The First Murder: What Cain and Abel Teach Us About Human Nature

The story of Cain killing Abel — the sons of Adam and Eve — is more than a record of the first crime. It’s a symbolic, theological, and psychological lens into what it means to be human, and why crime, selfishness, jealousy, and war persist in our overpopulated, complex world.

What the Story Says

From Genesis 4, some key points:

Cain and Abel both brought offerings to God, Abel’s was accepted; Cain’s was not. This stirred envy in Cain. Bible Gateway+2Answers in Genesis+2
God warned Cain: “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is waiting at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Bible Gateway
Still, Cain allowed jealousy, resentment, and anger to grow, and ended up murdering Abel — the first act of violence between humans in the Biblical record. Bible Gateway+2Enduring Word+2

What It Tells Us About Human Nature

From these events, several enduring truths (or possibilities) emerge about human beings:

We have moral potential and moral risk.
Cain was given a choice and a warning. That shows that humans are not purely passive: we can decide, respond, resist. Yet, we also have inclinations (jealousy, anger, selfishness) that must be actively managed.
Envy and rejection are powerful motivators of evil.
Jealousy over perceived favoritism or injustice — seen between Cain and Abel — can lead to bitterness and destructive actions, especially if one feels unvalued or rejected.
Self-awareness and relationships matter.
The story implies that Cain was aware of his feelings, had relationship with Abel, and with God. Conflict arises not just from external scarcity or competition, but from how we see ourselves, how we see others, how we see God or moral authority.
Sin — or wrongdoing — isn’t just about action; it’s about inner state and refusal.
It wasn’t only the act of murder, but Cain’s attitude: jealousy, failure to heed warning, refusal to self-control, allowing evil (“sin crouching at the door”) to dominate.
Consequences follow choice.
After the murder, Cain is punished — cursed to be a wanderer, marked so others know not to kill him, etc. Bible Gateway The story suggests that evil has real, painful consequences, not just abstract guilt but societal, personal, ongoing ramifications.

Do These Teachings Explain Why Crime and War Happen Today?

Yes — at least in part. The story can help us understand:

Why human communities persistently suffer from conflict, violence, crime: because jealousy, injustice, resentment, power struggles are part of the human condition.
Why institutions, societies, and laws exist: to restrain wrong impulses, to protect the weak, to punish wrongdoing, to maintain justice.
Why moral education, religious or spiritual life, ethics, introspection, empathy are crucial: they are the tools by which people resist the more destructive inclinations built into our nature.

Still, the world today is vastly more complex — many more people, many more competing interests, technologies, ideologies. So while the Cain–Abel story doesn’t explain everything (e.g., economic inequality, resource scarcity, political systems, historical grievances), it gives a foundational narrative: human beings are capable of great good and great harm, and the shadow side of human nature always threatens unless we guard against it.

Should We Be Surprised by Crime and Wars?

No — or at least, not by them altogether. Given what we can see in ourselves and in our history:

Crime and war are not aberrations: they are recurring outcomes when human selfishness, envy, aggression, or fear go unguarded.
Overpopulation (or large populations) amplifies tensions, resource competition, anonymity, distance between people — making it easier for evil to flourish.
But that doesn’t mean we must accept them without struggle. The story suggests there’s always the possibility of acting differently: choosing what is right, mastering destructive impulses, cultivating justice, mercy, empathy.

So yes, given human nature (as portrayed in many religious, philosophical, psychological traditions), crime and wars are sadly predictable to some extent — but they are not inevitable in every case, nor are they the final word.