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.
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This Bible History Daily feature was originally published in 2013.
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I think Adam lived about 2000 BC among other humans in Southern Mesopotamia. Gen 2:4-11:32 is the origins of Adam’s tribe, not the whole humankind. The Giants and the Sons-of-God were simply neighboring tribes. Gen 2:21-3:24 is a prophetic dream, where Adam saw who is a suitable wife for him, and also received a promise about the Messiah in the same prophecy
Cain is a mythical figure. He did not exist.
This Is Great! Glory Be To Our GOD!
The lack of respect in evidence-based science in favor of stories passed along generations trying to figure out the origin of all things is incredible. How would anyone know and be able to pass on an accurate description of what happened so many generations before there was a written word? Our oldest mitochondrial relatives go back a minimum of 100,000 years and that is only the female. The male line could predate that number. Open your minds to the evidence that is all around you. Your holy book is filled with stories that are just that: stories. Paul Bunyan is just as real.
Mrs. Cain
I would follow the Biblical account , that would make the most sense. Cain married his sister. Who else would he have married ? THERE IS NO other conclusion one can come to. If you don’t believe the biblical narrative,as another replier has mention ‘ it is open to any assumption or presupposition’. Sometime in the beginning someone had to have sexual relations with his sister for pedigree sake. The normal literal sense of scripture is always the best way to understand scripture unless the text in question otherwise demands .
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/who-was-cains-wife
I believe science and God can exists together. That being said, Noah and Adam can be, but do not have to be all. Adam may have been the first to know God. Noah the person God choose to save man on earth. But there is most possible, Adam was not the first humanoid, or that all the diversities of animals fit into one small place not very long ago. These are interesting theories to text. All written by man. Only two or three times has God wrote to man. So it is faith we must go by. Science is able to help support these things. As in the order of earth being as it is now, and the Sun and Moon.
Well … Always a hot bed of controversy on this site! I do understand that there is a Mitochondrial Eve and a Y-DNA Adam lurking back there in the distance. There also is some evidence of two additional — but now dry — riverbeds in the Near East which lends more credibility to the original Adam and Eve story with the four named rivers. Only two of the four now exist. Also: a very good question is that if the Adam and Eve story was entirely fictional, how did the person composing the original — or at least the biblical — version know that snakes used to walk on four legs?
Aside from those details, I see no harm in wondering whom Cain married. There were likely other beings around — maybe not descendants of Mito Eve & Y Adam — whose dynasties long ago died out. The biblical story just gives the bare-bones story — the parts relevant to the point being made by the biblical author — and does not elaborate. Anything could be true with regard to this question. I just think her ideas are interesting. And Lamech murdering Cain? Wild!! Maybe. But the fact that Cain’s ultimate fate is not described means only that it was irrelevant to the basic story and thus omitted. The speculation, however, is interesting and should be regarded as that. As for Deano — he has another version. I have seen various dates for M Eve and Y Adam — with him coming after her. As for the ability of generations to pass stories along — by mouth and accurately — this has in fact been demonstrated by anthropologists studying other cultures — not Near Eastern ones. If something was important to people, they were capable of preserving a story and/or history — even by oral tradition — with word for word accuracy. This has been debated elsewhere. So the Adam and Eve story probably happened. But not recently enough to support the Young Earth Theory — which evidently was developed to support some “visions” reported by Seventh Day Adventist founder Ellen G. White — and is not necessarily in line with how Genesis has been traditionally interpreted.
I agree with Lee, Read Answers in Genesis, book 1 and 2, facinating truly Bible based teaching!!