01-02-2026, 10:09 PM
A question that often comes up in Bible discussions is:
After Cain killed Abel and God cast him away, where did Cain get his wife from?
This question puzzles many because the Bible doesn’t explicitly tell us where Cain’s wife came from. Some wonder: if Adam and Eve were the first humans, and Cain and Abel were their sons, who else was around for Cain to marry?
The most common explanation is that Adam and Eve had other children besides Cain, Abel, and Seth, who aren’t all named in Scripture. Genesis 5:4 mentions that Adam “had other sons and daughters.” So Cain likely married one of his sisters or a close relative—something necessary in the very early stages of humanity. At that time, there were no laws against marrying close relatives, and genetic concerns we know today were not an issue for God’s plan to multiply humanity.
Years later, when Moses led the Israelites, God introduced specific laws forbidding marriage between close relatives (Leviticus 18). These laws reflected God’s perfect timing and concern for the health, social, and moral order of humanity as populations grew. What was permissible in the early generations, like Cain marrying a sister, became forbidden under the Mosaic Law to protect families and society.
This question reminds us that the context of Scripture is important. God’s commands and allowances evolved with humanity’s development, and some things are left unsaid in the Bible, requiring careful reasoning and understanding.
After Cain killed Abel and God cast him away, where did Cain get his wife from?
This question puzzles many because the Bible doesn’t explicitly tell us where Cain’s wife came from. Some wonder: if Adam and Eve were the first humans, and Cain and Abel were their sons, who else was around for Cain to marry?
The most common explanation is that Adam and Eve had other children besides Cain, Abel, and Seth, who aren’t all named in Scripture. Genesis 5:4 mentions that Adam “had other sons and daughters.” So Cain likely married one of his sisters or a close relative—something necessary in the very early stages of humanity. At that time, there were no laws against marrying close relatives, and genetic concerns we know today were not an issue for God’s plan to multiply humanity.
Years later, when Moses led the Israelites, God introduced specific laws forbidding marriage between close relatives (Leviticus 18). These laws reflected God’s perfect timing and concern for the health, social, and moral order of humanity as populations grew. What was permissible in the early generations, like Cain marrying a sister, became forbidden under the Mosaic Law to protect families and society.
This question reminds us that the context of Scripture is important. God’s commands and allowances evolved with humanity’s development, and some things are left unsaid in the Bible, requiring careful reasoning and understanding.