1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, "I have gotten a man with the help of YHVH."
Cain means “acquisition” and this influence was created by Ego and Soul. The soul still acknowledges that the original source of this force was YHVH, even though it was through her physical union with Adam that Cain’s body was created. His soul was from YHVH.
2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground.
Abel means "breath," and symbolizes the Life Force that controls the animal functions. This is symbolized by his being a "keeper of sheep". Cain represents the Body or Materialism.
3 In the course of time Cain brought for YHVH an offering of the fruit of the ground,
4 and Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And YHVH had regard for Abel and his offering,
Making sacrifices unto YHVH is symbolic of a refining process that is constantly going on in consciousness. YHVH is the One Universal Mind, which is the receptacle of all ideas. When you have a thought of love and good will, you set free invisible emanations that are impregnated with these ideas. These ascend to a higher realm and form a part of your spiritual soul, at the same time relating you to YHVH, who is the presiding over-soul of the race. This is the inner meaning of the offering of sacrifices to YHVH.
Everything in nature is going through this refining process, and there is a constant ascension of substance to mind and of mind to Spirit. We are taught that a time will finally come when the whole universe will be resolved back into its original essence in God.
5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
The thoughts of the mind are nearer to the Spirit than are the emanations of the body. Hence the offering of Abel (mind) was more acceptable to YHVH than was that of Cain (body).
6 YHVH said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen?
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is couching at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it."
8 Cain said to Abel his brother, "Let us go out to the field." And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him.
The killing out of all human sympathy and love by the Materialistic Selfishness is the slaying of Abel by Cain.
9 Then YHVH said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?"
10 And YHVH said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.
When the body demands possession of all the resources of mind, it reduces existence to mere material living; it has slain Abel, whose blood of life then cries from the earthly consciousness (ground) to YHVH for expression.
11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength; you shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth."
When the selfishness of the body has killed out the finer impulses of the mind and reduced all the higher aspirations to a material level of existence, there is no longer any pleasure in living. Without the mind, the body is a mere machine with little sensation and makes no progress. Cain thus tills the ground, but it yields him no strength.
13 Cain said to YHVH, "My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 Behold, thou hast driven me this day away from the ground; and from thy face I shall be hidden; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will slay me."
The body feels its degradation, and those who get into this degraded condition are usually miserable. Thus Cain's punishment is great. He fears the vengeance of the other faculties; fears that they may condemn the body (Cain) for its impotency.
15 Then YHVH said to him, "Not so! If any one slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him seven-fold." And YHVH put a mark on Cain, lest any who came upon him should kill him.
But YHVH, divine law, has fixed a limit to this condemnation, and we are warned that we must not destroy the body, however great its sins. This mark set upon Cain to prevent his being slain is man's consciousness of his divine origin. No matter how deep the body Ego may be in transgressions, it still bears the stamp of God and can never be killed out entirely. We cannot kill life, for it is eternal; but we can allow the materialistic Ego (Cain) to kill the consciousness of life within the individual organism.
16 Then Cain went away from the presence of YHVH, and dwelt in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
After he had killed Abel, Cain went out from the presence of YHVH (the body consciousness lost its contact with its spiritual source) and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. After any positive action of the mind there is always an apparent negative reaction. Nod, a name meaning "wandering with uncertainty," suggests the seemingly unguided activity of man's subconsciousness during periods of sleep. The fundamental idea in the word Nod is that of uncertainty of mind, bewilderment.
17 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.
The name Enoch means "founder," "dedicated," "centralizer." Metaphysically it denotes entrance into and instruction in a new state of thought or understanding.
18 To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad was the father of Me-hu'ja-el, and Me-hu'ja-el the father of Me-thu'sha-el, and Me-thu'sha-el the father of Lamech.
The name Irad means "self-leading passion," "blind whirling." Irad represents a state in the physical or body consciousness and organism of man, the embodiment of the stubborn, foolish, destructive, devouring--yet transitory and fleeting--emotions and desires that are the result of the sense man's ignorant, confused thoughts and beliefs. The name Mehujael means "manifestation of strength," "physical demonstration of power." Metaphysically, Mehujael represents the belief of the outer man that strength and power are purely physical. This belief leads to error manifestations and demonstrations of power and strength that always lead to trouble of some kind; and the outer, personal man usually attributes to God the afflictions and griefs that are the result of his own error activities. The name Methushael means "Man of God." Metaphysically, Methushael denotes the idea that man is a spiritual and perfect being, which is inherent even in the physical consciousness of man (Cain and his descendants represent the body or physical consciousness). Methushael also denotes the error thought of death, of the disintegration of the outer organism that unenlightened man thinks is desirable, inevitable, of God. The name Lamech means "Strength," "Health," and "Power." Metaphysically, Lamech represents the thought of strength and youth that is carnal and physical.
19 And Lamech took two wives; the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
The name Adah means "beauty or comeliness," "adornment," "pleasure." Metaphysically Adah symbolizes a phase of the human soul, the love nature. Love even in limited personal consciousness and expression has its pleasing aspect ("pleasure"). The expression of it adorns one with a certain beauty of character and a grace and comeliness that are lacking in persons who are wanting in love.
The name Zillah means "deep," "darkness, gloom, or shadow," "screened," "veiled," and "protected." Zillah represents the very great or dense obscurity of thought regarding his true spiritual nature and capabilities that exists in the soul of the individual who is still living wholly in the outer or sense consciousness. Lack of true and clear understanding at this phase of spiritual development is a protection to the individual in that it shields or screens him from experiences that he is not yet able to meet yet would have to face if it were possible for the full Light of Truth to enter his consciousness at this time.
20 Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle.
The name Jabal means "a stream," "a welling up," "abundance." Jabal represents the transitional, outer, physical character of the man who dwells in the animal-strength consciousness. The negative aspects of the name--"wanderer," "passing away," "going out"—all imply lack of permanence. The word cattle refers to animal strength. Stream means the "life flow."
21 His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.
The name Jubal means "principle of sound," "harmony," "melody." Jubal "was the father of all who play the lyre and pipe"; in other words, metaphysically he represents a principle of harmony, which might find expression in musical instruments. Thus Jubal symbolizes the natural rhythm, harmony, and joy of life that are experienced when the soul radiates grace, beauty of thought and character, and comeliness (Adah, mother of Jubal), and the body is healthy and strong.
22 Zillah bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Na'amah.
The name Tubal-cain means "diffusion of Cain," "diffusion of worldly possessions," "flowing of centralized might." Cain represents the sense selfishness centered by an individual in his own physical being. Tubal-cain denotes a broadening out of the selfishness represented by Cain, or the same selfishness operating on a broader, more universal base. The bronze and Iron instruments symbolize forcing one's will on another.
Naamah means "amity," "social unity," "grace," "sweet or pleasant." Metaphysically, Naamah represents the animal soul in pleasing, harmonious combination with youth even though the consciousness here is of the strength and youth of the outer man.
23 Lamech said to his wives: "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, hearken to what I say: I have slain a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me.
This demonstrates the corrupt nature of this sort of power. Those who have it actually brag to others about killing other humans.
24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold."
They even believe their actions are fully justified and that God supports them.
25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, "Gods have appointed for me another child instead of Abel, for Cain slew him."
The name Seth means "compensation," "substituted"; but more particularly it carries the idea of settled, placed, set. The root idea is that of surrounding sympathetic forces which envelop a thing and define its limits. Some mystics have seen in the meaning of the name a reference to the law of destiny: that which predetermines a thing and settles the order of its occurrence.
The spiritual idea killed out by the carnality of Cain (represented by his slaying of Abel) was reincarnated or reborn in another spiritual idea (identified with the personality of Seth), as compensation for the loss of the original concept.
26 To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time men began to call upon the name of YHVH.
The name Enosh means "a miserable man," "mortal man." When man comes to the end of his personal resources and sees the nothingness of all his efforts in the outer, apart from Spirit, he begins to look for a higher ideal to express in his life. He calls on the name of YHVH. It is the activity of the awakening spiritual ideas within him (Seth) that causes him first to realize the futility of his human efforts to better himself, and then to recognize the one Source of all true Ascension and Good.