How did Cain die? What happened to Cain?

Answer

The Bible does not specify how Cain died. After murdering Abel, Cain was cursed to be a restless wanderer away from God’s presence and was unable to work the ground as he had before, as the ground would no longer yield him crops (Genesis 4:11-12). Fearing being killed by others, Cain complained to God, saying, “My punishment is more than I can bear” «And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. », (Genesis 4:13). God then granted Cain a protective mark to prevent him from being murdered, declaring, “if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over” «And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. », (Genesis 4:15).

Some rabbinical commentators, like Rashi, have proposed theories about Cain’s death. According to an extrabiblical midrash, Lamech, who was blind at the time, accidentally killed Cain while hunting with his son. In this legend, Cain’s mark was a horn, and Lamech’s son mistakenly identified Cain as an animal, leading his father to shoot Cain. Consequently, Lamech ended up killing both Cain and his own son, which, according to this legend, explains Lamech’s words in Genesis 4:23–24. It is improbable that Cain would have been murdered by his descendant Lamech, considering that God had marked Cain to prevent anyone from killing him «And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. », (Genesis 4:15). Furthermore, to argue, based on a legend, that Cain was murdered is to ignore the authority and priority of Scripture.

Another theory from extrabiblical literature suggests that Cain was killed by a stone house falling on top of him. According to the Book of Jubilees, Cain was rightfully avenged for the murder of Abel, “for with a stone he had killed Abel, and by a stone was he killed in righteous judgment” (Book of Jubilees 4:31). It may be tempting to accept this account of Cain’s death, but Scripture never states how Cain died, so any attempt at explanation is mere conjecture.

What can be known about Cain after the murder of Abel is that he settled in the land of Nod, had a son named Enoch, and built a city named after his son (Genesis 4:16-17). The descendants of Cain became people who raised livestock, crafted musical instruments, and built tools of bronze and iron (Genesis 4:20-22). Despite these cultural achievements, Cain’s descendants followed his example of evil and unbelief. Lamech was especially Cain-like, as he boasted of killing a man who had injured him and even demanded greater vengeance in the event of his own murder than what God had granted to Cain (Genesis 4:23-24). The descendants of Cain grew more numerous and ungodly, as evidenced in the widespread wickedness of Noah’s day.