Genesis 4:2
“And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.”
KJV
Read in Genesis 4Meaning
Abel becomes a shepherd and Cain a cultivator of the soil. Their different forms of work prepare for the offerings that follow.
Read carefully
Nothing in this verse by itself condemns agriculture or idealizes pastoral life. The narrative first presents two legitimate occupations.
Reflection
Different vocations can stand before God; the moral crisis of the chapter arises from response, desire and action rather than from occupation alone.