Lamech
“Powerful, or possibly 'strong youth'”
Summary
The name of two antediluvian patriarchs: one from Cain's line who was the first polygamist and author of a boastful poem, and another from Seth's line who was the father of Noah.
☩Lamech of Cain's Line
The first Lamech was fifth in descent from Cain, son of Methushael, and father of Jabal, Jubal, Tubal-cain, and Naamah. He is recorded as the first polygamist, having taken two wives, Adah and Zillah, thus initiating a practice contrary to God's original design for marriage. His sons distinguished themselves as inventors of useful arts: Jabal pioneered pastoral nomadism, Jubal invented musical instruments, and Tubal-cain worked in bronze and iron. The daughters Adah, Zillah, and Naamah are among the very few antediluvian women named in Scripture.
☩The Song of Lamech
Lamech's poetical address to his wives constitutes the only extant example of antediluvian poetry. He declares: 'Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have slain a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.' Various interpretations exist: some view it as a boastful celebration of Tubal-cain's invention of weapons, others as self-justification for homicide committed in self-defense, and still others as an expression of titanic arrogance making one's own power one's god. The poem demonstrates both the literary sophistication and the moral deterioration of Cain's line before the flood.
☩Lamech of Seth's Line
The second Lamech was the son of Methuselah and father of Noah, in the godly line of Seth. His words at Noah's birth contrast markedly with the Cainite Lamech's defiant boasting. He named his son Noah, saying, 'This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed.' This prophetic utterance expressed faith in coming redemption from the curse and anticipation of the rest that would come through Noah. He lived 777 years and died five years before the flood.
Related Verses11 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Lamech," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Lamech," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Lamech," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 4.George Morrish, "Lamech," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).