Was Cain the Father of Civilization?

It would seem so from the Bible: . . . and Cain’s wife bore Enoch and he builds a city (Gen. 4:16). Whether the pronoun “he” refers to Cain or his son, the text clearly associates Cain, a name almost synonymous with sin and fratricide, with one of the giant steps in human development, the formation of urban society with all of its economic and political ramifications, such as the development of trade, resident crafts and centralized government. However, that’s not all. We are told that Lamech, the great grandson of Cain, had three sons and a daughter from his two wives. The first son was the father of those that dwell in tents and have cattle (Gen. 4:20). The second son was the father of all who handle the harp and the pipe (Gen. 4:21). The third son is described as the forger of every cutting instrument of bronze and iron (Gen. 4:22). The only distinction accorded the daughter is that she was the sister of Tubal-Cain and that her name was Na’ama. Each one of the above discoveries or inventions constitutes a definitive game changer in the development of human culture. These titles are presented as matters of fact without casting any aspersions due to these individuals’ lineage from the notorious Cain. So, is there a lesson here? Is it that criminals are redeemable and their reintegration into society can be of benefit to all, or is the Cain connection purely coincidental?

I wish to propose that there is here a positive relationship between Cain’s tragic experience and the outburst of inventiveness and the appearance of new social forms that follow. This approach is in line with the approach found in Genesis Rabbah (22:28) that Cain regretted his deed and sought to do penance. This is supported by the sympathetic tone of the conversation between God and Cain as he, laden with remorse and anxiety, goes into lonely exile (Genesis 4:13-15).

Before we proceed, note the achievement of one of Lamech’s sons as the father of all who handle the harp and the pipe (Gen. 4:21). It is surprising and in some sense revealing that the text would consider the making of music on the same level of importance as cattle herding and metallurgy.

Isaac Abarbanel, in his commentary on the Torah, draws together the characters and events in this biblical account of the banished Cain and his descendants into an interconnected and meaningful narrative. And Cain knew his wife and she conceived and bore Enoch and he built (va-yehi boneh) a city (Gen. 4:17). Abarbanel comments: “Without a doubt, the curse incurred by Cain was far more severe than that received by Adam, his father. In both cases the land was cursed, but only Cain is condemned to be a fugitive and a wanderer (Gen. 4:12). Man is only at ease when he is settled on the earth from which he was formed and does not have to move from place to place. Since Cain could no longer be a ‘tiller of the soil,’ he became a builder. Notice, it does not say ‘He built a city’ but rather ‘he was a city builder.’ Once the project was completed, Cain, in accordance with the Divine decree, had to move on.”¹

However, the connection between Cain and the city may be more profound than simply a new occupation for Cain. Agonizing over his heinous deed, Cain may have come to realize that driving his consuming envy and rage against his brother was a sense of hurt and humiliation at his offering not being accepted. This in turn was fed by an inflated sense of self of the order, I am and there is none beside me (Isa. 47:8). Now in his misery Cain acquires a new appreciation for society, to make room for the “other” and for the importance of cooperative living in close proximity, i.e. the city.

How, however, shall we account for the burst of creativity and inventiveness that we noticed before in the family of Lamech, a great grandson of Cain? Is there any connection other than biological kinship? According to Abarbanel it was precipitated by Lamech’s unconventional taking of two wives (Gen. 4:19), breaking with the practice of monogamy. His rationale was to have one mate for procreation and another for pleasure. As we already know, Lamech had three sons and a daughter. This division of duties within Lamech’s family afforded his wives, now as mothers, the opportunity and privilege of naming their children and thereby indicating what their goals should be in making their career choice. In keeping with the family’s desire to make amends for the crime of Cain, the wives decided to commemorate the memory of Hevel by naming their sons after him and by recommending some of the attractive features of the life of the shepherd. Wife Adah names her first son Yaval, who becomes father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle (Gen. 4:20).

Yaval adopts the concept of herding and expands it to include cattle. He also institutionalizes the nomadic way of life that is necessitated by the need to find new grazing grounds. The second son, named Yuval, becomes the father of all who handle the harp and the pipe (Gen. 4:21). Abarbanel explains that Hevel must have played the pipe, in line with the classic romantic image of the shepherd who plays his reed pipe for pleasure and to pass the time.² Therefore, Yuval too takes up the pipe and, becoming enchanted with music, discovers the musical versatility of string instruments (harp).

Tzilla, Lamech’s second wife, is not that enchanted by the model of the easygoing shepherd. For her the example set by Cain, the energetic tiller of the soil who learned how to bring forth food from the earth, is more suitable to be emulated. She therefore names her son Tuval-Cain, retaining the memorial gesture to Hevel but adding “Cain” to remind her son of her preference. She thus hopes to inspire her son to seek out a more productive and innovative life. And so, Tuval-Cain becomes the forger of all cutting instruments of bronze and iron (Gen. 4:22). Note that he is not referred to as the father of . . ., probably because of the many stages involved in metallurgy, such as mining and smelting, before you get to forging. The text may be saying that Tuval-Cain was the first blacksmith or coppersmith.

Abarbanel sees the connection with Cain as linked to the use of metal in weaponry, which was of interest to Cain as a man of violence. But more plausibly the connection lies in the use of metal in making a plowshare, so needed by the tiller of the soil. I would suggest that here too Lamech’s generation takes culture a step further than the previous one. Cain planted the seed and waited for it to sprout, enlisting the forces of nature for human needs. However, a smith is possible only after the discovery of the value of copper and iron ore in the rock, and how to extract and forge the metal into useable tools for further advancement.

Regarding Na’ama, Abarbanel writes as follows: “His (Tuval-Cain’s) sister was called ‘Na’ama’ (from the root na’im, meaning ‘pleasant’) because she brought about the pleasantness of vocal singing . . . Perhaps she started to write lyrics, since her brother Yuval was a musician; she composed the song to fit the tune, such as a lament, or perhaps she simply had a pleasant voice and became a vocalist.”³ However, the Rabbis, by identifying Na’ama as the wife of Noah (see Rashi, Genesis 4:22), bestowed upon her a truly significant role. While the ten generations from Adam to Noah were all wiped out by the flood (Avot 5:2), a descendant of Cain, Na’ama the wife of Noah, survived along with Noah, a descendant of Seth. Still, nothing is said about the technological skills and cultural advances that had been made by the descendants of Cain.

Although Noah had evidently learned to use some of the agricultural tools and skills, he did not have full access to the cultural heritage of Cain. By bringing Na’ama into the ark as Noah’s wife, more of the achievements of the Cain line could be transmitted. Moreover, Cain’s words, My sin is more than I can bear (Gen. 4:13), show signs of introspection. Perhaps this awareness of the depth and significance of subjective experience was transmitted to Lamech, who also displays an ability to articulate his feelings (Gen. 4:23). This gift of analysis and verbal articulation must have been inherited by Na’ama, which enabled her to express herself in poetry and song.

A rather farfetched but theoretically interesting link between Cain and Yuval’s devotion to music may be found in a closer examination of Cain’s murderous attack on his brother. There are two aspects to his act that make it atypical. To begin with, Cain was the first human being born to human parents, who themselves never experienced adolescent development. As such, they were unable to help their natural born son identify or cope with his emerging emotions. That is why Cain is the only figure in the Bible to whom God appears in order to help him understand his emotions, so that he may act appropriately and prevent him from sinning.⁴ We can imagine Cain assailed by strong feelings that were overwhelming and urging him to strike his brother, without fully comprehending what they were and how to deal with them. God therefore appears to Cain, telling him to examine his feelings and to realize that they are a passing condition over which he can gain control. Why are you angry and why has your face fallen? . . . you can rule over it (Gen. 4:6-7).

If the primordial social crime was an outburst of violence prompted by envy, anger and humiliation, emotions which man still finds difficult to control, then it is entirely fitting that music made an early appearance in the human story.⁵ For music, as the language of emotion, enables the individual to give expression to his feelings, and by so doing to discharge the fury of his anger, to redirect the energy and achieve a sort of catharsis.

This brings us back to the observation made at the outset regarding the inclusion of music amidst man’s most important discoveries. Yes, music is not only expressive but impressive. Music can excite (I Chronicles 15:19), and it can sooth (I Samuel 16:23). Music can attract and it can repel. Moreover, we have come to realize that music is vital not only for its immediate effects but for the malleability of sound that enables ever-new creativity producing a unique experience, which we call aesthetic. Unlike visual aesthetic experience, which can be found in nature, such as a beautiful sunset or the colors of the rainbow, there is no music in nature. It is an exclusively human creation and experience. That is why song, words accompanied by music, becomes the most appropriate form of divine worship, offering to God the fruit of the two most creative faculties given to man: speech, the language of the mind, and music, the language of emotion. Perhaps that is why God accepted the offering of Hevel: because, if Abarbanel is correct, and playing the flute is an essential part of the life of the shepherd, then Hevel’s gift of the “best of his flock” was probably accompanied by song. Although herding sheep was the main occupation of the Patriarchs, up to and including their stay in Egypt, there is no reference to music during all of this time.⁶ The crucial step in the application of music to Divine worship comes in the person of David, the son of Jesse, the shepherd king who unites the tribes, who plays the harp, the “sweet singer of Israel” who bequeaths to the world the Book of Psalms with specific instruction: Sing praise unto Him with the timbrel and harp (Ps. 149:3), Praise Him with string instruments and the pipe (Ps. 150:3), Sing praises unto the Lord with the harp and voice of melody (Ps. 98:5,6).⁷

While Abarbanel saw the inclusion of music in the listing of early discoveries as related to the shepherd Hevel’s presumed playing of the pipe, Genesis Rabbah (22:28) may be hinting at a more profound connection when it describes a fateful meeting between Adam and Cain: “Adam, the primal man, encountered Cain and asked him: ‘What happened in your judgment?’ ‘I repented and was acquitted,’ answered Cain. Adam struck his face with his hand in astonishment and cried out, ‘How great is the power of repentance and I did not realize that.’ He rose and exclaimed it is good to confess (le-hodot) to the Lord and to sing praises unto Thy name (Ps. 92:2).”

To even the vilest sinner, who after a full repentance returns to a world newly revealed in its pristine glory, there opens before him new vistas of goodness and possibility, and in his wonder he perforce bursts into song.⁸