Cain’s Wife

Very little is mentioned about Cain’s wife. We are not even given her name, however; there are still traits that we can examine through her connection with Cain and his family.

The Bible tells us that Cain committed the first murder in the history of mankind. God’s punishment on Cain was that the ground would not produce food for him and he was to wander the earth as a vagabond, begging for food. He felt threatened and showed real fear for his life. Cain told God his punishment was too harsh and tried to persuade him to lift it. But he was dealing with a just God, who could not let him get away with murder.
“And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. ¹⁴ Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.” Genesis 4:13-14

Who were the people that Cain was afraid of? Why would Cain fear for his life when only Adam and Eve and his brother Abel have been mentioned thus far? If you remember God told man to multiply the earth.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. ²⁸ And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” Genesis 1:27-28

I believe the only reason Cain and Abel’s story was written in the Bible was to show how sin had worsened since Adam and Eve’s first sin. Sin never goes away, it just gets worse. No other children are mentioned by name until Adam was 130 years old. This son, Seth, is the bloodline that Jesus will be born into.
“And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth:” Genesis 5:3

 Adam lived to be 930 years old and fathered many children to populate the earth as God commanded. I mean stop and think about it, he fathered Seth when he was around one hundred thirty years old.
“And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: 5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.” Genesis 5:4-5

So, in answer to the question, who were the people Cain feared? It was his brothers and sisters and all their families which had greatly increased since Adam and Eve. He knew they would be furious with him because it was the first time something so horrific had happened. There would be a price to pay and that price would be his life.

If the only children of, Adam and Eve, mentioned in the Bible are the ones that are relevant to our lives either as examples of what not to do or examples of great courage and faith. Then where did his wife come from? The answer is, that his wife was one of his sisters. This boggles our minds because we are taught not to marry our brothers or sisters, but back at the beginning of time the bloodlines were pure, and it was the only means of multiplying.
“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; ²⁵ Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; ²⁶ And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;” Acts 17:24-26

I believe that Cain met his wife while wandering in what is called the land of Nod. The land of Nod was the land that Cain wandered in like a vagabond.
“And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.” Genesis 4:16

Cain’s wife gave birth to one son who was named Enoch. This is not the Enoch which walked with God. The Enoch that walked with God was the son of Seth which as I stated earlier would be the lineage that Jesus would be born. The Bible tells us that Cain knew his wife and gave birth to Enoch. From what I can tell it does not appear that this couple had any other children.
“And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.” Genesis 4:17

An interesting fact about Cain’s unnamed wife is that she is the only woman called a wife since Eve. Does this mean all the other people were not married? No, I believe the others were married. I pointed out earlier, that only those God used as a lesson to mankind, either good or bad, are normally mentioned either as a minor or major mention.

Cain’s wife probably had a rough life as the wife of a man cursed by God himself. Is this the reason that they only had one son? We do not know the answer to that. After she gave birth to Enoch, she is never mentioned again.