Expert: Marvin Howard - 2/6/2008

Question
Hello1 This is David once again.I've come with a question about the beginning. Where did the woman that married Cain come from? We know that our days are 24 hours long. But, how long where the days in which God created all things? Could the days for God be millions of years? Or something different?

Answer
Hi!

David, thank you for allowing me this chance to answer you. However, rather than me, let's hear God's Word on the subject. He did answer both of these clearly. I realize that mortal minds want to make things fit their patterns, but a million men can never change what He says. I must apologize to you in advance, this format will not allow me to show you the Hebrew words we need to examine. It alters each word, every time, into gibberish. The best I can do is give you pronunciations.

Genesis 3:20, "And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of ALL living." (Emphasis mine, MRH)

Eve was the mother of all living. In fact, the Hebrew word for Eve (khav-vaw') means, "lifegiver." Every person alive, saving Adam who had no mother, was either the son or daughter of Eve, or of one of her descendants. Therefore, Cain's wife was a daughter of Eve. Moreover, We only have record of the three boys individually. We have no names of daughters, nor record of their birth as individuals. We do know Eve gave birth to more than one daughter (Genesis 5:4). Additionally, we do not know if Cain was their firstborn child. All we know was that he was the firstborn son.

Many try to say that the word, "day," actually means, "an indeterminate period of time." This is nothing more than an attempt to dishonor the Word of God in favor of the wisdom of men. Evolution is a theory. Its very name says as much. Yet, in spite of that, it is taught as fact. School systems are sued when they call to attention that the theory of evolution is a theory. God defined the days of the Genesis account of the creation not in one way, but in two ways within the very same verse. Both of these are in the first verse to use the word. Let's look at them.

Genesis 1:5, "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."

The epochs of man's imagination include several climate crises. Some of these are called, "ice ages." Let's turn our attention to the first of the definitions we will examine; the word, "Day."

yome
From an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literally (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figuratively (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverbially): - age, + always, + chronicles, continually (-ance), daily, ([birth-], each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), + elder, X end, + evening, + (for) ever (-lasting, -more), X full, life, as (so) long as (. . . live), (even) now, + old, + outlived, + perpetually, presently, + remaineth, X required, season, X since, space, then, (process of) time, + as at other times, + in trouble, weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), X whole (+ age), (full) year (-ly), + younger.

The word can be used in a variety of ways. However, we can determine from the context which definition is meant. The word, Day," is defined in the context in two ways. First, God says the the day is light, as opposed to darkness. Second, He further defines the first day of time as consisting of both the (the article means one and only one) evening and a morning.

The first definition given by Strong is, "hot," or, "the warm hours." This is the meaning of the word, "Day," as it is used in the first instance; the one where it is capitalized. This Day cannot talk about ice ages. Additionally, the contrasting term, "Night,: is very interesting; especially when you consider it in the light of what we know about astronomy; such information as was not known in the early ages. It is much the same as God saying the earth was circular (Isaiah 40:22), when man thought it was flat.

lah'-yil
From the same as H3883; properly a twist (away of the light), that is, night; figuratively adversity: - ([mid-]) night (season).

The Night was a twist away from the light. It is a single rotation of the earth away from the sun. Think about this. When people thought the earth was the center of the universe, and that the sun revolved around us, God says we twisted away from the sun.

Finally, we must decide whether the term is used literally or figuratively. This brings us to the second usage of the word, "day," the one not capitalized. The second definition is a period of time. When it is to be interpreted literally it is "defined by an associated term." What associated term (or as in this case, terms) does the text, yea the very sentence, contain?

Genesis 1:5b, "And the evening and the morning were the first day."

This is a literal time. It has no figurative meaning that can be inserted to allow room for aeons or epochs of time. This literal period of time is specifically defined as being one evening and one morning. In order to remove any possibility of other ideas relating to evenings and mornings, let's look at their definitions from the Hebrew.

eh'-reb
From H6150; dusk: -  + day, even (-ing, tide), night.

bo'-ker
From H1239; properly dawn (as the break of day); generally morning: -  (+) day, early, morning, morrow.

One dusk and one dawn, one time of heat and one twist away from the heat, comprise the totality of a Biblical creation day. There is no chance this refers to anything but the 24 hour day with which we are all familiar.

David, once again I thank you for giving me the opportunity to answer this. If I can be of further assistance to you, please let me know.

In His Service,
Marvin Howard
http://www.geocities.com/preacherman_1962