Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 2: Luther on Sin and the Flood — Edition Insights

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Authors: Luther, Martin, 1483-1546, Lenker, John Nicholas, 1858-1929 [Translator] Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2009 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Bible. Genesis -- Commentaries Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

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Words 129,372

Reading time 563 min

Text sections 21

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Source: Project Gutenberg record #27978

Martin Luther's close reading of Genesis 4–9, arguing that human will is bound to sin without the Holy Spirit. The commentary contrasts Cain's line with Seth's, interprets the flood as judgment and promise, and repeatedly insists that Scripture, not human reason, governs faith.

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IV. CAIN MURDERS HIS BROTHER; CALLED TO ACCOUNT.

A. HOW CAIN MURDERED HIS BROTHER.

1. What moved Cain to commit murder 107.

2. Cain's hypocritical actions in concealing his anger that he might the more easily commit the murder 108-109.

* Cain the picture of all hypocrites 110-129.

* The attitude of hypocrites to their neighbors. Also, how we are to view the efforts of the pope and bishops in behalf of peace and unity 111-112.

* Against what people we should most guard 112.

3. How Cain listened to no warning in his thoughts of murder 113.

* Complaint of the world's attitude to good admonition 114.

* The ways of the hypocrite. Also, why falsehood wears a friendly aspect 115.

4. Whether Cain's passion to murder Abel was noticeable 115.

5. Cain took no notice of Abel's sighing and praying 116.

* The origin of man's cruel and tyrannical nature 117.

B. HOW CAIN WAS CALLED TO ACCOUNT, AND HIS BEHAVIOR.

1. Who questioned Cain, and his defiant actions 118.

2. Cain accused himself most when he tried to clear himself 119.

* Liars speak against themselves, as is proved by examples 119-120.

3. Cain's vindication more foolish than that of the first parents in paradise 121.

* St. Martin will absolve the devil if he repents 122.

* Whoever excuses his sin follows the example of Satan and makes his case worse 123.

4. How Cain heaps sin upon sin 124.

5. Cain despairs and is in a worse state than our first parents after their fall 125.

6. How Cain placed himself in a position where nothing could help him 126.

7. Gently accused, and yet defiant 127.

8. Cain has not the least reverence for God or his father 128.

* This is a picture of all hypocrites 129.

9. How his defense ends 130.

* How man ought to act when his conscience accuses him of sin 131.

* The hypocrite's actions when his conscience is awakened, and what he is to do 132-133.

10. In Cain's defense wickedness and folly are mingled 134.

* How God reveals hypocrites 135.

* Moses says much in few words 136.

* Whether Abel and our first parents anticipated Cain's murder 137.

* Without a thought of what might restrain him, Cain commits the deed 138.

* The picture of the sacrifice of Iphigenia applied to Moses' description of Cain's murder 139-140.

* Cain's is no ordinary murder, and how he differs from other murderers 141.

* The hypocrite's hatred is different from other hatred, and is found among the Jews and the Papists 142-143.

* Cain the father of all murderers 144.

* How the first parents felt over this whole affair 145.

a. Their grief was so great that they could not have endured without special divine comfort 146.

b. Their severe trial in view of the first sin 147.

c. Very likely because of this murder they refrained so long from bearing children 148.

* Whether the first parents had at the time more children than Cain and Abel 148.

* Why Cain slew Abel, and how he did it 149.

11. The time and occasion when Cain was called to account 150.

12. Adam with the authority of God calls Cain to account 152.

IV. HOW CAIN MURDERED HIS BROTHER AND WAS REQUIRED TO GIVE AN ACCOUNT, AND HOW HE CONDUCTED HIMSELF.

A. How Cain Murdered His Brother.

V. 8a. _And Cain told (talked with) Abel his brother._

107. Our translation adds that Cain said: "Let us go out doors." But this is one of the comments of the rabbins, whose relative claim to credit I have fully shown on a previous occasion. Lyra, following the invention of Eben Ezra, relates that Cain told his brother how severely he had been rebuked of the Lord. But who would believe statements for which there is no authority in the Scriptures? We hold therefore to an explanation which has the warrant of the Scriptures, namely that Cain, finding himself rejected of God, indulged his anger, and added to his former sins contempt of his parents and of the Word, thinking within himself: "The promised seed of the woman belongs to me as the first-born. But my brother, Abel, that contemptible, good-for-nothing fellow, is evidently preferred to me by divine authority, manifest in the fire consuming his sacrifice. What shall I do, therefore? I will dissemble my wrath until an opportunity of taking vengeance shall occur."

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Luther's exposition of Genesis 4–9 is a sustained argument that the human heart, without grace, is incapable of anything but sin. He anchors this claim in the Hebrew particle rak ('only') in Genesis 6:5, insisting that the text declares human imagination evil 'only' and entirely. The same verdict, he notes, is repeated after the flood in Genesis 8:21, applying to all Noah's offspring—not just the antediluvians. This pattern of reading a single word as theologically decisive typifies Luther's method throughout the volume.

The Bound Will and the 'Cyclopeans'

Luther devotes considerable space to attacking those who defend free will apart from grace. He calls them 'Cyclopeans'—mythological giants with a single eye—who 'oppose the Word of God and proclaim their freedom of will.' The polemic is not merely rhetorical; it drives his exegesis. For Luther, the flood narrative proves that humanity left to itself produces only evil. He cites Psalm 14, Psalm 116, and Romans 11 to argue that Scripture 'emphatically forces the conclusion that we all, without the Holy Spirit, can do nothing but err and sin.' The only remedy is despair of self and trust in Christ alone.

Cain, Seth, and the Two Humanities

The commentary traces two lineages: Cain's murderous line and Seth's line of those who 'call upon the name of the Lord.' Luther reads these genealogies not as mere history but as typological patterns. Cain's descendants build cities and advance culture, yet their civilization is judged. Seth's line, by contrast, preserves the promise. Luther's treatment is careful to note that the distinction is not ethnic but spiritual: the true church exists as a remnant within the broader world. This contrast prepares for the flood, which destroys the ungodly while saving Noah's family—a pattern Luther sees repeated in his own time.

The Flood as Judgment and Covenant

Luther interprets the flood as both universal judgment and the occasion for a new covenant. He emphasizes that God's promise never to send another such flood is unconditional, grounded in divine mercy rather than human merit. The rainbow is a 'sign' of this covenant, meant to reassure believers. Yet Luther also warns against complacency: the same God who saves also judges. He draws parallels between Noah's preaching and the Reformation, presenting Noah as a preacher of righteousness ignored by a hardened world. The flood thus becomes a mirror for readers to examine their own response to God's word.

Noah's Fall and the Curse of Ham

Luther does not gloss over Noah's drunkenness and Ham's disrespect. He treats the incident as a sobering reminder that even the righteous are prone to sin after great deliverance. The curse on Canaan, Ham's son, is interpreted as a prophecy of servitude, but Luther is careful to limit its application: it does not justify enslaving all descendants of Ham. Rather, the episode illustrates how sin spreads and how God's judgments are often mediated through family lines. Luther's handling of this difficult passage is notably restrained, focusing on the moral lesson rather than speculative ethnography.

Readers approaching this volume should expect a dense, polemical commentary that treats Genesis as a living theological document. Luther's arguments are shaped by his conflict with the Roman Church and his conviction that Scripture alone teaches salvation by grace. The translation by John Nicholas Lenker preserves Luther's forceful, often colloquial style. Those unfamiliar with Reformation debates may find the tone harsh, but the core insight—that human beings are radically dependent on God's mercy—remains the driving concern of every page.

I keep thinking about Luther’s insistence that the flood wasn’t just wrath, but a strange kind of promise—how judgment and mercy tangle together when you read closely. It reminded me of sitting with A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament, Vol. II. — Context and Discussion, where you see how the text’s rough edges hold a quieter faithfulness. Both left me with a slower, humbler way of reading.