Q&A – WHERE DID CAIN GET HIS WIFE? - 2

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Q&A – WHERE DID CAIN GET HIS WIFE? - 2

Genesis 4:16 And Cain went out from the presence of IAUE, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

17 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.

In the last post, we took a careful look at the language of the six days of creation in Genesis 1. We will now compare that with the language in chapter 2.

Genesis 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created (Heb: bara), in the day that IAUE Elohim made the earth and the heavens,

Notice, throughout Genesis 1, IAUE is “creating” the heavens and the earth, the herbs and trees, the sea creatures, the fowls of the air, the beasts and living creatures upon the earth…and man.  Now we come to something quite different.

Genesis 2:7 And IAUE Elohim formed man/Adam of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man/Adam became a living soul.

In Genesis 1, IAUE created (bara) man (adam) in His image in both males and females; and gave them dominion over the works of His hands.  Here “adam” refers to man as a species.  In Genesis 2, however, we see a more specific use of the word “adam”. It changes from a general noun to a proper noun, to a name:  Adam.  Notice also, he “created” males and females on day 6; but here we see that he “formed” Adam.  This word “formed” (yatsar) means to fashion as a potter fashions clay. (I do not intend to be dogmatic about this. It is possible that we see in this verse the “manner” in which IAUE created man…by forming him as a potter forms a vessel of clay.  “Forming” Adam does not necessarily preclude His “creating” Adam on the sixth day. However, what we see of the making of Eve is not the same creative process that women were created on Day 6.)

Genesis 2:8 And IAUE Elohim planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man/Adam whom he had formed (yatsar).

9 And out of the ground made IAUE Elohim to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Here we see IAUE planting a garden on what appears to be a timeframe after day 7; and making trees to grow; but we already saw that IAUE originally “created” such kind of trees to grow on day 3.

Genesis 2:15 And IAUE Elohim took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

The men and women created on Day 6 were spread across the earth to begin multiplying and exercising dominion over the animal world.  Adam was commanded to dress and keep the garden.  That was not a mission to subdue the earth and have dominion over all of the sea and land and aviary life on the earth. No, THAT mission was given to the males and females that IAUE had “created” (not “formed”) on day 6. Adam very likely never saw a sea.  How could he subdue and have dominion over sea life if he was planted in a garden where there were only rivers?

Genesis 2:18 And IAUE Elohim said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

On day 6. IAUE had “created” males and females; but in the Garden of Eden, He “formed” a man out of the dust of the earth.  We have no idea how long Adam lived alone before IAUE “made” a female companion for him. He started with the companionship of animals.

Genesis 2:19 And out of the ground IAUE Elohim formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

To deal with Adam’s loneliness, “out of the ground,” IAUE “formed” every beast of the field and every fowl of the air and brought them to Adam; and yet we see that on day 6, IAUE had “created” every beast of the field.  We also note that on day 3, IAUE had “created” “out of the waters” every fowl of the air.  In Eden, however, the fowls were “formed” not “created” out of the ground, not out of the waters.

Genesis 2:20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

21 And IAUE Elohim caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22 And the rib, which IAUE Elohim had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man/Adam.

Notice it says that Eve was “made.”  It does not say she was created.  She was not even “formed,” and yet males and females were “created” on day 6. Eve was made after Adam had been placed in the garden; and after Adam named all of the animals.

The world was populated with many males and females on day 6; and they were charged with the responsibility to multiply and replenish the earth; and to subdue and exercise dominion over the sea, land and aviary life that IAUE had created on days 3 and 6.  Adam, however, was formed like a potter forms his clay; and he was not told to multiply and replenish the earth or to have dominion over the other living creatures on the earth.  He was commanded, instead, to till the garden that IAUE had made expressly for him.  IAUE later “made” a woman to be Adam’s help mate. The making of Eve clearly does not appear to have happened on the same day that Adam was made; so she could not have been a day 6 creation, even if Adam had been.

We have no idea how much time separated the creation of the men and women on day 6 from the time IAUE formed Adam and placed him in the Garden that IAUE planted just for him. It could have been done all on the same day; and it also could have been eons. There are some historical records from Mesopotamia that suggest it could have been tens of thousands of years. There are reports of civilizations whose kings reigned for tens of thousands of years at a time.

IAUE made Adam unique upon the earth separating him from all others who had also been made in the image and likeness of Elohim. We know that only Adam’s life began by receiving the breath of IAUE.  While the population outside of Eden was exercising dominion over the works of IAUE’s hands, Adam was tilling the earth and maintaining the garden; and he was having direct and personal fellowship with IAUE.  It is Adam’s bloodline that becomes the focus of the rest of Scripture.

In Genesis 3, we read the story of the fall of Adam and Eve and their banishment from the garden.

Genesis 3:23 Therefore the IAUE Elohim sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Adam and Eve were removed from the garden that IAUE had planted just for them; but his command to them was still to be till the ground.  It is interesting to note that IAUE never told them to multiply and replenish the earth; but once outside of Eden and exposed to the Day 6 populations, one of the first things Adam and Eve do is to “know each other” and begin to bear children.

In Genesis 4, we see the story of Cain killing his brother Abel.

Genesis 4:11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;

12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

13 And Cain said unto IAUE, 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.

In these verses we see that IAUE, even after the fall of Adam and Eve, and even after the murder of Abel, He still speaks to Cain of tilling the ground.  We also see that being driven away from his family means Cain will also no longer be in the environment where his family still enjoys the presence of IAUE. Finally, in this passage, we see Cain’s concern about “every one” that he may come upon in his traveling the earth as a fugitive and vagabond.  Cain was the firstborn of Adam and Even.  We know of Abel being the second born; but we have no Scriptural record of Adam and Eve proliferating the earth dramatically enough to have produced a population that would be of concern to Cain.  No, the people who were his concern were the Day 6 men and women.

 Genesis 4:16 And Cain went out from the presence of IAUE, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

17 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.

Again, we see it reinforced here that by being driven away from his parents; Cain is also leaving the presence of IAUE. It is unfortunate that the passage says Cain dwelled in “the land of Nod.”  The word for “Nod” (nowd) means “wandering as a fugitive.”  The “land of Nod” does not refer to a specific location.  Cain was on the move.  He did not want to be found by anyone. It means the land where he wandered, attempting to flee the observation of others.  He met his wife while remaining transient.

I know that this understanding of Day 6 men and women as distinct from Adam and Eve being a specific bloodline that is differentiated from the Day 6 creation produces more questions; and possible conflicts with other verses in the Scripture; but if one recognizes that the discussion of Adam’s race as being the focus of the purposes of IAUE in the earth; those questions are easily resolved.