After murdering Abel, Cain willingly left the LORD's presence, settled in the land of Nod east of Eden, married, and founded a society opposed to God. His line built an ungodly world grounded in physical accomplishment. Lamech introduced polygamy and was an unrepentant murderer, apparently of at least two men. Lamech's sons were talented and famous: Jabal began nomadic livestock herding, Jubal invented harp and flute music, and Tubal-Cain taught bronze and iron working. They rose to prominence in a godless, amoral society. These descendants of Cain are the "sons of men" and "daughters of men" of Genesis 6, set in contrast to Seth's line, the "sons of God," who began calling on the LORD's name in Enosh's day. The sons of God, Seth's descendants, saw the beauty of Cain's daughters and married them, and their children became the mighty men of renown in an evil world. None of Cain's descendants appear to have survived the Flood, since God destroyed their sinful lifestyle to preserve the human race. He preserved them in death for the Great White Throne Judgment, when they will have their opportunity for salvation. Their intermarriage with Seth's line is a warning to God's people not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers.

The descendants of Cain formed a corrupted line upon the earth. Cain's offspring did what was right in their own eyes. Those of Cain went off toward the east and built their own cities. They became wicked and corrupt because they totally left God out of the picture. God traces the family of Cain beginning in Genesis 4:16 and continues through Cain's line down through the sons of the evil Lamech. Cain's line was worse than the line of Seth. The males of Seth's line noticed the beauty of the women of Cain's line and began to intermarry. The bad ways of Cain's line always corrupted the good. The children of these unions followed the wicked mothers and maternal parents rather than the righteous fathers. Cain's descendants contributed to the corruption that eventually touched the whole of humanity before the Flood.

Cain went out from the presence of the Lord. Cain's son Lamech marries two women thus signaling a further departure of Cain's family from God's way and Lamech is following the same anti God path as his father Cain. Lamech too had already murdered another family member even as Cain his father did. The Cain-Lamech line produced nobody noteworthy in regard to righteousness. The sons of God from the line of Seth took wives from everywhere including the Cain-Lamech line. The seed of Satan are spiritual children that he influences freely and thus bears his characteristics like Cain and Lamech.