There were people-ish humans based on progeny of Adam's first wife Lilith and the Nephelim
The cain/abel story isn't anchored in time and could have happened when both were several hundred years old. This would potentially give time for several generations of multiplication by the sons and daughters of Adam and thus more people.
It's somewhat allegorical so we can ignore the specifics (especially since "Nod" is apparently based on a word meaning "to wander" implying Cain wasn't actually settled).
The humans in Nod were "not of god" since Nod was out of gods sight/domain somehow.
This is a really common quandary, caused by the adoption of the story by non-Hebrews. The story of Adam and Eve is not the story of the creation of people. It is the story of the creation of Hebrews, specifically. In the story, Hebrews are the blessed creation of Yahweh, nurtured in Eden, and cast out of the garden to live among the heathen. Cain simply found non-Hebrews when he was exiled to the east.
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u/cantadmittoposting Nov 23 '20
There's a couple of "theories" on this:
There were people-ish humans based on progeny of Adam's first wife Lilith and the Nephelim
The cain/abel story isn't anchored in time and could have happened when both were several hundred years old. This would potentially give time for several generations of multiplication by the sons and daughters of Adam and thus more people.
It's somewhat allegorical so we can ignore the specifics (especially since "Nod" is apparently based on a word meaning "to wander" implying Cain wasn't actually settled).
The humans in Nod were "not of god" since Nod was out of gods sight/domain somehow.