RTB's Hugh Ross weighs in: Where did Cain's wife come from?
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2024 7:49 pm
The mystery of where Adam and Eve's son Cain's wife came from has long been a subject of speculation amongst those studying the Bible. Here, in this very short video, astronomer Hugh Ross of Reasons to Believe weighs in and offers insights upon the mystery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMFPnk6HcS8 - and before you watch the video, first see the setup of the context of Hugh's comments below.
Many of the mysteries in the Bible come from silence - as it doesn't always fill in details we are curious about. Of course, these silences have spurred on many doubters to assert that the Genesis and other narratives are false or untrustworthy. But the Bible doesn't read like a newscast, as there are often things we are curious about that it simply doesn't comment on. Of course, the story of brothers Cain and Able, and Cain's murder of his brother is especially intriguing because of what comes afterward: God confronts Cain over the killing of his brother and banishes him from the land, and forces him to become a wanderer. And knowing that we are reading about ancient events surrounding Adam and Eve's children, who are among the very earliest specific humans mentioned, we read the following in Genesis 4:
"And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 17 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."
Hold up! Whazupwitdat??? The Genesis text had only just noted Adam and Eve's first-mentioned children, with many assuming they were the only ones up to that point. But then, one verse after revealing where Cain wandered to and settled, we read that he had married - WHERE DID HIS WIFE COME FROM? One verse later, we learn Cain also built a city - um, so where did all the people come from to populate a city? Clearly, there is much the text has left out. We don't know HOW many other children Adam and Eve had. We don't know how long a period these events unfolded over. And then the disturbing question about potential incest arises - as what other women would have existed, but one of his sisters / Adam and Eve's daughters?