There aren’t many women in the Bible that cause as much controversy, confusion, and questions as Cain’s wife.
The Bible never directly says who Cain’s wife actually is, but the only logical answer is that it was his sister, niece, or some other close relative like that.
As revolting as that may sound to us, let’s check out what the Bible has to say about this whole thing and shed some light on this mysterious woman.
Who was Cain’s wife?
Everyone stems from Adam and Eve, as God didn’t create any other people after those two were kicked out of the Garden of Eden.
That means Cain, as a child of Adam and Eve, didn’t have a big dating pool to pick from, and had to marry his sister or another close relative (like a niece).
But doesn’t the Bible forbid incest?
6 “No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD.”
Leviticus 18:6, NIV
Incest is definitely a sin, but this only became so in the Bible about 2,500 years after the creation of Adam and Eve.
Intermarriage was necessary to populate the Earth, and the health issues that surround inbreeding today weren’t much of a concern back then because Adam and Eve were made with perfect genetics.
Remember, those two were meant to live forever, and won the genetic lottery since God directly made them.
Cain had children with his relative out of necessity
There wasn’t anyone else around other than Adam, Eve, and their children, so intermarriage was a necessity in those times to further the human race.
Therefore, Cain had children with his mysterious sister/wife:
17 Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch.
Genesis 4:17, NIV
What does the Bible say about incest today?
God forbid family members from marrying each other and having sexual relations as part of the Mosaic covenant, approximately 2,500 years after the creation of Adam and Eve.
At that point in time, intermarriage was no longer necessary because the Earth was populated enough.
Besides being forbidden, incest and intermarriage today often results in genetic abnormalities.
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This is thanks to the human genetic code becoming damaged over centuries, with the damage passed down for generations.
Other cases of intermarriage in the Bible
Before Moses, there were several big figures in the Bible who married relatives:
- Abraham married his half-sister (Genesis 20:12).
- Isaac married Rebekah, the daughter of his cousin (Genesis 24:15).
- Jacob married his cousins Leah and Rachel (Genesis 29:20-35).
- Noah’s grandchildren married brothers, sisters, or first cousins after the flood since there was no one else (1 Peter 3:20, Genesis 7:7).
Note that this was all before Moses was around!
Final thoughts on Cain’s wife
Looking at scripture, it’s obvious that Cain’s wife was one of his relatives – either his sister, niece, grand-niece, etc.
Their lack of genetic defects meant they could breed and populate the Earth at record speeds – which they had to do since there were no other people around!
This did become forbidden during the time of Moses, however, so intermarriage and incest is a sin since then.
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FAQs
Cain likely married his sister, or a niece/grand-niece since there were no other people outside of his family on Earth.
Genesis 5:4 tells us that Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters throughout their lives.
No, incest and marrying family members is a sin. Before the time of Moses (check out Leviticus 18), intermarriage was necessary to populate the Earth, and was permissible for a period of time.
Whether or not a Christian can marry a non-Christian requires prayer, a lot of thought, and guidance. The Bible does not explicitly say that it is a sin or forbidden, and says a marriage should stay together if this is the case. That said, it also advises to not be “unequally yoked,” meaning that this scenario can cause issues in faith and the relationship.