Bible Discussion Thread

If all life began with Adam and Eve, who did Cain marry?

Hi Rethamae4: In reading the scriptures of Adam and Eve it says that Cain was the FIRST male child. I think we can believe that Eve had daughters before Cain was born which is why she was thrilled to finally have a male child. Abel is Cain's brother but it doesn't say he was born right after Cain; just that she again bare another man child, Abel. Again Eve could have had daughters in-between Cain and Abel. After Seth was born, Adam lived another 800 years bearing sons and daughters. They were told by God to replenish the earth so brothers marrying sisters and cousins marrying cousins was allowed by God then.

"The biblical narrative focuses primarily on these three sons, as they played significant roles in the early events of human history. Seth's line is particularly emphasized because it is through him that the godly lineage continued, leading to figures such as Noah and eventually to Abraham and the establishment of the Israelite people." Quoted from Bible Study Tools

I hope this reply helps. God Bless :)

Rethamae4,

Cain's wife would have been either one of his sisters or maybe even a niece. We are told in Genesis Chapter 5 that Adam and Eve had sons and daughters. We aren't told how many, but knowing that Adam lived to be 930 years old, it could have been many. We do not know who Cain's wife was, but it would been someone in the family. Also, at the time Cain got married, there was no law against incest. The law was not given by God until later so it would not have been forbidden for Cain to marry his sister.