![]() 1 as having a “cursed” mark set on him? Or would the man in Fig. 2 see the different skin tone of the man in Fig. Do these visuals help point out the folly of such a conclusion? Would the men in Fig. Now, how would making the skin shade either slightly lighter or darker constitute a visible “mark” which would make people know that Cain was not to be executed for the murder of his brother? Let’s keep in mind that Cain was fearful of being killed (Genesis 4:14), likely by a sibling (bearing in mind that Adam and Eve had other children per Genesis 5:4), and that if there was any variation in skin tone between Adam’s sons and daughters, there would have been some with slightly lighter and darker tones, as in Fig. As an example of middle-brown skin tone, let’s use a modern-day Polynesian male (see Fig. When we consider that Cain was the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, it is also logical to assume he closely resembled them. For all of humanity to be one race (all being descendants of Adam and Eve, per Genesis 3:20, Acts 17:26, and 1 Corinthians 15:22, 47–49) and to exhibit the variation in skin tone we see today, that is the most logical deduction. 1 But to think through the subject biblically and logically, let’s consider what AiG has always maintained-that the original couple, Adam and Eve, almost certainly had a middle-brown skin tone. There have been many attempts throughout history to label the mark of Cain (as well as the supposed “curse of Ham”) with darker skin color. What the Mark Was Not: A Change in Cain’s Skin Tone Likely, though, it was something visible and physical since people would recognize it and be aware of the consequences of seeking to take vengeance on Cain for murdering Abel. What and where this mark on Cain’s body was goes unmentioned, so any hypothesis is simply that-an educated guess. ![]() This mark will serve as a perpetual reminder that if someone seeks to kill Cain, he will suffer “sevenfold” vengeance. But even while punishing Cain, God extends mercy and tells Cain that he will offer protection in the form of a mark.īut even while punishing Cain, God extends mercy and tells Cain that he will offer protection in the form of a mark. Yet just a little while earlier, Cain did not fear to take his brother’s life, and had sought to hide his actions from God, brazenly asking God if he was his brother’s keeper. He worries first about his ability to feed himself, then that he will be hidden from the face of God, and lastly that he will constantly fear for his life. Even his response here is extremely hypocritical. God also tells Cain that he will be “a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” What the Mark Was: Mercy and WarningĬain is suddenly aware that he is now an outlaw and that he will be a hunted man, crying that his punishment is too great. God then pronounces a curse on Cain, perhaps adding an even stronger enforcement to the curse on the ground from Genesis 3:17–19 for the rest of Cain’s lifelong agricultural endeavors ( Genesis 4:12). ![]() After Cain kills Abel, Genesis 4:9–15 tells us that God confronts Cain with his murder, brushes aside Cain’s “feigning ignorance” lie, and says that the ground itself has testified of Cain’s heinous sin. ![]()
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