My question tonight is coming from the Old Testament in Genesis.  I understand and have read that Adam was the first being created, and, of course, his helper, Eve, was created from his rib.  They came to know each other, and Eve conceived her firstborn, Cain, but Cain slew his brother, Abel, and was exiled from his home into the land of Nod by God for his sin, according to Gen 4:16-17, and Cain knew his wife, and she conceived.  My question: where did this female that Cain married come from?  Gen 4:17 states that Cain knew his wife.  That word ‘knew’ – does that mean intercourse, or does it mean that he knew her because she was in the Adamic family bloodline, or perhaps both?  In Gen 5:4, it reads that Adam did have other children, but it was after the birth of Seth, and I am also looking at the fact that there were timeframes (such as the eight hundred years), but Cain's wife was not mentioned, neither was her name. Please help me in this study.

Sincerely,
Mystery Woman

Dear Mystery Woman,

Eve is the mother of all living (Gen 3:20).  In the beginning, there were only Adam and Eve.  Adam and Eve had multiple children (Gen 5:3-4).  In the genealogies of Genesis 5, none of the daughters are named – only the sons.  This is because Jewish genealogies (and Genesis is a Jewish book) follow the male lineage – we never know the dates or names of the daughters that are born.  Cain was Adam’s firstborn son (Gen 4:1).  When Cain went to find a wife, the only logical person he could marry would be his sister.  Therefore, Cain’s wife was also his sister (Gen 4:17).  It is morally repugnant in today’s society for someone to marry his sister, but it wasn’t that way in the beginning.  In the beginning, they had no other choice.  God told the family of Adam to “go forth and multiply” (Gen 1:28).  When Adam’s sons and daughters intermarried, they fulfilled God’s command.

Today we worry about children having deformities if the mother and father are too closely related.  This is because of genetic mutations and defects in our DNA.  Adam and Eve wouldn’t have had these defects.  When God made Adam and Eve, they were genetically perfect, and their descendants wouldn’t have had to worry about biological deformities.  God didn’t prohibit close intermarriage until almost 2,500 years after Adam and Eve (Lev 18:9-17); it took that long for genetic mutations to increase enough to become a real issue.

So the conclusion is… Cain married his sister.

Last Daily Cup for this week!  We'll see you again on Monday.  Happy studying!

5 minutes a day 5 days a week 1 New Testament in a year There are 261 weekdays in a year, and there are 260 chapters in the New Testament. By reading one chapter, Monday through Friday, you will read the whole New Testament by the end of the year. The Daily Cup series is to help with that goal. Happy Studying! "The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup." -- Psalm 16:5 Click here for a pdf of the study schedule - CLICK HERE

[This question is in regard to our Daily Cup reading series: Day 1 - Matt 1]

Following your Weekday Cup: In Matthew 1, the genealogy of Jesus is to Joseph... I’m confused as to why this is not to Mary.

Thanks!!

Sincerely,
Parental Ponderer

Dear Parental Ponderer,

The gospels actually give us two different genealogies for Jesus – one here in Matthew 1 and one in Luke 3.  Matthew starts the genealogy at Abraham, and Luke starts the genealogy all the way back at Adam.  The genealogies really begin to differ once you hit the generation after David.  Matthew traces the history from David’s son Solomon (Matt 1:6), while Luke follows David’s son Nathan (Lk 3:31).  Every Jewish genealogy (both maternal and paternal) is tracked through the males in the family (that is why both Matthew and Luke end the genealogy with Joseph).

Matthew is tracing the legal family tree through Jesus’ foster father, Joseph.  Luke is tracing the maternal side through Jesus’ mother, Mary.  Both Mary and Joseph were of the tribe of Judah and the lineage of David… just slightly different sections of that bloodline.

5 minutes a day
5 days a week
1 New Testament in a year

There are 261 weekdays in a year, and there are 260 chapters in the New Testament. By reading one chapter, Monday through Friday, you will read the whole New Testament by the end of the year. The Daily Cup series is to help with that goal.

Happy Studying!

"The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup." -- Psalm 16:5

Click here for a pdf of the study schedule - CLICK HERE

Someone brought this to my attention, and I must admit, I was ashamed of not knowing how to reply.  One of the Ten Commandments says, "Thou shalt not have any other gods before Me”, but isn't Jesus Christ a god... and wouldn't that be having a god before God?  To get to God, you have to go through Jesus Christ.  I need help on this one please.

Sincerely,
Chain Of Command

Dear Chain Of Command,

Jesus is not another god – Jesus is part of the true Godhead.  Jesus was in the beginning and is just as immortal as the Father (Jhn 1:1-3).  Jesus and the Father are one (Jhn 10:30).  It is very similar to how a husband and wife are two people… but they are also one family unit (Gen 2:24).  Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Father are separate beings (Lk 3:21-22), but one Godhead unit.  When God commands us to not worship any other gods but Him, He is dealing with false gods that are man-made.  He isn’t trying to tell us not to worship Jesus.  God makes this very clear in 1 Cor 8:4-6.  There are idols, and then there is the true God… and His Son.