The Ground That Opened Its Mouth: The Ground’s Response to Human Violence in Genesis 4

Abstract

It has almost become a truism that the in Gen 1-11 is a character in its own right.1 While many scholars repeat this insight, few consider the underlying rationale. What is gained by presenting the as a character, an agent capable of interacting with others? What motivates the writer of Genesis to make the a third party in the human-divine drama? In this article address these questions by looking closely at the story of Cain and Abel in Gen 4:1-16, with particular attention to verses 9-12. begin by relating Cain to the characters of Adam and Noah in order to highlight the way in which themes and issues appear and reappear across the Primeval History. Second, look at Gen 4:1-16 in detail. Finally, put my reading of Gen 4 into conversation with Gen 1:28, especially the verbs and mi.I.Adam, Cain, and Noah: Establishing a PatternOne way to read the stories of Adam, Cain, and Noah is to see them as three attempts to address a single set of problems. Rather than saying that Gen 3 addresses alienation between God and humanity and Gen 4 addresses alienation between brothers, read Gen 3, 4, and 6-8 as recapitulating each other.2 By establishing a close and unique connection between Adam, Cain, Noah, and the ground, Gen 1-11 ruminates on the nature of the relationship between humanity and the and the extent to which the is available to human choice and control.The narrative connects Adam, Cain, and Noah to the by means of names and vocational titles. story of Adam provides the most expansive description of the intimate association of humanity and the ground. God forms Adam the (2:7) and later informs him that he will return to the (3:19). name Adam (DTK) is itself a pun on the word HOTK (ground), and Gen 2 ties the creation of humanity to the need for someone to work the (see 2:5).3 Finally, after the expulsion Eden, we are reminded of Adam's work and origin: The Lord God sent him the garden of Eden, to work the which he was taken (3:23). stories of Cain and Noah evoke the connection with HOTK through shorthands. Cain is a worker of the (nOTK T3p), while Noah is a man of the (nOTKn ^'K).Adam, Cain, and Noah also share an association with curses, specifically ones that involve the ground. Because of Adam, the is cursed and farming becomes arduous and difficult. Furthermore, God tells Adam that his life will end in a return to the (Gen 3:19). Cain is cursed from the ground (4:11) after he murders Abel, and, despite Cain's continued efforts to work the ground, the will no longer yield him its strength (4:20). Noah is the first person to utter a curse, but he is also connected to the curse of the flood. While the flood is never explicitly called a curse, God's statement after the flood associates it with Gen 3 and 4: I will not again curse the on account of humanity ... nor will again wipe out all life that have made (Gen 8:19). Furthermore, Lamech relates Noah to the curse on the at Noah's birth, expressing the hope that Noah will bring humanity rest their work out of the (Gen 5:29).4 In each case, the curse entails a separation the ground, and this separation intensifies through each story. God tells Adam that his life as a farmer will require toil and sweat; God banishes Cain the face of the ground; and God brings about the flood that extinguishes all life the face of the ground.Another similarity between Adam, Cain, and Noah is that each is in some way an archetype, a father of humanity. Adam and Noah play this part in a literal way. Adam is the first human, and Noah serves a similar role as the first person of postdiluvian humanity. Cain's line, on the other hand, comes to an end at the flood, since Noah descends Seth. narrator compensates for this lack of genealogical continuation by making Cain and his descendants the creators of human culture and industry. …