This is one of the most popular questions concerning the book of genesis. According to this reasoning, cain would have married his sisterone of abels twin sisters no less, according to the genesis rabbah. Whoever the sister was who chose to go into banishment with her branded brother, she deserves. Also, where did all of the different races come from. Actually some yec will come right out and say incest was ok until the population got big enough to allow you. Am i supposed to intuitively know that god made cain s wife. People who question who cains wife was are usually thinking along this line. Preadamic humanity some have attempted to say that cain s wife came from a race of preadamic. The identity of cain s wife in the book of genesis is perhaps the most baffling mystery in the old testament.
One important thing to keep in mind is that in the book of genesis, humans lived. Thus, they can conclude there must have been another race of people on the earth, who were not descendants of adam, who produced cain s wife. One of the most oftenasked questions about the bible is that of cains wife. Where did the females cain and abel married come from answers. The bible does not say that cain went to nod and later found a wife there. Ken ham answers the question cains wifewho was she. One important reality to keep in mind is that in the book of genesis, humans lived much longer than they do now. Cain, the firstborn, was a farmer, and his brother abel was a shepherd. They were not married when cain killed abel, so abel had no wife. In the day when god created man, he made him in the likeness of god.
Seems real likely that there were other people out there. So the question is, where did cains wife come from since scripture does not mention any other children. That is to assume that adam and eve had a great number of children and that cain married one of them. Cain was apparently the first son of adam and eve genesis 4. The first problem is that if cain is the third human, then how are other humans procreated. But since the pentateuch, which includes the book of genesis, was written by hebrews, no one should expect to find the given name of cains wife, since she was a gentile. Answering who did cain marry, is a difficult and perplexing pursuit. In the book of genesis where did cains wife come from. Thus, there was only one man at the beginningmade from the dust of the earth genesis 2. People who question who cain s wife was are usually thinking along this line. Cains wife and ofther humans biblical interpretation. The reason why we ask more questions about cain s wife than, about say, the wives of kenan, or jared, or methuselah is because cain s wife was the first wife in the fallen world. Satan impregnated eve and so did adam cain and abel were. Apr 23, 2007 cain left and went to live in the land of nod.
Jun 28, 2006 lets see, cain was anxious about people killing him. Cain killed abel and settled in the land of nod, we read that cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore enoch gen 4. Petros, the first book of bible genesis tells us that adam and eve had two sons, cain and abel. Many people have asked, since genesis 14 only records two children of adam and eve cain and abel, and all humanity descended from adam and eve, then where did cain s wife come from. Theres no mention of other kids until later, and none at all of a sister. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his sonenoch new king james version the bible doesnt say. If cain was the third person on the earth a son of adam and eve where did other people come from. Question pertains to cains wife in book of genesis. It is divisible into two parts, the primeval history chapters 111 and the ancestral history chapters 1250. Cains wife and ofther humans biblical interpretation the. In the story, cain kills able and eventually moves away to a land east of eden. The book of genesis in the bible, says that adam and eve had two sons. As there may have been a lapse of many, many years before cains marriage, during such a period. So after seth was born to adam, adam went on to have many more sons and daughters over a period of 800 years.
Jun 16, 2014 skeptics of the bible have used cain s wife time and again to discredit the book of genesis as a true historical record. And in process of time it came to pass, that cain brought of the fruit of the ground. God did not forbid interfamily marriage until much later when there were enough people to make intermarriage unnecessary leviticus 18. Sep, 2007 skeptics of the bible have used cains wife time and again to discredit the book of genesis as a true historical record. When you post, you agree to the terms and conditions or our comments policy. Cain then murdered abel, whereupon god punished cain by condemning him to a life of wandering. He was concerned with adam and eve and their progenynot those outside of this group. Doesnt that show that there were already people here on the earth, either that or he married his sister. In the book of genesis, we are told about cains birth, his violent act of fratricide and his. The book of genesis, the first book of the hebrew bible and the old testament, is an account of the creation of the world and the origins of the jewish people it is divisible into two parts, the primeval history chapters 111 and the ancestral history chapters 1250. Either no one knows, or wants to let go of the key to this mystery. There are many difficulties that arise with this statement since genesis only.
The brothers made sacrifices to god, each of his own produce, but god favored abels sacrifice instead of cain s. The book of genesis tells us that adam and eve had two sons, cain and abel. And then there were enough people for cain to build a city. This question is often sometimes thought to be among the hard questions pertaining to the bible. After cain murders his brother abel, cain went away from the presence of the lord, and dwelt in the land of nod, east of eden genesis 4. So, creationism isnt a science with regards to cain s wife, its an intuition. And cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to enoch. In theory, this would have dropped the worlds population from four down to three. If adam and eve had two sons, cain and abel, where did cain s wife come from. Home archaeology so where did cains wife come from so where did cains wife come from. In genesis 4 the bible says that cain, after being cursed by god to wander and be an exile on the earth, settled in the land of nod. In genesis chapter 4, after cain was cast out for killing abel, god put a mark on cain and referenced others and their treatment of cain. Where did cain and his wife come from is a legitimate question.
Cains wife all the women of the bible bible gateway. She couldnt have come from another race of people and must be accounted for from adams descendants. Feb 09, 2011 the book of genesis in the bible, says that adam and eve had two sons. Cains wife, where did cains wife come from, who did cain. These scientific observations harmonize with what the bible says. God made male and female on the sixth day not just adam and eve. I think we first need to remember that the book of genesis is. Where did she come from, if adam and eve were the first people. Cain and the land of nod some claim that the passage in genesis 4. Skeptics of the bible have used cain s wife time and again to discredit the book of genesis as a true historical record.
Immediately after this verse the author of genesis states, cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore enoch genesis 4. The question was recently posed to me by another christian. She couldnt have come from another race of people and must be accounted for from adams. If cain was banished in genesis, where did his wife come from. One important thing to keep in mind is that in the book of genesis, humans lived much longer than they do now. Since at the time life spans covered multiple centuries, this meant that adam and eve had many children and these children grew and spread out and had many children of their own. Since god tells us not to commit inbreeding, there had to be other people there. The reason, is because we traditionally enter the scriptures under the premise that, when the lord god created man from the dust of the earth, this was the seminal moment when god created the first of all mankind genesis 2. Cain, the eldest child of the first human couple, married one of his sisters or another close female relative.
What in the bible can help us to solve this seemingly contradiction. Related to this, if cain married a relative, then doesnt this indicate incest. It stems from the story of adam and eves first born son, cain, killing his younger brother, abel. The fact that i am asked about cains wife so often by christians and. So adam and eve must have been merely a next step in evolution, surrounded by other primitives that could interbreed but, because they were not descended from adam and eve, had no soul. I have a question in genesis 4 where cain is expelled and then shortly thereafter, in chapter 4, it says he laid with his wife pastor doug.
If cain was banished in genesis, where did his wife come. For reference, here is the same scripture in genesis 4 of the kjv holy bible. Skeptics of the bible have used cains wife time and again to try to discredit the book of genesis as a true historical record. Aug 17, 2017 where did the wife and other humans come from. That simple statement, added with the assertion that cain knew his wife, has caused some to speculate that the land of nod was the dwelling place of another race of people.
Since adam and eve were the first and only human beings, their children would have no other choice than to intermarry. Mary joan winn leith first explores the traditional jewish and christian answers that contend that the wife of cain was another daughter of adam and eve. Later in genesis 5 adam and eve had sons and daughters so he evidently married his sister. The narrative continues in genesis 4 with cain settling in the. Where did the females cain and abel married come from. The book of genesis tells us that adam lived a total of 930 years. Detailed genealogies going back to adam can be found not only in the book of genesis, written by moses, but also in the writings of the historians ezra. I think we first need to remember that the book of genesis is not intended to give us every answer to our questions about many details of the creation of the world and man. Cain and abel were adam and eves first two children but they had many, many more children. The register of births and deaths in genesis 5 is an instructive record of remarkable longevity. In one hebrew chronological work, she is called balbira. Since cain and abel were adam and eves first two children, how could cain have found a wife. The brief biblical account leaves us with a mystery. Nov 14, 2011 cain went into banishment in the land of fugitiveness to the east of eden, taking with him his wife, an anonymous daughter of adam and eve.
Then cain went out from the presence of the lord and dwelt in the land of nod on the east of eden. The book of genesis, the first book of the hebrew bible and the old testament, is an account of the creation of the world and the origins of the jewish people. Although incest was a part of early jewish times cain s wife was not from this. There were no other people on earth as some have claimed. After cain kills abel and settles in the land of nod, we read that cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore enoch. Sadly, most christians have not given an adequate answer to this question.
If the bible that relates the gospel is not accurate and truthful in. Jan 09, 2015 where did the people of nod come from. This is certainly one of the most ancient of all questions raised by bible critics, and we can be sure that the superficial contradiction it implies did not escape notice by the original writers of the bible. Cain killed abel, was exiled by god, and then in genesis 4. The bible mentions cain had a wife, but it doesnt say where she came from, or when they got married, or. Although this is often asked as a trick question by bible skeptics, the bible does provide sufficient detail to give a satisfactory answer. So the question is, where did cain s wife come from since scripture does not mention any other children of adam and eve. What the bible says about cains wife bible resources. Esv 1 now adam knew eve his wife, and she conceived and bore cain, saying, i have gotten a man with the help of the lord. Of course, there was one earlier wife than cain s wife, but that earlier wife s nature was different than an ordinary human wife s nature. In genesis 4 after cain has killed abel, god comes to him and curses him with a mark. In the biblical book of genesis, cain and abel are the first two sons of adam and eve.
It is rather unfortunate that churches and religious leaders seem to have severely dropped the ball when it comes to this very common question. Mary joan winn leith suggests that while the israelite storyteller knew that other men and women in genesis existed outside of eden, they did not matter to him or factor into his account. Cain was the first child of adam and eve recorded in scripture genesis 4. Skeptics of the bible have used cain s wife time and again to try to discredit the book of genesis as a true historical record. If you take literally that adam and eve were the first humans, and they bore cain and abel, where did cains wife come from. God did not create other people groups from which cain chose a wife, as we are all made of one blood. The book of jubilees is also called lesser genesis and was written down. I have only seen only one reasonable explanation which does not require bending the biblical text. Clearly if there were only one man and woman created. We are told cain then went to the land of nod, where he and his wife started a family genesis 4.
Actually some yec will come right out and say incest was ok until the population got big enough to allow you to marry a very distant cousin instead of your brothersister. So the question is, where did cains wife come from since scripture does not mention any other children of adam and eve. God did not administer the death penalty, but rather exiled cain from gods presence. Adam called his wife s name eve, because she had to become the mother of everyone living. One of the questions most asked of creation speakers is where did cain get his wife. Cain was banished by god to the land of nod, and there he took a wife. God had rejected cain s offering of fruit of the ground, but accepted abels offering of firstlings of his flock. Adam called his wifes name eve, because she had to become the mother of everyone living. I think we first need to remember that the book of genesis is not intended to give us every answer to. This also means that cains wife was a descendant of adam.