Some have speculated that the mark was a Hebrew or Sumerian letter placed on either the face or the arm. It is not known what the mark was, but it is assumed that the mark was visible. The mark of Cain is God's promise to offer Cain divine protection from premature death with the stated purpose of preventing anyone from killing him. The Hebrew word for mark ( 'Oth, אות) could mean a sign, an omen, a warning, or a remembrance. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Targums translate the same verse to mean that Cain feared being "an exile and an unstable man". Philo interprets the Greek verse 12 as an allegory for Cain's fear of being soulless. Syriac Christianity interprets the Greek version to mean that Cain experienced a real physical affliction that would enable others to know who he was when they saw him. In the Septuagint, the emphasis on Cain's curse is dramatically increased by the combination of the Greek participles στένων καὶ τρέμων ("groaning and shaking upon the earth"). Modern interpretations of the Hebrew verse 12 suggest that Cain went on to live a nomadic lifestyle and that he was also excluded from the family unit. The combination making up this Hebrew phrase נע ונד, "fugitive and wanderer," is unique in the Hebrew Bible. The second part of the curse marks Cain as a fugitive ( Hebrew: נע) and a wanderer ( Hebrew: נד). This may imply why he went on to build cities, namely the City of Enoch. Should Cain attempt to farm the land, the earth would not yield produce for him. The first concerns the earth that was cursed by Abel's blood. Genesis 4:12 gives a two-part sentencing for Cain's curse. In a sense, the earth was left "drinking Abel's blood". When Cain spilled his brother's blood, the earth became cursed as soon as the blood hit the ground. The curse was the result of Cain murdering his brother, Abel, and lying about the murder to God. The narrative of the curse of Cain is found in the text of Genesis 4:11–16. Edwin Roscoe Mullins – Cain or My Punishment is Greater than I can Bear ( Genesis 4:13), about 1899.
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