Theologians and Bible skeptics often grapple with the question: where did Cain’s wife come from in the Bible? This article seeks to give a definitive response by examining the biblical narrative of creation and drawing a conclusion.
The account of the first family is contained in the first book of the Bible, Genesis. The first man, Adam, and his wife Eve bore Cain and his brother Abel as part of the first generation of children. Later, the couple had other kids.
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. Genesis 4:1-2.
The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. (Genesis 3:20)
And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” (Genesis 4:25)
The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. (Genesis 5:4)
Cain, who was the first child of Adam, acted diabolically. He killed his brother Abel, a tragic event captured further down in Genesis chapter 4.
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Cain spoke to Abel his brother.That effectively reduced the world’s population from 4 people to 3 people. Following the death of Abel, God expelled Cain from the Garden of Eden.
Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden (Genesis 4:16).
That was akin to the death penalty for a couple of reasons. First, he would be away from the presence of the Lord in Eden. Second, according to the creation account, there were no people groups in the land of Nod. It would have been harder for him to survive alone outside the warmth and protection of the family.
Just after that, the text in the book of Genesis tells us Cain had sexual relations with his wife, and they bore Enoch.
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Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch (Genesis 4:17)
This begs the question, who did Cain marry? Where did Cain’s wife come from in the Bible? Were there people out there besides the family members of Adam?
We’ll answer those questions in a moment, but first, let’s see why answering this question adequately is important.
Why is giving a good response important?
To the crux of the matter: why is it critical to answer the question “Where did Cain’s wife come from in the Bible” in a logically adequate manner?
At face value, it might appear it’s just a mere academic exercise. However, the issue of Cain’s wife time and again has been demonstrated to have far-reaching implications. Let’s see why.
First, the question indirectly questions the credibility of the Bible as a whole.
Over the years, Bible skeptics have used the issue of Cain and his wife to discredit the creation account well detailed in the book of Genesis. Some have gone so far as to question the authenticity and validity of the entire Bible, hence discrediting the Christian faith as a whole.
Unfortunately, many Christians skirt around and cannot respond definitively to this question. This played out at the historic Scopes Trial in Tennessee in 1925. When the famous lawyer Clarence Darrow, an agnostic, asked his fellow lawyer William Jennings Bryan, who was defending the Christian position, the question of Cain’s wife, he did not have an answer.
It was a sad moment for a Christian not to be able to defend the biblical record, especially on such a big platform.
This plays in the skeptics’ hands, as people today might assume Christians have no answer and should go with what the skeptics say. Moreover, it might be a stumbling block to genuine seekers and Christians who want to understand what the Bible says to come to faith or bolster their faith in God.
b. It impacts the sufficiency of Jesus’ atoning death
Secondly and equally important, the answer would determine if the gospel, especially the atoning death of Jesus Christ, is sufficient for man’s salvation.
The entire Bible has been summed up as one long account of God restoring human beings to Himself. This means that human origins are important in the bigger scheme of things, mostly regarding the origin of sin and, hence, salvation from sin.
See, the Bible is clear that sin came to the world through one man, Adam, the head of the human race. When the first man Adam and Eve sinned by eating from the forbidden fruit, the human race fell with them. Human beings were liable for God’s wrath in judgment. Salvation would come through a picture of Adam, the last Adam, Jesus Christ.
Consequently, salvation does not cover other human beings out of this order. Only the descendants of the first man and the descendants of the first woman, Eve, can be saved.
Consider these Scripture:
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned (Romans 5:12).
…For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,… (Romans 3:23)
For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).
Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”;For the Biblical narrative to hold, Cain’s wife must be a descendant of Adam. If there were other people groups in the days of Adam, as some skeptics posit Cain could have picked a wife from, then it would show that not all human beings are covered in the redemption that Jesus Christ availed to all human beings by dying on the cross. The cross takes care of Adam’s, hence our rebellion allows us to be reconciled with God.
Having underscored the importance of answering the question right, let’s now answer the question.
Where did Cain’s wife come from in the Bible?
First, it is important to mention that the Bible does not explicitly say who Cain’s wife was, when they got married, or where they were when they got married. But we can infer and conclude the Biblical text.
According to the Biblical narrative, there were no other people groups around the world at this time. That leaves us only one option: Cain married his sister, one of his first cousins, or a female from among his close relations. We can’t tell with absolute certainty who she was, what’s not in dispute is that she was a descendant of Adam.
This conclusion is confirmed by the etymology of the word wife. The Hebrew word for wife, as used in Genesis 4:17, is ishshah, meaning woman/wife/female. The very word ishshah is the same word for “woman,” and it means “from man” as in Genesis 2:23. It is derived from two Hebrew words: ‘iysh and enowsh, which both mean “man.”
As such, Cain’s wife must have been a descendant of Adam or man. This would have been clear to Hebrew readers, but inference was lost to non-Jewish readers due to the language deficiencies that come with Bible translation.
Cain and Abel were not the only children of Adam and Eve. Of course, Cain’s brothers and sisters are mentioned in Genesis chapter 5.
When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters.Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died (Genesis 5:3-5).
The Bible does not specify how many children Adam and Eve had, but the Jewish historian Josephus mentions that according to old tradition, Adam and Eve might have had as many as 33 sons and 23 daughters. Adam lived 930 years. With such long life spans, this is not far-fetched. Probably, there were even more descendants of Adam. So, Cain married his sister, one of the female children Adam had.
Objections
We have argued that a logical look at the Bible points to Cain marrying his sister, cousin, or one of his close relatives. Bible skeptics raise two main objections to this view of inter-family marriage/ close intermarriage arrangement. Let’s highlight and respond to each.
1. An apparent contradiction
People are often quick to point out Biblical laws that forbid incest, i.e., sexual relations between close relatives (and hence marriage), majorly Leviticus chapters 18 and 20. Isn’t this an apparent contradiction?
“‘Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere. (Leviticus 18:9)
“‘If a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They are to be publicly removed from their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible. Leviticus 20:17
The alleged contradiction does not apply. Granted, the Bible prohibits incest. It’s important, though, to place the texts in their rightful chronological context. Adam preceded Moses by hundreds of years, and the law forbidding incest was not given until the time of Moses.
If the particular laws had been given at the beginning of time, they would have applied to the first generations of Adam, and hence, the Bible would be contradictory. That’s not the case.
Marriage between family members, cousins, and close relatives was common during these early times. In fact, it was the only way the earth would be populated since there were no other people groups on earth.
The Bible details other marriages of this nature. For example, Abraham married his half-sister (Genesis 20:12), Isaac married his cousin Rebekah (Genesis 24:15), and Jacob married Leah and her twin sister Rachel.
As the population of the earth grew, increasing the chances of harmful genetic mutation in case such marriages of close relations happened, God prohibited marriage between close relatives to bring order to the human race. Let’s talk about it more next.
Another challenge Bible skeptics usually pose is the biological problems that come when close relatives marry. This is only a challenge when you view Adam’s time through the lenses of today’s world.
Let’s get this well.
Adam and Eve, and the first generations after them, came into a rather perfect world. God made everything good. Therefore, their genes were perfect. When man sinned, creation fell with them. The perfect genes started to degenerate. Over time, the degeneration in the genetic pool worsened, resulting in mutations that could cause genetic defects.
Children born to a brother and sister or close relatives have a higher chance of developing genetic problems. The closer the relationship between the father and mother, the higher the chances of the offspring being deformed.
Children inherit genes from both parents. Thus, a brother and sister would have inherited similar genes from the parents. If the genes were defective, a brother and sister would likely carry the same defects. If the pair were to engage sexually and have a child, they would most likely pass the same genetic defects to the offspring, increasing the chances of genetic disorders and, hence, deformities.
The first generations did not have to grapple with this as the genetic pool was still pure, so it was not a problem in Cain’s time. She would marry his sister or relative, and they would have healthy children.
Conclusion
In conclusion, where did Cain’s wife come from in the Bible? As much as the Bible does not tell us explicitly, the most logical conclusion is that he married his sister. If it was not his sister, then probably one of his first cousins or another close female relative. The objections to this view are majorly a misunderstanding emanating from trying to understand the historical account through the lenses of the 21st century instead of putting it in its rightful context in the biblical record
Kendrick Ong'anya is a freelance Christian writer based in Nairobi, Kenya. As a believer in Christ, he is passionate about writing Christian content to deepen believers' faith, even while drawing those who are yet to believe into the fold. He is open to collaborating with individuals and organisations to curate blog posts, articles, devotionals, prayer guides, verse/ chapter commentary, and e-books, among other Christian content. You can follow Kendrick on Facebook.
