
1 2 … 8 Next »

Avram Shannon, “The Mark and Curse of Cain,” in Old Testament Cultural Insights, ed. Taylor Halverson (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2022).

According to the scriptures, Cain was “cursed from the earth” for killing his brother Abel (Genesis 4:11). The Bible spells out the specific contours of this curse: “When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth” (Genesis 4:12). In other words, Cain was no longer able to perform the agricultural farm labor that had been his livelihood until that point (see Genesis 4:2). This curse is a natural continuation of the consequence on Cain’s father, Adam, after eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Then the Lord said, “Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:17–19).

Whereas the ground is cursed because of Adam such that he needs to work hard to get food from it, Cain is cursed from off the ground such that no matter how hard he works, he will not be able to induce the ground to produce food. Note that there is no reference anywhere in Moses or Genesis connecting Cain’s curse to a ban on receiving priesthood authority.

The mark that God placed on Cain is not specified in Genesis, Moses, or anywhere else in the scriptures. It was a sign to others that in spite of what Cain had done, it was not legally appropriate to kill him in retribution. The Lord placed the mark on Cain as an act of mercy, showing to the world that Cain was under the Lord’s protection.

Related Verses

Genesis 4:9–15

Moses 5:33–40

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