Cain's Sin in Gen. 4:1-7: Oracular Ambiguity and How to Avoid It

First it is related how Joseph, upon hearing of his father's illness, took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. [...]m-n-h never refers to counting human beings except in two kinds of situations: (1) establishing the impossibility of counting (Gen. 13:16; Num. 23:10; 1 Kings 3:8); and (2) emphasizing the negative effects of such a counting (Isa. 65:12, "I will destine you [lit. [...]a census at this point was very much in David's personal and dynastic interests, as Brueggemann has shown.28 Was Cain's behavior any different upon hearing "But you must rule over him [/it]," although it was God who incited him, through oracular ambiguity, to ponder his worst fears and suspicions? For it is written: 'Let sins cease' [Ps. 104:35]. [...]consider the rest of the verse:'and they are wicked no more.' [...]the narrative is explicit. .