Q&A Home > C > Cain What was the mark mentioned in Genesis 4:15 "And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him"? Scripture does not disclose what the mark was. It was unique to Cain, and not passed on to his offspring. It was a mark to distinguish him from the rest of mankind and notify that he was the man whom nobody must hurt, but every body must howl at because he had murdered his brother.
Concerning the nature of the mark, some scholars speculate that it could be the mark of the cross. In Ezekiel 9:4 the man in linen was commanded to go through Jerusalem and place a "mark" on those who were distressed and grieved because of the existing abominations (Ezek 9:4). The "mark" was the tav, the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which was cross-shaped ("x" or "+") in early Hebrew script—perhaps an allusion to the cross. According to Jewish tradition the tav stood for the first letter of the Hebrew word tihyeh, meaning "you shall live".
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