창세기 4:16의 주석

ויצא קין AND CAIN WENT AWAY — He went away in pretended humility as though he would deceive the Most High (Genesis Rabbah 22:13).

AND CAIN WENT OUT FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE ETERNAL. The sense thereof is that he never stood before Him any more, as he meant when he said, and from Thy face shall I be hid,⁴⁴¹Verse 14. [as explained above].
And he dwelt in the land of Nod. The sense thereof is that Cain did not traverse the entire world, but he dwelt in that land, perpetually wandering therein and not resting at all in any one place thereof, and so it was forever called “the land of Nod (wandering)” after him.

'ויצא קין מלפני ה, He went forth away from the presence of the Lord, from one place to another, away from the proximity of Gan Eden, the area where G’d’s presence was most in evidence, until וישב בארץ נוד, a play on words, i.e. he moved from place to place, נד. Eventually, he settled down in an area east of the Garden of Eden, a good distance away from where his father and mother lived. Even there he remained restless due to the curse he had been smitten with. The Torah merely informs us that if and when he did settle down for short spaces of time, it was in that vicinity, east of Eden. His wife and children lived there permanently, whereas he was always on the go, doomed to roam on the surface of the globe. Of course, at intervals he would return to his wife and children, even building towns for them.

וישב בארץ נוד, “he settled in the land of Nod.” Seeing that Kayin had become a true penitent, G’d remitted half of his sentence, the half dealing with his being a constant wanderer on earth, not calling any place “home.” Whereas he had been condemned to be נע ונד, he had now been allowed to establish a permanent residence. Nachmanides explains the word נוד in terms of it being a variant of נע ונד, meaning that the region in which Kayin was a wanderer was one called נוד, so that his wanderings did not involve roaming the surface of the globe.

He exited with humility... a deceiver... Rashi knows this because the Torah uses the term ויצא (exited), which means leaving an enclosed area, instead of וילך (went). But Kayin ‘exited’ from the Presence of Hashem, for Whom there is no enclosed area, as the whole earth is filled with His Glory! [Thus it hints, “He exited with humility.”]

מלפני ד׳, nach der Auffassung der Weisen, nicht räumlich, sondern aus dem ganzen Verhältnis zu Gott: warf Gottes Worte hinter den Rücken und wollte versuchen, von Erde und Menschen gebannt, ein selbständiges Leben zu gründen. Obgleich aus dem Paradiese verwiesen, standen die Menschen doch noch ׳לפני ד. Kain jedoch, durch sein Verbrechen und sein Verhalten nach demselben, trat hinaus aus diesem Verhältnis.

'ויצא קין מלפני ה, “Kayin left the Presence of Hashem;” this formula also appears in Esther 8,15, where Mordechai is described as leaving the Presence of the King. The verse informs us that on account of his exile, Kayin was given a new lease on life, and he accepted G-d’s judgment. He was eventually killed inadvertently after seven generations.

בארץ נוד IN THE LAND OF NOD — In the land where all exiles wander about.

קדמת עדן, “to the east of Eden.” Wherever an easterly direction is mentioned in connection with man, it is related to the location of גן עדן in some manner. When the direction is mentioned with Moses, however, the Torah writes אז יבדיל משה שלש ערים מזרחה שמש, in order to describe an easterly direction (Deuteronomy 4,41, i.e. the word מזרחה describes an easterly direction)

Which indicates that Adam was there... For if not, why were the angels in the east and not elsewhere?

Wir sahen die Gottesherrlichkeit dem Menschen im Westen entschwinden. Wir sehen hier eine Entfernung nach Osten קדמת עדן, also eine immer größere Entfernung von Gott, und damit den Versuch eingeleitet, auf die eigene Menschenkraft, ohne Gott, ein selbständiges Leben zu begründen.

וישב בארץ נוד, “he settled in a land known thereafter as Nod”. Originally, he had been condemned to be נע ונד תהיה בארץ; our sages derive from this line that if one is condemned to be in exile, this diminishes the original sin one qualifies for by half.

קדמת עדן ON THE EAST OF EDEN — Thereto his father went into exile when he was driven out from the Garden of Eden. as it is said, (3:24) “And He placed in the east of the Garden of Eden” a watch on the road that leads to the entrance of the Garden, from which one may infer that Adam was there (in the East) (Genesis Rabbah 21:9). Indeed, we find, also, that the Eastern quarter always forms a place of refuge for murderers, as it is said, (Deuteronomy 4:41) “Then Moses set aside three cities of refuge towards the place of sun-rise [that a murderer might flee thither].” Another explanation of בארץ נוד IN THE LAND OF NOD — (taking נוד in the sense of “movement”) — wherever he went the earth quaked beneath him, and people said, “Turn away from him: this is the man who killed his brother” (Midrash Tanchuma, Bereshit 9).

An alternative explanation of בארץ נוד. But the verse cannot mean only this explanation, for otherwise, why does it say: “East of Eden”? Thus we need the first explanation, “That is where his father was exiled.” And the verse cannot mean only that explanation, for otherwise, why does it say: “In the land of Nod,” instead of, “In the territory”? [Thus Rashi offered both explanations.] (Maharshal)