Q. If Adam and Eve were the first humans, why did Cain tell God he feared that others would kill him after killing his brother? Also, how was he then able to marry and procreate?
Cain may have said “whoever finds me will kill me” in reference to a future time at which he expected there would be more people on earth. However, since the account of Cain and Abel takes place once they have become adults, there could already have been other people around. While the book of Genesis only describes the births of three of Adam and Eve’s children—Cain, Abel, and Seth—it also says, “After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.”
As for how Cain was able to marry and procreate, please see this post.
Author: Christopher R Smith
The Rev. Dr. Christopher R. Smith is an an ordained minister, a writer, and a biblical scholar. He was active in parish and student ministry for twenty-five years. He was a consulting editor to the International Bible Society (now Biblica) for The Books of the Bible, an edition of the New International Version (NIV) that presents the biblical books according to their natural literary outlines, without chapters and verses. His Understanding the Books of the Bible study guide series is keyed to this format. He was also a consultant to Tyndale House for the Immerse Bible, an edition of the New Living Translation (NLT) that similarly presents the Scriptures in their natural literary forms, without chapters and verses or section headings.
He has a B.A. from Harvard in English and American Literature and Language, a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Gordon-Conwell, and a Ph.D. in the History of Christian Life and Thought, with a minor concentration in Bible, from Boston College, in the joint program with Andover Newton Theological School.
View all posts by Christopher R Smith
Good Question 