Divine Genocide

Then He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to Me from the ground.  Genesis 4:10  NASB

To – In the past we discovered that God’s rebuke of Cain suggests that Cain’s murder is not simply of the one person, his brother, but rather of all those who would have come from his brother’s line.  The critical term is דָּם (dām – blood), but here it is plural.  It is the “bloods” of Cain’s brother crying out.

As important as that recognition is, it pales in comparison to the alterative reading of the preposition ʾel.  In our English translation, that preposition is found in the phrase “to Me.”  Virtually all English translations follow this reading.  But ʾelin Hebrew has an umbrella of meanings.

אֶל (ʾel) unto, into, beside, against, in reference to.

The preposition expresses primarily motion toward someone or something. As such, it occurs in a wide variety of contexts expressing motion, attitude, direction, or location.

Physical motion “toward” is the primary concept expressed by this preposition with numerous examples. . . . Closely akin is the concept of mental motion as seen in God’s grief “into” his heart (Gen 6:6).

We see also its use to express motion toward, in the sense of “in reference to,” a kind of unseen gesture (Gen 20:2) where Abraham speaks “in reference to” his wife, not “to” her (cf. also I Sam 3:21, “in reference to” the ark being taken). . .

Finally, the preposition can also mean “against,” although motion toward is evident, as in Gen 4:8, where Cain “rose up against Abel.” Here ʾel no doubt retains something of the original sense of both physical and mental motion toward.^[1]

This leads to a very provocative reading of the text.  Heschel discusses this in relation to Akiva’s interpretive method:

“Just as they went to extremes with language ‘that compared the powerful image of God to human forms,’ so did they not shrink from suggesting that the Master of all creatures is a guarantor for His creatures and accepts responsibility for His children.  The Lord said to Cain, ‘Hark, your brother’s blood cries out at Me from the ground!’ (Genesis 4:10).  ‘Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai said, “This is hard to say, and impossible for the mouth to explain!”  It is like two gladiators in combat before the king.  If the king wished, he could separate them, but he did not.  One prevailed over the other and slew him.  The dying one wailed, ‘Bring suit against the king on my behalf, that he did not have mercy on me!’  Read not, ‘cries out to Me,’ but ‘cries out against Me!’”[2]

We hear Abel saying: “God, why did you let this happen?  Didn’t you know that Cain had murderous intentions?  Couldn’t you have intervened and prevented the genocide of my entire line?  Why did you let it go so far?  And why, after the fact, did you let Cain off?”

It’s no wonder the text should be read ‘cries out against Me!’  God is responsible for all this tragedy.  And if God is negligent, He beyond any excuse we can come up with.

Can you feel the rage, the hurt, the betrayal?  Abel is obedient.  He does what God wishes—and he is the one who suffers.  Where is El Shaddai, HaRachaman, Mechayeh Metim, Somech Noflim?  I suspect that you and I would voice the same complaint.  Perhaps we squash the grievance because we’re theological sheep, afraid to cross the line with a transcendent God.  But what kind of relationship is that—one that subjects us to silence when our souls experience moral outrage?  Maybe Rabbi Simeon is right.  Maybe it’s time to break the boundaries and tell God how we really feel—before we die trying.

Topical Index:  ʾel, to, against, cry out, blood, Rabbi Simeon, Genesis 4:10

^[1] Scott, J. B. (1999). 91 אֶל. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 41). Chicago: Moody Press.

[2] Abraham Heschel, Heavenly Torah as Refracted through the Generations, p. 237, citing Genesis Rabbah 22:9; Midrash Haggadol on Genesis 4:10.