How Many Children Did Adam And Eve Have?
- Adam and Eve according to Scripture had 3 named sons- Cain, Abel and Seth.
- This is according to Genesis 4:1-2, and Genesis 4:24.
- But Adam also had other sons and daughters according to Genesis 5:4.
- Some say he had 33 sons and 22 daughters, but this is not found or corroborated in scripture
- And besides saying that Adam and Eve had 33 sons and 22 daughters, some say that Eve eventually bore 20 sets of twins, and Adam had 40,000 offspring before he died but these numbers are nowhere mentioned or supported in Scripture. We only know that Adam had other sons and daughters other than Cain, Abel and Seth.
- Using the Bible we can show a minimum of 7 children (ie. other sons means at least 2 more sons and other daughters would mean at least two daughters.)
But there are extra-biblical numbers that have been presented over the years. Some Jewish and later Christian sources attempted to number Adam’s children, often in Midrashic or chronographic texts:
| Source | Approx. Date | Claim about Adam’s Children | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midrashic Texts (Genesis Rabbah) | 3rd–5th century CE | Suggests Adam had many sons and daughters; some traditions enumerate dozens | Numbers often symbolic to represent human propagation; exact counts vary by manuscript |
| Sefer ha-Yashar (The Book of Jasher) | Medieval Jewish chronicle (c. 12th c.) | Lists Adam as having 33 sons and 23 daughters (sometimes 22 daughters in variants) | Attempts to fill genealogical gaps; non-canonical; widely cited in Jewish folklore |
| Pseudo-Philo, “Biblical Antiquities” | 1st–2nd century CE | Adam had multiple sons and daughters; numbers not always precise | Fills narrative gaps; interprets Genesis genealogically |
| Some later Christian compilations / genealogical tables | Medieval period | Adopted the “33 sons and 22 daughters” tradition | Often used in moralizing or symbolic contexts; not theological dogma |
But are those numbers true. We do not see them in the biblical text. We can conlude that Adam had at least 7 children: Cain, Abel, Seth, at least 2 sons, and at least 2 daughers, based on Genesis 5:4 below.
Genesis 5:1-4
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth:
4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
Another question that can be asked is:
Who Did Cain and Abel marry since they were the first children of the first man and woman.
Here's scholarship on this question:
| Scholar (Dates, Work) | View on Cain & Abel’s Wives |
|---|---|
| Augustine of Hippo (354–430, City of God, Book XIII) | Cain married a daughter of Adam & Eve; Abel did not marry. Inbreeding necessary initially to propagate humanity; early ethical concerns do not apply. |
| Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130–202, Against Heresies, Book 5) | Cain married a sister; Abel had no recorded wife. Close-relative marriage necessary for early human multiplication. |
| Tertullian (c. 155–240, Against Marcion, On the Apparel of Women) | Cain married one of his sisters; Abel had no wife mentioned. Emphasizes human propagation; divine plan takes precedence over moral concern. |
| Origen of Alexandria (c. 184–253, Commentary on Genesis) | Cain married a sister; Abel did not marry. Allegorical interpretation highlights theological purpose rather than census or literal numbers. |
| Bede, the Venerable (672–735, Explanatio Genesis) | Cain married a sister; Abel unmarried. Early medieval biblical scholarship emphasizes propagation necessity. |
| Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, 1040–1105, Commentary on Genesis) | Cain married a sister; Abel unmarried. Names not specified; sibling marriage necessary for population growth per Jewish Midrashic tradition. |
| Matthew Henry (1662–1714, Commentary on the Whole Bible) | Cain married a daughter of Adam & Eve; Abel killed before marriage. Practical explanation for human propagation; morally permissible in early context. |
| John Gill (1697–1771, Exposition of the Old and New Testament) | Cain married a sister or close female relative; Abel had no wife. Literal reading of Genesis; emphasizes necessity for populating earth. |
| Adam Clarke (1760–1832, Commentary on the Bible) | Cain married a sister; Abel unmarried. Close-relative marriage required to propagate humanity; historical-literal approach. |
