Expert: Glenn Hansen - 3/28/2008

Question
QUESTION: If Cain & Abel where the first children of Adam & Eve where did Cain's wife come from?

ANSWER: Genesis 5:4:  Then the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters.

Hi Nigel,

The named sons of Adam were Cain, Abel, and Seth. The above verse also informs us that Adam had other sons and daughters. Do you think that Cain might have found a wife from among his other siblings, at that early time in earth's history?

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QUESTION: Well thanku for responding,,but it doesnt make sense because in the Bible it says that "Cain knew his wife" before Adam begot Seth & had sons & daughters. It is in that order. So where did Cains wife come from, if Seth & the other siblings of Cain & Abel were not here yet?

Answer
Hi Nigel,

I'm unaware of  the text that says that Cain knew his wife "before" Adam begot Seth and had other sons and daughters.

Consider this: Adam and Eve were told to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:28)
Adam lived for 130 years before Seth was born. (Gen. 5:3) We know that Cain and Abel were born before Seth. That implies that Adam had only had three children during the 130 years of his life. I'm not sure how long Adam was alive before Eve was made, but three children hardly seem like they were multiplying. Cain and Abel were obviously old enough to be working before Seth was born, yet Scripture does not mention any other children being born until the text in Genesis 5:4.

Genesis 5:4 does not say that other sons and daughters were born after Seth. It just says that Adam had other sons and daughters in addition to Seth. Who were the daughters? Were there other sons besides Cain, Abel, and Seth?

The chronological records are not complete. That is the best conclusion to reach. Your very question points that out. If they were complete, there would not have been a woman for Cain to take as a wife. We only have a record of Cain and Abel and Adam and Eve existing up to that point.

Genesis 5:4 says children besides Seth and Cain and Abel were born to Adam and Eve, including girls. It is not specific as to when these other children were born.