Genesis 5
19 June 2018
- Whom did Cain marry? His sister?
https://www.gotquestions.org/Cains-wife.html :-
"The Bible does not specifically say who Cain’s wife was. The only possible answer is that Cain's wife was his sister or niece or great-niece, etc.
Since Adam and Eve were the first (and only) human beings, their children would have no other choice than to intermarry. God did not forbid inter-family marriage until much later when there were enough people to make intermarriage unnecessary (Leviticus 18:6-18). The reason that incest today often results in genetic abnormalities is that when two people of similar genetics (i.e., a brother and sister) have children together, there is a high risk of their recessive characteristics becoming dominant. When people from different families have children, it is highly unlikely that both parents will carry the same recessive traits. The human genetic code has become increasingly “polluted” over the centuries as genetic defects are multiplied, amplified, and passed down from generation to generation. Adam and Eve did not have any genetic defects, and that enabled them and the first few generations of their descendants to have a far greater quality of health than we do now. Adam and Eve’s children had few, if any, genetic defects. As a result, it was safe for them to intermarry. ".
- How come in Genesis 5, people lived so long (i.e. Enosh lived 905 yrs)? (Remember, many dismiss Genesis account as fairy tale, after reading first few chapters)
There are multiple theories for this:-
(1) https://www.gotquestions.org/Genesis-long-lives.html :- "Something happened at the global flood to shorten men’s lifespans. Compare the lifespans before the flood (Genesis 5:1–32) with those after the flood (Genesis 11:10–32). Immediately after the flood, the ages decreased dramatically and then kept decreasing. A key may be in Genesis 6:3: “The Lord said, ‘My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.’” Many people see the reference to “a hundred and twenty years” as the new, divinely appointed limit on man’s age. By the time of Moses (who lived 120 years), lifespans were much lower. After Moses, we have no record of anyone living past 120."
(2) https://www.gotquestions.org/Genesis-long-lives.html :- "Another suggestion is that in the first few generations after creation, the human gene pool had accumulated few defects. As the genetic code deteriorated over time, human beings became more susceptible to disease and aging. Of course, these theories are impossible to prove or disprove". I would add the following to this:- The natural environment on earth should have been much healthier for life sustenance during that time. With time, sin & pollution must have contributed to degrading of the natural environment on earth. Lifestyle (including diet) also probably was much healthier in those early times.
(3) https://www.pursuegod.org/people-live-long-flood/ :- "One suggestion is that the earth’s climate changed as a result of the flood. Perhaps a canopy of water vapor surrounded the earth before the flood (Genesis 1:7), providing the massive volume of water required for a global flood. If so, this continual blanket of clouds could have shielded the earth from the effects of harmful cosmic radiation, creating ideal living conditions and resulting in longer lives. This protective effect would have been lost after the flood. "