• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer

Stephen M. Miller

Award-Winning, Bestselling Christian Author

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • Blog Features
  • Bible
  • Contact
Painting/photo of Jerusalem Temple-Casual English Bible

Did Cain get away with murder?

Stephen M. Miller
painting of man
WATCH YOUR SIX. Is that what Cain had to do all his life, after murdering his little bro Abel? Some ancient Jewish scholars said the Bible hints that he eventually got what was coming to him. Painting by Andrey Mironov.

WAS GOD A HYPOCRITE to let Cain get away with the world’s first murder and then tell the Jews they couldn’t do the same?

“Anyone who takes another person’s life must be put to death,” (Leviticus 24:17).

Here’s a Friday Fun Fact that might surprise you—although it wouldn’t have been fun for Cain. There’s a theory out there that Cain got what he gave: murder.

That was a surprise to me.

I read about it in the current issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, in the article “Did Cain Get Away with Murder?” by John Byron. Dr. Byron is a New Testament prof at Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, Ohio—where some of my family lives in a house the Amish built.

Dr. Bryon says scholars in ancient times saw a clue about Cain’s murder hidden in the song of Lamech—one of Cain’s grandsons, five generations after Cain.

“I have killed a man who attacked me,
a young man who wounded me.
If someone who kills Cain is punished seven times,
then the one who kills me will be punished seventy-seven times!” (Genesis 4:23-24).

First clue: a word.

’ish is the Hebrew word for “man.” It shows up only twice in this tale reported in Genesis 4.

Eve uses it to describe her first son, Cain:

“I have produced a man!” (Genesis 4:1).

Lamech uses it to describe the person he killed:

“A man who attacked me” (Genesis 4:23).

The “man” Cain equals the “man” killed. So goes the theory.

Second clue: God put a bounty on Cain

Jewish scholars who created the first Bible translation, from Hebrew to Greek during the 100s BC, had a different way of describing what God and Lamech said about Cain.

I’ll paraphrase the typical way of reading it.

God: “I’ll make sure anyone who kills Cain gets seven times the payback” (Genesis 4:15).
Lamech: “Cain’s murderer gets seven times the payback” (Genesis 4:24).

Translators of the Septuagint flipped those coins, tails to the wind.

Again, I’ll paraphrase.

God: “Anyone who kills Cain get seven sins forgiven.”
Lamech: “Thanks to Cain, I got my revenge seven times over.”

I know. That second clue sounds like more than a stretch. But in fairness to the translators, the Hebrew lingo of Lamech’s line doesn’t make much sense the way it reads. So it’s pretty much anyone’s guess what he had in mind. Other than the fact that it wasn’t afternoon tea.

Because of these clues, some of the early Jewish scholars pitched the idea that Cain got what he deserved: murdered by blood kin.

R.I.P. Grandpa.

Bible Gateway logo

Visit Stephen M. Miller’s profile on Pinterest.

Share this:

  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...
View All Posts - Ordered by Most Recent First
« Previous
Next »

About Stephen M. Miller

STEPHEN M. MILLER is an award winning bestselling Christian author of easy-reading books about the Bible and Christianity and author of the Casual English Bible® paraphrase. His books have sold over two million copies and include The Complete Guide to the Bible and Who’s and Where’s Where in the Bible.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sidebar

Casual English Bible Website

Featured Book

Complete Guide to the Bible

Complete Guide to the Bible
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Books-A-Million
Buy from Christian Book Distributor
Buy from Google Play

Latest Posts

  • I do one thing better than God May 27, 2025
  • When our faith glitches May 5, 2025
  • Job is the right book for me now April 16, 2025

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog Features
  • Books
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn

Copyright © 2025 · Stephen M. Miller · All Rights Reserved

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use. To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
Reject AllAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
%d