Theres at least three competing answers that I can think of off the top of my head. 1) In the old days it was ok to marry a biological sister. However this would violate the Old Testament Laws.So I dont accept that answer. 2)God created a wife for Cain (i.e your their son)like he did for Adam.i.e. deep sleep remove rib etc.Note: same DNA, a bio sister would not be as closely matched DNA wise. But a biological twin sister might. 3) At the time the Garden of Eden was created. There were at least 3 other pairs of male and female in three other gardens.Adam & Eve were just the first to sin.This would go along with Noah and his repopulation of the world i.e it is seen that at least 4 couples are needed to repopulate the earth. Noan his wife and 3 sons with wives. I can go with 2) or 3) not 1) Hope this helps answer your question. I can give you some bible verses to show where I get these ideas from in Genesis. But I suspect you wont pursue it that far if you rebuttal at all.

Here's a classic example of the precision of the Hebrew language in the Bible. "And Adam knew Eve, his wife and she conceived and bore <Et> Cain... she gave birth again to <Et> his brother <Et> Abel." (Genesis 4:1-2) There is no English translation for the Hebrew word "Et" (את). This word is a code term that the Hebrew Bible uses to insinuate that there is more information than the verse itself is telling you (generally the Bible only provides the relevant details of a story, not ALL the details). In other words, wherever the word "Et" appears in the Hebrew Bible, it hints at more information that is relevant to the immediate context. So, the context here is the birth of Adam and Eve's children. The Bible adds the word "Et" to that story three times. Judaism's Oral Tradition (the information that we believe has always been part of the Torah, but was only formally written at the time of the Talmud) explains that three "Et"s represent three additional children that the Bible doesn't highlight (because they aren't relevant to the main story line). These were sisters. The Oral Tradition suggests that G-d suspended the laws against incest just that once, to allow the world to be populated. [After 3 days of trying unsuccessfully to post a comment, here's a point on Roger's criticism: Classical Jewish Bible interpretation is not simply a matter of translation or grammar. It is based on a tradition of interpretive technique that has been around for over 3000 years. You can find these techniques and methodologies defined in numerous volumes of Talmudic literaure. One such technique is the usage of "Et". While "Et" plays a grammatical role, most sentences can be written just as successfully without the "Et". A cardinal principle of Jewish tradition is that there are no superfluous words or even letters in the Torah (Hebrew Bible). So, every spelling of a word is analyzed, as is every "extra" word, like an "Et" that could have been left out. Understanding Jewish Bible interpretation requires more than just knowledge of common Hebrew grammar; one needs to be familiar with classical Talmudic technique.]

The whole story is a metaphorical myth that does not describe actual events. Now, if you take the Biblical account seriously, Adam and Eve weren't the first two people on Earth, they were just the ones created by Yahweh. Cain's wife was from Nod.

I've asked that same question to several people over the years and got several different answers -- I often wonder if there is some symbolism involved and I'm not sure that any of them are true.. One said that before Adam and Eve there were cavemen/women (without God's spirit) and he married one of them. Another said that Adam and Eve weren't the first people but they were created by God to "save" people but when that didn't work God sent Jesus instead. A third said that he married his sister and that old testament law wasn't established yet.

It is an unanswered mystery that can only be surmised that there are a number of years between then and creation and also that Adam and Eve had daughters in between!

Genesis 5:4 clearly states that Adam begot "sons and daughters," and Cain would have come back to marry one of them. Incest was not prohibited until there was a reason for the prohibition, and the reason was that after many generations of cosmic rays, carcinogens, genetic accidents et cetera there were enough damaged genes floating around that it was a very bad idea to marry a close relative. But it was obviously the intention of God that all mankind come from one original married couple, apparently so that nobody could think he was better than anyone else.

It's not a matter of Marriage, It's a matter of Birth Defects. Even if Adam and Eve had a son and a Daughter that could reproduce with eachother their children would probably have birth Defects. So basicly, Even believing that Adam and Eve story is unreasonable. Yet, I keep hearing Christians saying it's unreasonable to evolve from apes. *Though it's really that we ARE apes...* Even though Apes are Intelligent creatures, and look a lot like Humans. I think it's just their pride though saying that they're superior and intelligent.

I am new to this post, but want very much to add my thoughts here. Please remember in all the ideas coming forth, that there are 2 different floods recorded in the Bible. 1 Flood wiped out everything, the 2nd flood (Noah's) did not destory everything. 2 Peter 3:6 talks about the "world that then was and perished". In Noah's flood not everything perished, animals lived, Noah's family. So my question regarding those that feel there were people on the earth living before Adam, is this, if everyone perished before Adam, the first flood (the pre-adamic age) the only people on earth then either came from Adam & Eve or were additions created by God to reproduce. Another thing regarding the question of incest. The Bible is clear, God (Jesus) is the same yesterday, today and forever, Plus it says God's word is forever settled, and God is not a man that He should Lie...so it would, by these scriptures be impossible for God to allow insect that one time. Which brings us back to, where did Cain's wife come from? I don't know. DID HE marry his sister without God's approval? He killed right, why not marry a sister? He was not a perfect example of a law abiding man anyway. An interesting side note to all this, did you know there are many scriptures that refer to Dinosaurs in the Bible. The book of Job has a few, he saw them, described them too... another place for this I guess.

he married one of his sisters. incest was not forbidden and close relatives could produce offspring with no serious birth defects

Good question Cinnamon.....Here’s the Scriptural answer. Gen. 3:20: “Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she had to become the mother of everyone living.” (So all humans were to be the offspring of Adam and Eve.) Gen. 5:3, 4: “Adam lived on for a hundred and thirty years. Then he became father to a son in his likeness, in his image, and called his name Seth. And the days of Adam after his fathering Seth came to be eight hundred years. Meanwhile he became father to sons and daughters.” (One of Adam’s sons was Cain, and one of Adam’s daughters must have become Cain’s wife. At that time in human history when humans still had outstanding physical health and vitality, as indicated by the length of their lives, the likelihood of passing on defects as a result of marrying a close relative was not great. After some 2,500 years of human history, however, when mankind’s physical condition had greatly deteriorated, Jehovah gave to Israel laws forbidding incest.) Gen. 4:16, 17: “Cain went away from the face of Jehovah and took up residence in the land of Fugitiveness [or, Nod] to the east of Eden. Afterward Cain had intercourse with his wife [“knew his wife,” that is, intimately so, KJ, RS; “lay with his wife,” NE] and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch.” (Notice that Cain did not first meet his wife in the land to which he fled, as if she were from another family. Rather, it was there that he had sexual relations with her to produce a son.) Vew573

the story about that is myth i think . and there are no such thing as that people first found in Africa that change from another animal . they change by many at once so there are many of us but it also found in other places cause the people from africa move from places to places . At the time it was Ice Age the people can travel every where cause the water is all frozen , they can walk through it so there are people in Australia which do not connected any land . So the story is false but it is the believe like Zezus . It just All about thinking . Science is every thing + Education :D

Her. Inbreeding was a natural thing back in the day

Easy...The whole story is a myth. Modern Men/women have been around on earth for 200,000 years. The whole of Genesis is ancient man's attempt to answer the question we all ask; where did we come from?

I've heard two explanations: -God actually created a number of couples like Adam and Eve later, and Cain married one of their daughters. -Cain's wife was his sister. Of course, I don't know where in the Bible they're getting this, or if it is even in there at all. Sounds made up to me.

because they were apes and God had all ready created plenty of other female apes!!!

They came from Darwin

Rumor has it that she was a mail order bride from Russia

He went down to the local BBQ joint and had himself a wife made from spareribs

He bought one from the wife store, which is clearly stated in Genesis...chapter whatever, something-or-other verse...

Yes my friend..It also says in Genesis 4 thatif they find Cain they will kill him. Who? His parents? Where does the land of Nod come from? To me and I may be wrong as I am not a scholar, like some people think they are, but I believe their were other tribes! Remember also in Chapter 6 he speaks of the Nephilim. They too were here. So to belief comes in that Adam and Eve were made in his image. As so stated in Genesis!

Adam & Eve had sons and daughters , Genesis 3:20 After this Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she had to become the mother of everyone living. Genesis 5:3 And Adam lived on for a hundred and thirty years. Then he became father to a son in his likeness, in his image, and called his name Seth. 4 And the days of Adam after his fathering Seth came to be eight hundred years. Meanwhile he became father to sons and daughters. 5 So all the days of Adam that he lived amounted to nine hundred and thirty years and he died.

First of all I would like to point out that although Cain was the worlds 1st killer, there were no laws against killing at this time. The ten commandments weren't given for thousands of years yet. Second of all, anyone who thinks that these occurrences took place in the same era is very much mistaken. To anyone that does not know; when the Torah(original bible) states ,years, it is not referring to the 365 day years that began with other testimants. To determine what the original year count was, one must study Torah. Thats what He[Hashem] wants of us. Who doesn't get it? In addition to this I would like to comment, that anyone who is looking at these issues from alternative testiment points of view will find only confusion. Put it this way; You can't wright a book on chalk when the topic is cheese, especially when the cheese in subject was churned thousands of years after the chalk. About the dinosours; Yes, They are discribed in parts of the Torah as {Giant lizards}. In responce to the ignorant! To believe that the Torah is a myth, is to believe that Jews are a myth. Jews are the most evident beings on earth. Your eternal, global hatred for Jews in it's self is far more evident in fact than ANY Darwin theory. Why do you suppose that is ? Too blind to see ,ah? The truth of the matter is , it is all MENT to seem to seem to be myth. To the ordinary, what is not phtsically evident does not exsist. This is how He(Hashem) tests our faith. When all evidence is removed, that is when the faith of men BECOMES the evidence. It's called ,irony(Hashems sense of humour) Thats the way He(Hashem)chose his people,hence the hatred that no one ever wants to talk about. I do not proffess to know the answer to the original question ,just like most others in the world, but I do know where the answers can be found. I think that secretly you all do. I can only say that when the knowlege to all things was on offer, no one else wanted to know. Too bad!

Today, even many those who believe in the Bible don't belive in every word of stories like that.

easy answer Gen 1:27 which came before Aadm and Eve

Either she was his sister or there were other people existing, or God was sitting up there playing the Sims and made other people and it was never mentioned. I do recall one other person who came to Earth before all of this happened but it was a male. Or could he have been female. Hmmm...something to think about.