WHERE DID CAIN GET HIS WIFE?

 

One of the questions many people often ask is where Cain got his wife (Gen 4:17). Some suggest that there were other people outside of Eden who did not descend from Adam, so perhaps Cain married one of them. This theory is baseless, for it is clear that before Eve was created, man was alone (Gen 2:18). If that’s the case, where did Cain find a wife? The most reasonable explanation is that he married a close family relative, most likely one of his sisters.

“The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters.” (Gen 5:4). It is clear from Scripture that Adam had other children besides Cain, Abel, and Seth; they were simply not named. Since only Adam and Eve’s family existed at the time, Cain and his siblings had no other option but to marry each other in order to populate the earth. It is generally assumed that Cain married one of his sisters, though it is also possible that he married one of his nieces who had grown up by then.

It is important to note that Cain was not guilty of incest because the law forbidding such practices did not exist at that time. The prohibition was later given to Moses (Lev 18:6-17; 20:11-12, etc.). It is believed that genetic defects developed over long periods of time after the Fall, as human beings were originally created without these imperfections. Therefore, we cannot assume that Cain’s descendants automatically suffered from genetic problems.

The story of Cain is a story of God’s grace toward the undeserving. Not only did God promise to protect him (Gen 4:15), but He also allowed Cain to have his own family. Though Cain had taken Abel’s life, God still allowed him to have a son. And that is grace. Stay Curious.