Genesis 4:17–24

Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. Zillah also bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain's revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech's is seventy-sevenfold.”

This passage raises one of the most famous Bible issues in history. Where did Cain’s wife come from?

That question was part of the Scopes Trial, and William Jennings Bryan’s failure to answer it has proved unfortunate.

Funny thing is, Bryan should have known at least one common answer—Cain married his sister (or, possibly, some other close relative). Three references support this view.

• In Genesis 1:28, God tells Adam and Eve, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth.”
• In Genesis 2:21, God makes Eve from Adam’s rib, which makes no sense if He made other women some other way.
• In Genesis 3:20, Adam calls Eve the mother of all living.

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/cains-wife

The human genome is destined to degrade over time. Marrying your sister will become risky. It can yield very unhealthy offspring.

It’s eventually prohibited (see Leviticus 18:9 and 20:17).

In the Scopes Trial, William Jennings Bryan was being confronted with an alternative view called Theistic Evolution. Might Cain’s wife have been created through evolution?

While I do not subscribe to that view, I would caution against too much certainty on issues like this.

The Bible’s description of these events is brief. Trying to tease out details that are notably absent from scripture can be a fool’s errand. Such things may be omitted because they are over our heads.

The exception is when those details are essential to understanding something else.

Where Cain’s wife came from does not meet that test.

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These weekday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. Saturdays' by Matt Richardson. Subscribe here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community

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Scripture taken from the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.