Inhabitants of the World

Question

Hi Rabbi,
I know that Adam and Eve had two sons, named Cain and Abel. I assume that Cain got married but I am not sure that Abel ever married since Cain killed him.
My question: Who was Cain’s wife? Was she Eve’s daughter? Did Eve even have daughters?
Thank you

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    The Midrash says that on Friday afternoon preceding the first Shabbat of Creation, Eve gave birth to five children. Cain was born with a twin sister, and Abel was born with two sisters. Cain and Abel both married their twin sisters.

    Although later it became forbidden to marry one’s sister, in the beginning it was permitted out of necessity since there was a command to “be fruitful and multiply.”

    However, an argument ensued about who should marry Abel’s second sister. According to Cain, he should marry her because he was the first born. According to Abel, he should marry her because she was born together with him. I do not know who she ended up marrying, if at all!

    The offspring of those marriages became the inhabitants of the world.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team