If one of your brothers killed a brother you loved, you might be inclined to seek revenge. We don’t know how many children Adam had at this point.
One interesting interpretation of God’s statement seven-fold was not that God was protecting Cain, but a prophecy how Cain’s descendants would deal with those they have problems with. They would punish those they ruled over much greater than the offense given.
Watch this video, it might take a few of days to fit it all in. I found it interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spmOT2lYVVc
That Cain was permitted to live suggests extenuating circumstances. Did it occur so close to The Fall that God hadn't given a set of laws covering murder? Perhaps it was a case of manslaughter rather than murder? Even if it was manslaughter, it has always appeared to me to be a situation where no prior law existed.
Might Cain's conduct while displeasing to God have broken no law and therefore God in his displeasure banished Cain? If yes, wouldn't it be suggestive of an event closer to The Fall than The Flood?
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