Week 1 Genesis 4
The sequel to the Cain & Abel story is about Cain and his family. It’s a pretty surprising follow-up. Cain had murdered his brother. He was a fugitive…on-the-lam for years. So why feature him?
But Cain is listed: two wives (Adah & Zillah). Three sons (Jabal & Jubal & Tubal-Cain). One daughter (Naamah).
Even though Cain’s family is important enough to be listed they’re not exactly important in the bible’s story. So why feature them?
What I’m gradually seeing is that Genesis features a) One Main Family (Abraham) and b) Other Secondary Families (everyone else).
I know the writer’s got this in mind because a) I know I’ll have to read a bunch of names and b) they’re not all about Abraham. The writer refers to The Cain Family but he also lists The Ham Family & The Japheth Family & The Ishmael Family & The Lot Family & The Esau Family (I did a quick spot-check).
The writer considers all the candidates. The Other Secondary Families are registered but then get set aside. Only the One Main Family is featured.
I’ve read the name lists in Matthew 1 and Luke 3 and so I know that the One Main Family list in Genesis is going to narrow down during centuries of family life until it gets to The Main Person. The Main Person is the terminal family member of the One Main Family.
It’s something to keep in mind (even if knowing it doesn’t mean I won’t be doing some monotonous reading).