And the LORD said unto Cain,
Why are you angry? and why is your countenance fallen?
All Commentaries on Genesis 4:6 Go To Genesis 4
Ephrem The Syrian
AD 373
God said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why is your face gloomy?” Instead of being filled with anger, you ought to be filled with distress. Instead of your face being gloomy, tears ought to be flowing from your eyes. “If you do well, I will accept it.” Notice then that it was not because of the small size of Cain’s offering that it was rejected. It was not accepted because of his spitefulness and his lack of good will. “If you do well, I will accept it,” even though I did not accept it before, and it will be accepted along with the chosen offering of your brother even though it was not accepted before. “But if you do not do well, sin is couching at the first door.” Abel will listen to you through his obedience, for he will go with you to the plain. There you will be ruled over by sin, that is, you shall be completely filled with it. But instead of doing well so that the offering that had been rejected might be credited to Cain as acceptable, he then made an offering of murder to that One to whom he had already made an offering of negligence. –.
