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“Where Did Cain Get His Wife?”—And Why the Question Still Matters
In the summer of 1925, the Scopes “Monkey” Trial turned a Tennessee courtroom into a national stage for debating the Bible and origins. One of the most memorable barbs came when Clarence Darrow pressed William Jennings Bryan with a line that has echoed through popular culture ever since: “Where did Cain get his wife?” The insinuation—delivered to laughter and headlines—was that anyone who believes Genesis must accept an absurdity (or worse, a moral outrage). That exchange helped cement the cultural narrative that Christianity is anti-intellectual and ethically inconsistent. A century later, the same argument still circulates on social media and in classrooms. Do Christians have a good answer to the question of where Cain got his wife? This is a legitimate question. If Adam and Eve are the fountainhead of humanity (Gen 3:20; Acts 17:26), whom did their son Cain marry (Gen 4:17)? If the only available partners were siblings…
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Perhaps Sin is Not Crouching at the Door (Genesis 4:7)
Whenever one challenges a translation that most English translations use, it is natural to be skeptical. I know I was… at least initially. But, as I have chewed on the data and worked it over in my mind, I have become much more sympathetic to the idea that most English translations get Genesis 4:7 wrong. Genesis 4:7 is most commonly interpreted as sin personified as a wild animal crouching outside the door, ready to pounce! But, I would like to advocate for an alternative understanding. Perhaps Genesis 4:7 is not talking about sin crouching at the door but about God providing a sin offering for Cain as a means of reconciliation. English Translations and Genesis 4:7 I imagine that most readers did not even know there was a possible alternative rendering of Genesis 4:7. This is largely because of the near-unanimous translation of Genesis 4:7. Here is a list of…