Let us look at the generations of men from Adam to Abraham.  Genesis, chapter 5, shows us there were ten generations from Adam to Noah.  They are Adam, Seth, E′nosh, Ke′nan, Ma‧hal′a‧lel, Ja′red, E′noch, Me‧thu′se‧lah, La′mech, Noah.  Genesis 11:10-26 shows us there were also ten generations from Noah to Abraham.  They are Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, Abram (Abraham).  Adam’s genealogy is traced through Seth, not Cain, but we know that Cain was the first born of Adam and Eve.

The Lord made great promises to Abram, promising to make “of thee a great nation.”  We read in Genesis 12:1-3, “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”  That nation, of course, was Israel.  The Lord changed Abram’s name to Abraham in Genesis 17:5, “Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.”

The Lord blessed Abraham and his wife, Sarah, with a chosen son…Isaac.  We read in Genesis 21:1-3, “And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, ISAAC.”

The Lord blessed Isaac and his wife, Rebekah with twin sons, Jacob and Esau.  We learn in Genesis 25:20-26, “And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD. And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name ESAU. And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called JACOB: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.”

In Genesis, chapter 49, we see that Jacob had 12 sons.  They were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin.  We then read in Genesis 49:28, “All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.”

I went through this brief history of the nation of Israel to show you that Cain preceded the twelve tribes of Israel by 12 generations.  We are not told who Cain married.  We read in Genesis 4:16-17, “And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.”  This is the last we read of Cain’s life, except as it is referenced in the New Testament.  (395.4)