The Discovery of Genesis (56 page)

The Genesis story relates, “Now Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bore Cain, saying(RSV), ‘I have gotten a man, the Lord’” (Genesis 4:1 AAT).
¹
The name “Cain” in Hebrew means “got.” They named Cain in accordance with their hope that they had “gotten” a Savior from God. They did not realize that their firstborn son was not to be the Promised One, but instead he would become the cause of further great sorrow in their lives. A second son, Abel, was born soon afterward.

As Cain and Abel grew through their youthful years, they were a source of happiness to their parents. Cain enjoyed agricultural pursuits and provided the family with a bountiful supply of fruits and vegetables. Abel, on the other hand, loved animals and kept flocks of sheep. This occupation met other needs of the family, not only supplying wool for clothing but also lamb offerings for their worship of God. The slaying of the lamb they understood was to symbolize the Deliverer, who would ultimately be slain as man’s Substitute and thus remove the death penalty. Through this act of worship, they demonstrated their faith in the promised Savior, who would thereby once more restore their lost righteous characters. The children had been taught by their parents to kneel before the lamb offered on an altar.

The word for
righteousness
appears to have been derived from this original act of worship, asking forgiveness for sin. A
sheep
is found in this figure, and beneath it,
, picturing
I, me, we
kneeling before the Lamb of God, who alone covers me and brings
righteousness.
Further dissection of this last character for
me
reveals a composite of hand
and a lance or
spearhead
. This specifies that the slaying of the Iamb is by
me
, by my own
hand
, using a
spearhead
, indicating that my sins would bring death to the innocent Lamb of God. This interpretation is verified by ancient forms for
me
and
righteousness
, both of which portray a
hand
and
spear
.