R. Eisler (cited by Lampe, p. 14) suggested that the wandering nomads associated with Cain wore an “X” incised on their foreheads. Lampe, p. 14, observes that, whether or not this association is admissible, the “X” sign did play an important role in the history of religious sealing. It was in this form that the sign of the bond service to God took on an eschatological significance as a seal marking off the elect and saving them from the divine wrath. The Palestinian Targum, however, adds the important