Journal: Tyndale Bulletin
Volume: TYNBUL 47:1 (NA 1996)
Article: Genesis 4:17-24: A Case-Study In Eisegesis
Author: Maarten J. Paul

TynBul 47:1 (1996) p. 143

Genesis 4:17-24: A Case-Study In Eisegesis*

Maarten J. Paul

* This paper was delivered as the Tyndale Old Testament Lecture in Cambridge on 1 July 1993. The author is grateful to Dr. P.A. Siebesman and Dr. P.E. Satterthwaite for their perceptive comments.

Summary

This article summarises both ancient and modern interpretations of Genesis 4:17-24, paying particular attention to the relatively unknown Jewish exegesis of this pericope. Usually there is a relation between the social and cultural position of the exegete and his positive or negative view of the technical achievements of Cain and his posterity. After a long period of negative interpretation, Calvin is the first to establish another outlook. In this century the discussion between J. Gabriel and C. Westermann reveals many motifs.

I. Introduction

For those who are interested in the relationship between modern culture and the Bible, a study of Genesis 4:17-24 and a proper understanding of its implications has been regarded as of prime importance. These verses, which describe Cain’s building of a city and attribute various inventions to his descendants, have seemed to many exegetes to imply either a positive or a negative evaluation of technological progress. This is true not only of our own century, in which issues such as global warming, depletion of the earth’s resources, and various kinds of pollution are so much debated, but of previous centuries as well.

This article aims to examine how commentators over the centuries have treated Genesis 4:17-24, asking how far their views reflect the influence of the cultures to which they belonged. We pay particular attention to early and medieval Jewish commentators,

TynBul 47:1 (1996) p. 144

because of the relative obscurity of these exegetes, and follow this with a representative selection from the Christian exegetical traditions.

Overview Of Genesis 1-11

The book of Genesis may be summarised as a theological account of creation and the origin of the people of Israel. A unifying theme appears to be that, in spite of man’s sin and apostasy, God remains faithful and provides new starts time and again. When Abel is killed, God continues with Seth. Cain and his descendants are mentioned in passing, yet the story remains focused on the main line proceeding from Seth to Noah. There follows a brief description of Ham, Japheth, and their descendants, after which attention shifts to the line from Shem to Abraham.

The first half...