Why did Cain kill Abbel?

Question

In the Bible, Cain kills Abbel. Why does he do this? I remember it has to do w/ his sacrifice.

Answer 1

I thought it was jealousy.

Answer 2

v3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

Abel brought the firstfruits. God has always wanted us to give back to him our first fruits, not our leftovers. This whole acceptance thing is about a heart attitude, not specifically what they brought. If Cain had brought his best, I think he would've been accepted. Instead he threw a fit and killed his brother who didn't do anything to him.

Answer 3

Cain killed Abel, not Abbel. Cain was jealous of Abel's intimate relations with God. Some of this has to do with sacrifice and tithing.

Abel was a shepherd who gave blood sacrifices of his herd to God. This is symbolic because years later in the Mosaic Law, Jews were required to give blood sacrifices to atone for sin and get right with God and later when Christ came as the final and last blood sacrifice God would ever require to atone for all sin.

God appreciated Abel's gesture because Abel sacrificed the best of his herd-a lamb with no blemishes (a perfect lamb) more than Cain's offering. Abel's was made of a pure heart. He gave the best because that is what he wanted to do. Cain just gave God fruits and vegetables and did not give God the best of crops or his wealth. Cain's motives for sacrifice was to do what was required to obtain blessing, while Abel went the extra mile.

Cain did not understand this and became envious of Abel and killed him.

Answer 4

In the Hebrew scriptures, the sons of Adam and Eve. According to Genesis, Cain, the firstborn, was a farmer, and his brother Abel was a shepherd. Cain was enraged when God preferred his brother's sacrifice of sheep to his own offering of grain, and he murdered Abel. When God asked where Abel was, Cain pretended ignorance, saying, “Am I my brother's keeper?” God punished Cain by sending him into exile but marked him with a sign as a warning to others, promising that he would be avenged if he were killed.

Answer 5

Cain worked the fields and Abel tended the sheep. When the time for sacrifice had come naturaly Cain offered from his field the best of his work and Abel offered his best lamb. Remeber becasuse of disobedience the ground was cursed. Therefore Abels sacrifice of a lamb pleased God and Cains offering came from the ground thatw as cursed and did not please God.This story has a much deeper spiritual meaning.

Answer 6

Abel's death

While the Torah merely states that Cain killed Abel, the Midrash records the tradition that the two brothers fought, until Abel, who was the stronger of the two, overcame Cain, but mercifully spared his life. Cain, however, took Abel who was unaware, and killed him. The exact method of murder varies with some traditions proposing a stone, others a cane, and others by strangulation. Medieval traditions viewed the murder weapon as being a plough. The Qur'anic version is similar, stating that Abel refused to defend himself from Cain, and hence, in the view of some liberal movements within Islam, Abel is the primary Qur'anic proponent of pacifism and non-violence.

In Christianity, comparisons are sometimes made between the death of Abel and that of Jesus. In the Gospel of Matthew (at 23:35), Jesus speaks of Abel as righteous. The Epistle to the Hebrews however states that The blood of sprinkling ... [speaks] better things than that of Abel (Hebrews 12:24), i.e. the blood of Jesus is interpreted as demanding mercy (as per Christian belief about Jesus' death) but that of Abel as demanding vengeance (hence the curse and mark).

Answer 7

God didn't like Cain's sacrifice which was a bunch of fruit & vegetables or something. But he was overjoyed with Abbel's sacrifice of a lamb.
So Cain got pissed and killed Abel, because he was jealous of him.

Answer 8

1 John 3:12
...not like Cain, who originated with the wicked one and slaughtered his brother. And for the sake of what did he slaughter him? Because his own works were wicked, but those of his brother [were] righteous.

Cain got jealous because Abbel gave a good offering, and Cain did not. God warned him not to dwell on this feeling, but he didn't stop.

Genesis 4:3-8
3 And it came about at the expiration of some time that Cain proceeded to bring some fruits of the ground as an offering to Jehovah. 4 But as for Abel, he too brought some firstlings of his flock, even their fatty pieces. Now while Jehovah was looking with favor upon Abel and his offering, 5 he did not look with any favor upon Cain and upon his offering. And Cain grew hot with great anger, and his countenance began to fall. 6 At this Jehovah said to Cain: “Why are you hot with anger and why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you turn to doing good, will there not be an exaltation? But if you do not turn to doing good, there is sin crouching at the entrance, and for you is its craving; and will you, for your part, get the mastery over it?”

8 After that Cain said to Abel his brother: [“Let us go over into the field.”] So it came about that while they were in the field Cain proceeded to assault Abel his brother and kill him.

Answer 9

Abel gave God a better sacrifice (sheep) then Cain(vegetables?). When God praised Abel about the sacrifice, Cain became enraged with jealousy and killed him.

Answer 10

Abel presented God with the "firstfruits", or best part of his harvest. Cain presented God with some of his harvest, not necessarily the best stuff, just some stuff. God was pleased with Abel's sacrifice, but not Cain's, and Cain got ticked off and killed his brother.

We often do things to others in anger, when we're really angry at ourselves. Some things never change.

Answer 11

He is jealous of the favoritism he feels the Lord shows to Abel in accepting his sacrifice as it was what God had asked of both of them but Cain chose to sacrifice fruits of field instead of unblemished live stock.
People are still like that if you are successful they are angry sometimes that it was not their success.