Cain's Wife and Enemies

by A.E. Knoch

"If Cain and Abel were the first children of the first family, why did God put a mark on Cain so that others would not harm him?"

Adam was nearly 130 years old when Cain slew Abel, for that was his age when he begat Seth. He begat sons and daughters (Gen. 5:4). Our version seems to imply that Adam had no other children. It also reads as if Seth were Adam's firstborn (Gen.5:3,4). Neither is true. It is a general statement without reference to time. The fact that Cain found a wife among his sisters and built a city (Gen.4:17) is all the evidence needed to show that Adam had many children, possibly more than a hundred, before the murder of Abel. These, in turn, may have had families, so that, by the time Cain killed Abel, there were many others, who would wish to avenge his death.

The objection, that it is unlawful for Cain to marry his sister, and other close relatives to wed each other, is without foundation. When the law was given later, such inbreeding was dangerous, as it is today. Men have become so abnormal that it is necessary to mix diverse blood to keep from exaggerating a bad strain. Then, the blood of the race was much purer. Indeed, if mankind originated from a single pair, how else could it be done? It was absolutely necessary that the first marriage should be made by brothers and sisters.

There is therefore no real difficulty in regard to Cain's wife or his enemies. A little knowledge of the circumstances shows that the supposed objections are really incidental proofs of the genuineness of the account, as we have it in Genesis.

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