Who Was the Wife of Cain?
A closer look at one of the most enigmatic women in Genesis
This illustration shows Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, where God gave them the command to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28). Photo: From Charles Foster, The Story of the Bible (1897).
While there are many examples of strong and inspiring men and women in Genesis, the book is also packed with stories of dysfunctional families, which is evidenced from the very beginning with the first family—Adam, Eve and their two children, Cain and Abel. In no short amount of time—just 16 verses after announcing the birth of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4—Cain has murdered his younger brother and is consequently exiled from the land. In theory, this would have dropped the world’s population from four down to three. The narrative continues in Genesis 4 with Cain settling in the land of Nod and having children with his wife. Who did Cain marry? Where did she come from? Are there other people outside of Eden? In the November/December 2013 issue of BAR, Mary Joan Winn Leith addresses these questions and explores the identity of the wife of Cain in “Who Did Cain Marry?”
Given that the wife of Cain is only mentioned once in the Old Testament, she would not be counted among the famous women in Genesis. Nevertheless, her identity is still worth investigating. Who did Cain marry? Mary Joan Winn Leith first explores the traditional Jewish and Christian answers that contend that the wife of Cain was another daughter of Adam and Eve. According to this reasoning, Cain would have married his sister—one of Abel’s twin sisters no less, according to the Genesis Rabbah.
Mary Joan Winn Leith explores the identity of the wife of Cain.
A different answer emerges when Leith turns from the traditional responses about the wife of Cain and delves into modern scholarship. Looking at recent work done by sociologists and anthropologists, she notes that when forming a group identity, we tend to define ourselves by how we differ from other groups. In the ancient Near East, sometimes those outside of a particular group or society were considered less “human” by those inside of the group. An important factor that contributes to this mindset is geography. People in the ancient Near East typically stayed close to home, which affected their perception of the world. Surely they knew that other groups of people—potential enemies or allies—existed far away, but if they never came into contact with these groups, what did they matter?
Mary Joan Winn Leith suggests that while the Israelite storyteller knew that other men and women in Genesis existed outside of Eden, they did not matter to him or factor into his account. He was concerned with Adam and Eve and their progeny—not those outside of this group.
Who did Cain marry? There are many answers. For Leith’s explanation of the identity of the wife of Cain—one of the often-overlooked women in Genesis—read her full Biblical Views column “Who Did Cain Marry?”
BAS Library Members: Read the full Biblical Views column “Who Did Cain Marry?” by Mary Joan Winn Leith in the November/December 2013 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.
Not a BAS Library or All-Access Member yet? Join today.
This Bible History Daily feature was originally published in 2013.
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There were the fallen angels and their species living out side the garden. More evidence are accounted in the Bible. They had physical bodies like humans and can reproduce.(ref: Noahs period).
There were also the creation of God,But,fallen condition.To be specific humanoid.
One of the importance task assigned to Adam was to get rid of this dangerous species. Unfortunately human species also became one among the fallen.
The same task was also assigned to Israelite. They to allowed themselves to mingle with these species ( refer as gentile).
Once for all HE is coming to setup the kingdom made of pure human beings that is created in His own image.The choosen one according to the seed of Abraham by the law of faith.
There is evidence that Adam and eve lived out of Bible .
There is no evidence that Adam and eve never existed.
I have a Father and I came from him and I know that for sure and he has a name.
If I don’t have a Father I am called otherwise..if don’t know my Father name it more worst.
I am disappointed that a scholar would use “who” when “whom” should have been used.
This is a very disapointing take on the biblical account.
I think the author has overlooked the main context of the creation story and is simply trying to fit it into our understanding of a modern long geological age earth.(ie man was not created but evolved).
For my part I believe the bible story of creation has scientific and historical support, if you take a critical view of our modern take on long ages.
I just hate how the article tries to weave lies in to truth…..ie there’s no actual evidence the bible supports people outside of creation just because they want to make it look like it does.
Genesis 1 says Yahweh created mankind, male and female. In Genesis , Yahweh took ONE man, and put him in the garden, and from his rib, made He a wife. There were other people created BESIDES Adam and Eve. Duh!
I meant Genesis 1 & 2
Israelite storyetller? You mean Moses said “gather round the fire kiddies and I will reveal some naughty stories about the first men and women to live after creation?
That she describes Moses, who certainly carried the scrolls of Israelite history with him and redacted the book of Genesis from it as “storyteller” shows that she is basically grasping at straws. She cannot even name the storyteller. Throwing darts at at a map and hoping one will stick.
I don’t believe there were other people. Except for other children of Adam and Eve. We don’t hear about them, except in passing in Genesis 5, because they aren’t part of a story like Cain and Abel were.
Was Cain even the first born? The Bible doesn’t say he was, it just mentions him first
God made man and woman. Adam and Eve. Cain and Abel.But also note there were other sons and daughters born to Adam and Eve. So Can married one of his own sisters. There were no other people on earth at that time. The theory based on other people living outside the creation of God is totally false. A figment of imagination.
Genesis was basically a ripoff/redaction of earlier Sumer/Babylonian stories. What do the works from Sumer and Babylon have to say about Cain or Ka’in?
Thanks to a find in Israel just last week, we know that modern or Cro-Magnon man is a full 50,000 years older than we thought. Therefore, instead of coexisting with Homo Neaderthalis for 30,000 years, we now know that was for 80,000 years. There is no way to tell the difference between HN and HHS. They intermarry and even I have some HN in me. So, Cain married a HN woman. Problem solved.