None of the translations conclusively suggests that the two were twins. And Abel is feeding a flock, and Cain hath been servant of the ground." The Young Literal Translation (YLT) states in Genesis 4:2 "and she addeth to bear his brother, even Abel. However given the break notable in 4:1 after the begetting of Cain and where she gives a name to the Cain, it may be appropriate to suggest that she weaned him first before she conceived again and bore Abel. The Hebrew word "yalad" for bear also means to conceive, bring forth, beget or travail." If the context of "travail" is considered then one may argue that she went into a second labor to give birth to Abel after Cain came first. The Bible here states that she bare again. It appears from Genesis 4:2a that Abel was born long after Cain, given the description in the passage. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. "And Adam knew Eve his wife and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
Genesis 4:1-2 describes the birth of the two saying (KJV): Even though Cain was not a righteous man, he was still the son of Adam and Eve and (most likely the twin) brother of righteous Abel as the Bible clearly states.Įzekiel Kimosop There is no clear biblical evidence to support the view that Cain and Abel may have been twins. Likewise, Cain’s physical father was Adam, but his spiritual and metaphorical father was Satan because he followed the ways of Satan and rejected the ways of God. Their father was Satan because they followed him and rejected Jesus. Jesus changed the narrative by pointing out their spiritual affiliation. The Pharisees boasted in being “sons of Abraham,” which was, indeed, their physical lineage. Jesus often uses the same linguistic device when referring to the Scribes, the Pharisees, Judas Iscariot, and others saying they were of their father the devil, sons of Satan, sons of perdition, devils, etc.
When the New Testament writers refer to Cain as evil or “of the evil one” (Heb 11:4, 1 John 3:12, Jude 11), they are referring to his spiritual condition as evidenced by his behavior, not to his physical lineage. Although there are some about whom we may have our suspicions, Satan does not have children in the natural sense! If he could, I'm sure there would be billions of little “demonoids” running around down here with physical bodies. He cannot impregnate anyone with his tricks and illusions ("lying signs and wonders"). "Rosemary's Baby" notwithstanding, he has no physical body, nor can he become a man so that he could have sex with a woman. To begin with, Satan is a spirit being with no creative power. While I understand that it is theoretically possible (though extremely rare) for a woman to become pregnant with two embryos as a result of sex with two different men, there is absolutely no scriptural reason to draw that conclusion in this case. Others have mistakenly concluded that even though the boys were born in the same birthing event, Cain's father was Satan (or the serpent from the Garden) while Abel's father was Adam. In fact, the clear inference from the text is that she bore Cain, then bore Abel in essentially the same birthing event making the boys twins by definition. The text neither says that nor supports that theory by inference. Some have mistakenly claimed that she named her first child Cain "before" Abel was born indicating that Cain was weaned before she bore Abel. Eve apparently had just enough time to make the observation that she had "gotten a man with the help of the Lord" before Abel was born. Unlike some have said, there is no indication of a long pause or time period before the birth of Abel.
However, there is no mention of a future sexual encounter resulting in another pregnancy. After referencing the marital relations between Adam and Eve in verse 1, the birth of Cain is recorded. In the record of the births of Cain and Abel this pattern is noticeably absent. If there was a subsequent child, the scripture then tells us that the man knew his wife again and she bore another child (see Gen 4:17, Gen 4:25, and others).
The clear pattern of speech for recording such events in scripture is to state that the man "knew" (or had relations with) his wife and she bore a son or daughter. The evidence is found primarily in the wording of the text that records their birth (Gen 4:1-2). David Robinson Army 1SG, firefighter, consultant (CFPS) - retired from all! While scripture does not specifically state that the brothers Cain and Abel were twins, there is ample evidence to draw that conclusion.