eference to the name given by Eve to her
son: "And she called his name Seth." Moses does not speak thus
concerning Cain when he was born, nor concerning righteous Abel, nor
with reference to Enoch, nor with reference to any of the others. By
this particular expression regarding Seth and his name Moses would
signify that this was the first son in whom flowed the stream of the
promise which had been made to the parents in paradise. So Eve is to
be understood when she assigns the reason for giving her son this
name. Eve manifests her surpassing godliness and faith in giving her
son such a name.

290. The fact that Eve recalls the murder by wicked Cain of his
brother Abel proves that there had existed a fierce enmity between
these two churches, and that she had witnessed and suffered many evils
and indignities from the Cainites. Because of this she now called to
mind the awful murder which had been committed, whereby Cain wished to
destroy the righteous seed that he might reign alone. But thanks be to
God, says she, who hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel.

291. Moses here, as is his usual manner, embraces in the fewest
possible words the mightiest things, that he may incite the reader to
the most diligent consideration of the works of God. Of the pain and
righteous grief of the parents at the murder of Abel by his brother we
have spoken before. I see no reason why we should not believe that
after the perpetration of that horrible murder no son was born to Adam
until the birth of Seth; for it is most probable that the awful peril
of a recurrence of a calamity like that which they had just
experienced, induced the godly parents to abstain from connubial
intercourse. I believe, therefore, that by a particular promise made
to them by an angel, their minds were again comforted and confirmed,
and that they were influenced to believe that a son of the description
of Seth would now be born unto them, who should hold fast the promise;
and that, although the generation of Cain should utterly perish by
their sin, the generation of him about to be born should be preserved
until the promised blessed seed should come into the world.

292. It is a proof of some like particular promise having been
revealed to the parents by an angel that Eve adds to the name she gave
to her son a kind of short sermon, and that Moses when recording this
circumstance makes use of an expression not otherwise adopted by him
in connection with th