Interesting Facts

• Lamech became related to Cainan (from Seth’s line) by marriage when he took Cainan’s two daughters, Adah and Zillah, as his wives.
• He is the first man in the biblical narrative explicitly mentioned as having taken two wives.
• In his old age, Lamech’s eyesight became dim, leading to an accidental killing of Cain and his own son Tubalcain.
• After this accidental killing, Lamech expressed grief and spoke to his wives about slaying a man to his wounding and a young man to his hurt, suggesting a sense of remorse or at least recognition of the gravity of his actions.
• Lamech’s wives, upon hearing of the killings of Cain and Tubalcain, sought to kill him and separated from him for a time.

Genealogy

• Lamech was the son of Methusael, who was the son of Mehujael, who was the son of Irad, who was the son of Enoch (from Cain’s line), who was the son of Cain, the first son of Adam.
• He married two daughters of Cainan (from Seth’s line), namely Adah and Zillah.
• Adah bore him two sons, Jabal and Jubal. Jabal is described as “the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle,” and Jubal as “the father of all such as handle the harp and organ”.
• Zillah also bore him a son, Tubalcain, who was an “instructer of every artificer in brass and iron,” and a daughter named Naamah.

Historical Context

The period in which Lamech of Cain’s line lived was a time of increasing lawlessness and violence on the earth. According to the sources, this was after the descent of the “sons of God” and the birth of the Nephilim, who engaged in widespread destruction and corrupted all flesh. While Lamech’s lineage is separate from this angelic transgression, the pervasive environment of sin and violence likely influenced the societal norms and potentially his own behavior. The texts indicate a general decline in righteousness, with the earth being filled with blood and unrighteousness. Even within family structures, as seen with Lamech’s polygamy, deviations from earlier norms seemed to be occurring. The development of new skills and arts, attributed to figures like Tubalcain, also marked this era.

Narrative

Lamech’s personal narrative is marked by significant events, particularly his marriages and the tragic accidental killings in his old age. His decision to take two wives, Adah and Zillah, sets him apart in the early genealogies. The births of his sons, Jabal and Jubal, are noted for their pioneering roles in shepherding and music, respectively, highlighting a development of human culture within his lineage. Later in his life, when his eyesight had failed, an incident occurred where his son Tubalcain guided him, and in the process of hunting, they inadvertently killed Cain, Lamech’s ancestor, whom they mistook for an animal. This was followed by Lamech, in his distress and by clapping his hands, accidentally killing Tubalcain. Lamech’s subsequent lament to his wives reveals his awareness of the severity of his actions, even if unintentional. The reaction of his wives, who feared him and sought to kill him, underscores the gravity of these events within their family. Ultimately, his wives, influenced by their father Adam’s counsel, returned to him but ceased bearing him children, possibly due to the increasing divine displeasure with the actions of mankind before the impending flood. The narrative portrays Lamech as a figure within a lineage marked by both cultural innovation and tragic violence, reflecting the deteriorating state of the pre-flood world described in the sources.