Lamech's Song
In the line of Cain, Lamech took two wives, Adah and Zillah, and became the father of Jabal, Jubal, and Tubalcain. His words to his wives are one of the earliest poems in Scripture: 'Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.' He boasts that if Cain would be avenged sevenfold, he would be avenged seventy and sevenfold. Genesis records it as a sign of how violence and pride had grown in just a few generations after Cain.
Key Passages
Hear My Voice
Genesis 4:23-24
Lamech turns violence into a boast, showing how quickly sin spread and hardened in Cain's line.
23nd Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
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Did You Know?
It is one of the earliest pieces of poetry in the Bible, set in the generations before the flood.
Lamech was the first man recorded as having two wives.
His 'seventy and sevenfold' revenge stands in contrast to Jesus' call to forgive 'seventy times seven' (Matthew 18:22).
This Lamech, of Cain's line, is different from Lamech the father of Noah.