Brutal conflicts over grazing rights defined the arid scrublands of the ancient Near East. Pastoral herdsmen defended their cattle from predators and rival nomadic tribes using lethal force. The terrain offered little cover, forcing shepherds to spot threats from hundreds of feet away. Survival demanded constant vigilance and a readiness to kill. Violence became a daily routine in this harsh region.
Scribes in Egypt recorded this brutal reality during the fifth century a.d. within the Second Book of Adam and Eve. The text survived through Ge'ez manuscripts and details a violent encounter in Chapter 13. The narrative places Lamech, a blind herdsman, in a contested pasture. Lamech descends from Cain, the original murderer, who now wanders the wasteland under a curse from God. The deity cast the murderer out and left the man to tremble across the earth.
To protect his cattle, the blind Lamech stands in the brush with a curved hunting bow and a leather sling. A young boy watches the horizon for him. Cain stumbles into the grazing field, causing the cattle to scatter in panic. The young guide mistakes the cursed wanderer for a wild beast or a thief. Relying on the frantic shouts of his guide, Lamech releases an arrow across 60 feet of open brush that tears into the side of Cain. A two-pound rock from the sling follows, crushing the face of the intruder.
A sightless hunter fires his weapon through the eyes of a frightened boy.
This blind execution extinguishes the life of Cain. Realizing his victim is his own grandfather, Lamech flies into a bitter rage and strikes the young boy. The blow knocks the child to the dirt. Fearing the boy might live to tell the story, Lamech brings down a heavy rock and smashes his skull. Two corpses remain in the grazing field as the blind man stands alone among his cattle.