The most famous in Christian religion brothers Cain and Abel are familiar to every person. Their story gave me a lot to think about while reading the bible. About the lesson they taught humanity, how fratricide affected the fate of their descendants. In this article I will talk about the story of the two brothers and its different interpretations.
There is probably no person who has not read or heard about this biblical story. Just in case, I’ll remind you what happened between the two legendary brothers and tell you about the details.
Cain and Abel are two brothers, children of the ancestors of the entire population of the Earth, sons of Eve and Adam. They were born after they ate the forbidden fruit, and God expelled the couple from the Garden of Eden.
The Creator instructed his sinful children to engage in heavy physical labor, to obtain food themselves, and to take care of food. Cain was engaged in agriculture, and Abel grazed cattle in the meadows.
The plot of Cain and Abel describes the legendary fratricide committed on Earth. The planet was still young then, although it had undergone many changes and felt all the negative power of the first sin of Adam and Eve. The elder brother was the first to be born on this planet, and the younger brother was the first to die on it.
This story is told in the fourth chapter of Genesis.
Why did the murder happen?
The brothers were required to sacrifice the fruits of their labor to God. The younger brother gave these gifts sincerely, with a pure heart. He did not feel greed and was grateful to the Creator, despite his difficult lot. Therefore, God received him with gratitude and bestowed his favor on him.
The elder brother gave away the fruits of his labors out of obligation. He felt no love for the Creator, and his gifts were rejected. Full of indignation and envy, in a fit of anger Cain killed his younger brother. This act became the first terrible crime to desecrate the earth.
After committing fratricide, Cain tried to cover up the traces of the crime; he did not admit to God what he had done. When asked where Abel had disappeared, he replied that he was not watching or guarding his brother, so he did not have the slightest idea of where he had disappeared.
God hoped to receive a confession and make Cain repent, but he chose to hide his sin and wanted to avoid punishment. For this monstrous offense, the creator cursed the killer, saying that the earth would no longer give him fruit and strength. Cain was banished and doomed to eternal wandering in the land of Nod.
From that moment on, a period of wandering and suffering began for the elder brother, which he was unable to bear. He cried out to God asking that any person he met along the way would kill him.
In response, God commanded that no one could kill Cain, lest he receive seven times more vengeance than he deserved. Therefore, the life of the elder brother continued in torment and suffering.
How did Cain's wanderings end? Here are the main points of history as told in the Bible:
- Cain gave birth to a son named Enoch and became the founder of his family, as well as the city of the same name.
- There is no clear information about Cain's wife. In various sources one can see opinions that his wife was his sister, named Avan, or a girl named Sava.
- The clan of Cain has seven tribes. It ceased to exist after the Great Flood, in which the descendants of the fratricide failed to escape.
It is also indicated that the innocent soul of Abel led a horde of other martyrs who spent their entire lives persecuting members of the elder brother's clan. His soul could not rest until the clan was completely wiped off the face of the earth.
Meaning of brothers' names
Cain's name symbolizes envy in all its forms. Currently, it has become a household word, personifying a person full of evil, meanness, capable of committing a crime against members of his family.
Abel is translated from Hebrew as breath, a powerful positive Vital energy. Other sources give a translation from the Akkadian language - “son”.
Other interpretations
The story of two brothers became known modern society thanks to the study of ancient manuscripts. The most famous of them was presumably published in 250 BC and is called the “Dead Sea Scrolls.”
In this and other historical manuscripts, Abel is presented as the first person to become a victim of a brutal murder, a martyr who atoned for the sin of his parents before God. The image of Cain is presented as a monstrous killer, the personification of evil, its first manifestation in the human world.
There is another opinion among researchers: some of them believe that the legend of two brothers came from the Sumerians, who wrote about the conflict between farmers and shepherds. Kabbalah states that the elder brother was not the son of Adam, but the fruit of the love of Eve and the angel Samael. In other sources - the devil's offspring, which was born after Eve's adultery with Satan himself.
Watch a video about the biblical story of two brothers:
Notable Facts
This biblical story did not leave researchers and scientists alone. Therefore, over time, many interpretations and interpretations of the first fratricide appeared.
Here are the most interesting of them:
- In biblical stories, the story of Cain and Abel is not the only one in which God gave preference to the youngest of the brothers. This event was repeated at least three times - with David, Joseph and Esau.
- This story has become an archetypal example of fratricide, envy and betrayal. Various interpretations can be found in works of art in almost any form of art.
- In the Middle Ages there was a legend that the Creator sent his older brother into exile on the Moon, so that from there he would watch over earthly life, missed her, but did not have the opportunity to return. Therefore people, during full moon, can look closely and see the image of an older brother threatening the younger one.
There is another interesting opinion that the sin committed by Cain became the prerequisite for various wars, the cause of which was blood feud. The author of the opinion believes that the reason for the strife is the inequality of people before God and the battle for justice.
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The biblical text divides the descendants of Adam and Eve into two branches - Cainites and Sethites - listing their genealogy in detail (see Genesis verse 4:17 - 5:32). The descendants of Cain died during the Flood, and all humanity ascends to Seth and his son Enos (Heb. Enosh, man). The Old Testament author, describing the genealogy of the Adamites, does not consider it necessary to explain who the wives of the sons of Adam and Eve were. Therefore, a natural question arises, where did the wives of the children of our forefathers come from?
Children of Adam and Eve According to canonical Old Testament text, children began to be born to Adam and Eve only after they were expelled from the Garden of Eden. But the statement that the ability to reproduce was a consequence of the Fall is erroneous, since it contradicts the blessing of reproduction, given by God to the first spouses at their creation (Gen. 1:28). It is interesting that before the expulsion from Paradise the first woman did not have own name, and she was designated only in terms of her relationship to her husband, by the word “wife.” Adam named her Eve (Heb. Havva, life) and she became the mother of all living. The firstborn of the ancestors was Cain. “Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord” (Gen. 4:1). After Cain, Abel was born. Abel was a shepherd, and Cain was a farmer. Cain and Abel represent the first step towards the transformation of the individual - the first people (Adam and Eve), into the multitude, into humanity. Further, the Old Testament historian reports that at the age of 130 Adam gave birth to Seth (Sheth) (Gen. 4:25, 5:3), the ancestor of the Sethites. The other children of the first parents are mentioned only in passing in the Bible - Adam lived 930 years and gave birth to sons and daughters (Gen. 5:1–5). The Old Testament apocryphal Book of Jubilees reports: “And in the third week, in the second jubilee, she (Eve) gave birth to Cain, and in the fourth she gave birth to Abel, and in the fifth she gave birth to her daughter Avan... And in the fourth year of the fifth week he (Adam) was consoled (after the murder of Abel ), and again he knew his wife, and she bore him a son, and he called his name Seth; for he said: “The Lord has raised up for us another seed on the earth instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” In the sixth week he gave birth to his daughter Azura.”
The Apocrypha Life of Adam and Eve gives the following information: “And after Adam begat Seth, he lived eight hundred years and begat thirty sons and thirty daughters; a total of sixty-three children. And they rose above the face of the earth in their countries." Josephus, citing ancient Jewish tradition, notes that Adam had 33 sons and 23 daughters.
In the Jewish tradition one can find an even more original reading of the biblical text. Midrash Bereshit Rabbah, interpreting the opening verses of Genesis 5, states that in addition to the direct descendants of Adam (Cain, Abel and Seth), born of Eve, Adam had other children whose mother was someone else. After the Fall, Adam separated from Eve for 130 years, during which demons and lilin were born from his connection with spirits (including Lilith, named Piznai). Eve gave birth to male demons. The whole world is full of the offspring of these spirits. According to the Zohar (the main Kabbalistic work), the wife of Adam before the creation of Eve was the demoness Lilith, which largely determined the origin of evil in human society.
Who were the wives of Cain, Seth and their descendants
Cain was the first to marry the children of Adam and Eve. “And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch” (Gen. 4:17). The line of Cain began in the land of Nod (verse 16). Nod is related in meaning to the words “a wanderer who knows no rest” (navanad). That is, it was the land of “those who ran away from God.” Who was Cain's wife? Unlike the canonical text, the apocrypha and interpretations are replete with details family relations first people. Many Jewish and Christian sources agree that Cain and Abel were married to their twin sisters. The apocryphal Book of Jubilees says: “And Cain took his sister Avan to wife, and she bore him Enoch at the end of the fourth jubilee. And in the first year of the first week of the fifth jubilee houses were built on the earth, and Cain built a city and called it after the name of his son Enoch.” Following the apocrypha, the Church Fathers (Epiphanius, Ephraim the Syrian, John Chrysostom) are of the opinion that Cain’s wife was one of his sisters. Since this was at the beginning of time, and meanwhile the human race had to multiply, it was allowed to marry sisters.
The sons and daughters of Adam represented not only a family, but also a clan, so the differences between brotherly and conjugal love became more pronounced only after the emergence of several families. Even in much more late times and among very civilized countries such unions were not considered incestuous. Athenian law required you to marry your sister if she did not find a husband at a certain age. For example, Abraham married his half-sister, Sarah. Most likely, Cain got married even before the murder of Abel, since it is doubtful that any woman would decide to marry a fratricide. Philo of Alexandria calls Cain's wife by name, Themech. Rabbinic literature simultaneously associates Cain's wife with his own twin sister, or with Abel's twin sister. One of the sisters, destined for Abel, was more beautiful, and Cain, wanting to marry her, decided to commit fratricide. The Arab legend contains a similar interpretation. Modern Bible scholars are also of the opinion that the wife of the first son of Adam and Eve could have been one of his sisters. After the birth of his son, Cain built a city, naming it after his son Enoch. Thus, the biblical text speaks of important event in the formation of humanity - the transition from a nomadic to a sedentary way of life.
Cain's descendants most likely married their closest relatives in the same way. The Book of Jubilees describes in detail all the marriages that took place, mentioning family ties and the names of the wives of the descendants of Cain. In the book of Genesis, only the wives of Lamech, Adah and Zillah, are named. Lamech's marriage is the first instance of polygamy. Adam and Eve's third son, Seth, could also have married one of his sisters. Thus, the Book of Jubilees narrates: “And in the fifth week of this jubilee Seth took to wife his sister Azura, and she bore him Enos in the fourth year.”
A rather interesting evidence of marriages is the words at the beginning of chapter 6 of the book of Genesis. “When people began to multiply on earth and daughters were born to them. Then the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful, and they took them as wives as they chose.” This plot is based on myths about gods who took mortal women as wives and about the heroes born as a result. Most Jewish and Christian interpreters understand the sons of God as Angels (Book of Enoch, Book of Jubilees, Philo, Justin the Philosopher, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria). Some rabbinic commentators saw this as a reference to the sons of the aristocracy marrying women of the lower classes. According to the third version of the interpretation, which is followed by the majority of the Fathers of the Church (Ephraim the Syrian, John Chrysostom, Jerome, Augustine, etc.) and modern researchers, the sons of God were the pious Sethites, and the daughters were the descendants of the Cainites.
If we take into account the latest DNA research, which indicates that all of humanity can be traced back to one pair of people, then the opinion that the wives of the first children of Adam and Eve were their sisters may be quite acceptable.
CHILDREN OF ADAM
The first people born were Cain and Evel - the children of Adam and Chava.
CAIN'S ENVY
The firstborn of Adam and Chava, Cain, was a farmer, and Ebel was a shepherd. Cain was always busy at work extracting plants needed for food, which refused to grow without outside help, as in the days before the fall of Adam and Chava. Evel spent a lot of time thinking about the mistake his parents had made and about ways to correct it. In a fit of repentance and gratitude, Ebel sacrificed some of his best young sheep to G‑d. Cain saw this and also wanted to donate something to G-d. He therefore chose the best first plants of the year for the sacrifice. But G‑d did not accept Cain’s sacrifice because he did not offer it sincerely and of his own free will, as Ebel did. When Cain noticed that G‑d was not paying attention to his sacrifice, he became angry with his brother and decided to kill him.
CAIN RECEIVES A WARNING
The All-Seeing and All-Merciful G-d gently reproached Cain. He asked him why he was angry and why his face fell. If his sacrifice was not accepted, shouldn't he consider this a sign that he did something wrong? He must take this into account, otherwise repentance will come too late.
EVEL'S KILLER
Cain talked with his brother about this. In the midst of a debate about what was good and what was bad, Cain rebelled against his brother and killed him. When G‑d asked Cain where Ebel was, he replied, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
CAIN'S PUNISHMENT
G-d said to Cain: “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries to Me from the earth. And now you are cursed more than the earth; she will no longer give her strength for you; you will be an exile and a wanderer on earth.”
CAIN'S REPENTANCE
Cain was saddened. He regretted the crime he had committed and begged G‑d to mitigate his punishment: “My punishment is more than can be endured. Behold, You are now driving me off the face of the earth; and I will hide from Your presence, and I will be an exile and a wanderer on the earth; and it will happen that anyone who meets me will kill me.”
So Cain complained, and his desperate plea was heard. G-d assured him that no one would kill him until the seventh generation. And a sign appeared on Cain’s forehead, which G-d made for him so that no one would kill him.
CHILDREN OF CAIN
Cain wandered throughout the earth until he settled in Nod ("Land of Wandering") in the east of Eden. He had many children. They multiplied and later formed powerful tribes. One of the last descendants of Cain was Jabal, the first man to live in tents and herd cattle. Another descendant of Cain was Yubal, who was the first man to play the lyre and flute. A descendant of Cain was also Tubal-Cain, the first man to make tools from metal. Tubal-Cain had a sister, Naamah.
DEATH OF CAIN
Tubal-Cain's father, Plowshare, was the sixth generation from Cain.
The ploughshare grew old and blind. One day, younger son The ploughshare, Tubal-Cain, led his blind father into the field to hunt. In the distance, Tubal-Cain saw something moving, like a huge animal. He advised the blind Lemekh to point his arrow in that direction, and Lemekh fired. As they drew closer, they saw, much to their chagrin, that they had killed Cain.
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The parable of Cain and Abel is the most famous episode Holy Scripture. It is with him that the history of human enmity and crimes begins. But this parable is fraught with many mysteries, getting to the innermost essence of which is not at all easy...
As you know, after being expelled from paradise, Adam and Eve had two children - Cain and Abel. According to the Book of Genesis, Cain was the first murderer in history, and Abel was the first murder victim. The Hebrew name Cain is similar to the words "kain" (smith) and "kana" (to create). The name Abel (in Hebrew - Hevel) possibly goes back to the Hebrew word "hevel" (breath).
Their difference begins not with behavior, and not even with occupation, but with the name received in those biblical years when blacksmithing did not exist at all. Meanwhile, pagan gods Hephaestus, or Vulcan, already existed, in short - a blacksmith, the lord of fire, and perhaps the Sun, who became a sorcerer, the owner of secret powers, black magic and secret knowledge.
And it is quite obvious that their further actions were dictated by the absolute difference in professions and characters. And one day, when both decided to offer a sacrifice to God, all this came out.
Whose sacrifice is better?
Each of the brothers built identical altars, and each offered a sacrifice. It must be said that both had a good idea of what the Lord expected from them: both their parents and numerous commandments said that the sacrifice should be of animal origin - most often a sheep or ram was killed for this purpose.
And Abel did as he was instructed: he brought a sacrifice from his flock according to God’s requirement. “And the Lord looked upon Abel and his gift,” says the Bible. Fire came down from heaven and consumed the victim.
But Cain turned out to be a man with a difficult character - he went his own way. The eldest son of Adam and Eve ignored the direct command of God and sacrificed not a lamb, but “the fruits of the earth.” It is not surprising that the sky looked indifferently at his offerings - no sign was sent from above indicating the acceptance of the sacrifice.
Seeing this, Abel asked his brother to obey God's command. But Cain turned out to be even more stubborn: these requests only embittered him more. Taking advantage of his older brother's superiority, he rejected Abel's advice. Moreover, he became very angry not only with his brother, but even with the Lord, so that even the Lord advised him to calm down.
But Cain did not want to listen to anyone. Moreover, he decided to take revenge on his brother for being more successful than him. Cain called Abel with him into the field, took him as far as possible from his parents’ hut and killed him there.
It must be assumed that Cain believed that a secret act could be hidden both from the eyes of people and from the Lord himself. Based on this, it can be assumed that he did not really believe in God, that is, he actually demonstrated the beginnings of atheism. And this was when there were very few people on earth and the Lord was present every day in earthly life as a creator and parent!
So what kind of person was Cain? Why does he have such an abyss of unbelief, bitterness and self-will?
It’s probably worth taking a closer look at the figure of Cain.
Let's return to the fact of the Fall. From ancient times to the present day, the blacksmith was considered the owner of the same magical power, as the shaman. His main helping spirits were his ancestors, from whom he inherited the magical profession.
But blood is a biological matrix that carries the imprint of the entire sum of human qualities, external and internal information, memory and human intellect. Therefore, it is extremely interesting from whom these qualities came into Cain’s blood: disobedience, self-will, envy?
As is known, in the apocryphal materials of antiquity, the Serpent, who lived in paradise, initially tempted Adam. But realizing the futility of this activity, he turned to Eve. Things got easier: he soon taught the woman how to use the forbidden fruits. Do you remember how he once appeared before her as a handsome young man? Based on the allegorical nature of biblical texts, it can be assumed that this unusual creature, who could speak, also knew the science of human intercourse.
So it is quite possible that as a result of the communication between Eve and the Serpent, Cain was born with his gene pool, which was completely different from the “blood” gene pool of his younger brother, Abel. The Serpent, who opposed himself to God, turned into an exile, like the fallen angels, passed on knowledge and information to the children of Adam and Eve. They became the heirs of this dangerous knowledge. So it is not surprising that blacksmiths, shamans, priests, magicians, sorcerers, and witches soon appeared among people. And perhaps that is precisely why the volcano of these base passions suddenly awoke in an ordinary blacksmith, who had merely made a sacrifice “unworthy of God.” Although it is possible that the “unworthy sacrifice” was made by Cain on purpose - it was, so to speak, a test balloon launched in order to test the reaction of the Creator.
But, as you know, all these “pranks” were not in vain for Cain. And even more so fratricide. True, even after shedding the blood of his younger brother, Cain behaved extremely aggressively and even hostilely, using the tactics “ best protection- this is an attack." When the Lord asked: “Cain, where is your brother Abel?”, instead of feigning elementary ignorance, he rudely suppressed the “inadequate” questions of the Creator, declaring: “How should I know! Am I my brother’s keeper?”
From this, and from Cain’s entire behavior, it is quite obvious that the tragedy that occurred was the result of a premeditated plan. It was neither a spontaneous murder, nor a random outburst of emotions, but a mechanically precise, well-thought-out “ideal” murder. It is possible that Cain’s calculation was precisely aimed at breaking with the Lord - he made a conscious choice, wanting to leave the environment that bored him with the disgusting work and dominance of traditions, and begin a different life, consistent with own ideas and dictated by powerful egoism. After all, pay attention to how Cain reacted to the fact that the Lord convicted him of a crime, cursed him and sent him into the big world.
"Cain! Cain!.. And because you dared to kill your own brother, I curse you, says the Lord. “Don’t you dare stay here, leave your parents and run away from here.” But wherever you go, there will be no peace for you anywhere. Your conscience will torment you everywhere because you killed your innocent brother!”
And then Cain, instead of tearing his hair out from what he had done, completely calmly answers: “Yes, God, now I see that I have sinned greatly, and you cannot forgive me for this sin.” And that’s all - no tears, no repentance, no regret about the fate of the murdered brother! Is this how normal people react to a verdict?
No, Cain was ready for what the Lord would do to him. He completely calmly (and even joyfully!) went to where the Creator had sent him.
Father of Cities
After breaking up with the Lord, Cain wandered for a long time until he came to the land of Nod, where he built the very first city on earth. He had many descendants who moved further and further away from God: for example, his great-great-grandson Jubal was “the father of all who play the harp and pipe,” and his brother Tubal-Cain became the world’s first blacksmith, who laid the foundation for the Iron Age.
The serpent, who “gave” Eve the apple, is depicted in ancient drawings with a human head
And those same assumptions about the presence of biological information in Cain’s blood that turns him into an unusual person receive further confirmation.
It so happened that one of the two biblical Enochs (“sanctified”) was precisely the son of Cain. It seems surprising that it was Enoch who was brought closer to Elohim (one of the names-epithets of God). He not only recorded history " fallen angels“, but also had a strong connection with God, as a result of which he was famous among his people and even resolved disputes between people and God. But for such a function it was simply necessary to possess special qualities - a priest, a magician, a sorcerer.
It is also noteworthy that the seraphim described by Enoch, the creatures surrounding the throne of the Lord, are sometimes compared to “ fiery snakes", which were able to fly, predict the future and even change their appearance. But this is very close to the qualities of the Tempter Serpent, who passed on a piece of his knowledge to Eve.
So it is possible that Cain gained mystical experience and all his extraordinary skills and sacrificed his brother for this. But whether this sacrifice was made in atonement or in payment for acquired knowledge, we will most likely never know.
Yuri GOGOLITSYN
"Riddles of History" September 2012
He asked Cain: “Where is Abel, your brother?” Cain answered: “I don’t know; Am I my brother’s keeper?” But God said: “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries to me from the earth. Cursed be you from the ground, which received your brother's blood from your hand. When you cultivate the land, it will no longer give its strength to you: you will be an exile and a wanderer on the earth.” Cain said: “My punishment is more than can be endured. Behold, I will wander the earth; anyone who meets me will kill me." He said to him: “Whoever kills Cain will have sevenfold vengeance.” And God made a sign to Cain so that no one would kill him. And Cain and his wife went from the place where he appeared to people as their father, and settled east of Eden, built a city and called it Enoch after the name of his son.
From Cain came a tribe of wicked people who were called the sons of men. They cared only about the safety, comfort and pleasures of earthly life.
One of Cain's descendants, Lamech, was the first to marry two wives. From him were born: Jabal, who was the first to live with the flocks in tents; Jubal, inventor of musical instruments; Tubalcain (Fovel), inventor of blacksmithing, and Noema.
Mixing of tribes. Corruption of people. Noah. The Flood (2262 from the creation of the world, 3247 before the birth of Christ). Rescue of Noah and his family. Sacrifice it. God's blessing to Noah and God's covenant with him
When people multiplied on earth, the sons of God (descendants of Seth) began to be seduced by the beauty of the daughters of men (daughters of the descendants of Cain) and took them as wives. Because of this, all people were corrupted. Then he said: “People will not despise My Spirit forever; they have gone astray and become carnal. I will give them a period of repentance of 120 years.”
At that time there were giants (giants, attackers) on earth, which especially began to be born from the time the sons of God began to marry the daughters of men. They further increased wickedness, corruption and wickedness on earth. When he saw that the corruption of people was great and that the earth was filled with atrocities from them, he grieved and decided to destroy people, and with them livestock, and creeping things, and birds.
At that time there was a righteous and blameless man, Noah. He had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. He said to Noah: “The earth is filled with evil deeds from people. I will destroy them from the earth. Make yourself an ark, with a hole at the top and a door on the side. Arrange lower, second and third housing in it. Resin it with resin inside and outside. Behold, I will bring a flood of water on the earth to destroy every living creature on the earth. But I will establish my covenant with you: and you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives will come into the ark with you. Also bring into the ark animals of all kinds, the clean in sevens, male and female, and the unclean in twos, male and female. Stock up on all kinds of food.” And Noah did everything that God commanded him.
At the end of the six hundredth year of his life, Noah, with his family and animals, entered the ark. shut the ark behind them. On the same day, heavy rain fell on the ground and rained for forty days and forty nights; and the waters of the deep sea rushed onto the land. The water covered all the mountains and rose 15 cubits above the highest high mountains. Everything living on earth died. Only Noah and those with him remained in the ark, which floated on the waters. The waters rose above the earth for 150 days. Then he brought the wind to the earth, and the water began to subside. The Ark stopped on the Ararat Mountains. The tops of the mountains appeared. 40 days after this, Noah opened the window of the ark and released a raven. The raven flew off and flew to the roof of the ark. Seven days later, Noah released a dove. The dove did not find a dry place and returned to the ark. After another seven days, Noah released the dove again. The dove returned with a fresh olive leaf in its mouth, and Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth. After waiting another seven days, Noah released the dove for the third time, and it never returned to him. When the earth dried up, God commanded Noah to leave the ark with all those who were there with him.
Upon leaving the ark, Noah built an altar, took from all clean livestock and from all clean birds and offered a burnt offering to God. God was pleased with this sacrifice, and He said in his heart: “I will no longer curse the earth for the sins of man, and I will no longer smite all living things. Henceforth, as long as the earth stands, sowing and harvest, summer and winter, days and nights will not cease on it.” And he blessed Noah and his sons and said: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. Let all the animals fear and tremble at you, and let them be in your hands. Let everything that moves and lives be for you to eat, like green herbs; just don't eat blood. I will require your blood too. Whoever sheds human blood, his own blood will be shed, for man was created in the image of God.” And he made a covenant with Noah and his descendants that there would be no more flood, and as a sign of this covenant he placed a rainbow in the cloud. (.)
Noah was a type of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, and the ark was a type of the Church of Christ, in which alone people are saved.
Ham's disrespect for his father. Noah's prophecy about the fate of his children
Upon leaving the ark, Noah began to cultivate the land and planted a vineyard. One day he drank grape wine, not knowing its strength, became drunk and lay naked in his tent. Ham his son saw him and told his two brothers. Shem and Japheth took the clothes, put them on their shoulders, walked backwards into the tent and covered their father without seeing him. When Noah woke up and found out what Ham had done to him, then he prophetically said: “Cursed is Canaan (the son of Ham), the servant of slaves will be among his brothers.” Then he continued: “Blessed is the Lord of Shem; Canaan will be his slave. May God spread Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem; Canaan will be his slave." With these words, Noah predicted that the descendants of Ham would be slaves of the descendants of Shem and Japheth; in the descendants of Shem God will be blessed, true worship of God will be preserved, and from this tribe God will be incarnate; the descendants of Japheth will occupy the largest area of the earth, subjugate Shem’s descendants under their rule and enter into the true world.
From the sons of Noah, people very soon multiplied and began to spread throughout the earth. (v.)
Pandemonium of Babylon, confusion of languages, dispersion of people (2793 from the creation of the world, 2716 BC) and the emergence of idolatry
At first, all people spoke the same language and one dialect. Spreading across the land, people settled on the plain in the land of Shinar. Here the descendants of Ham became especially strong. Remembering that Noah had predicted slavery for them, and not wanting this prophecy to be fulfilled, they said; “Let us build ourselves a city and a tower up to the heavens, and let us make ourselves a name (be glorified) before we are scattered throughout the whole earth,” and they began to build. Instead of stones, which are not found in the land of Shinar, they began to use bricks, and instead of lime, earthen resin. Many from other tribes were involved in this enterprise. But he said: “Let us go down and confuse their language so that one does not understand the speech of the other.” And the Lord confused their language and scattered them throughout all the earth. The city was given the name Babylon (confusion). This is how it happened different peoples speaking different languages.
Scattered across the earth, people little by little began to forget the true God and began to honor instead of God: the sun, the month, stars, people, animals, plants, demons, inventions of their imagination and idols (images of false gods). Faith in the true God was preserved only in the offspring of Simov's son, Arphaxad.
From Arphaxad descended successively the patriarchs who preserved and spread the veneration of the true God: Cainan, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Ragab, Serukh, Nahor and Terah. They lived less than the antediluvian patriarchs. Noah lived 950 years, Shem 600 years, Arphaxad 465 years, Terah 206 years. (v.)
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