16 So Cain went away from the [manifested] presence of the Lord, and lived in the land of Nod [wandering in exile], east of Eden. 17 Cain knew his wife [one of Adam’s descendants] and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch; and Cain built a city and named it Enoch, after the name of his son. 18 Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael became the father of Methushael, and Methushael became the father of Lamech.
19 And Lamech took for himself two wives; the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he became the father of those [nomadic herdsmen] who live in tents and have cattle and raise livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he became the father of all those [musicians] who play the lyre and flute. 22 Zillah gave birth to Tubal-cain, the smith (craftsman) and teacher of every artisan in instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
23 Lamech said to his wives,
Genesis 4:16-24 (AMP)
“Adah and Zillah,
Hear my voice;
You wives of Lamech,
Listen to what I say;
For I have killed a man [merely] for wounding me,
And a boy [only] for striking (bruising) me.
24 “If Cain is avenged sevenfold [as the Lord said he would be],
Then Lamech [will be avenged] seventy-sevenfold.”
Cain’s next steps
Cain left the presence of the Lord (which was thought to be at/near the Garden of Eden – where Cain and Abel may have brought their sacrifices). He was fulfilling the curse he received for sinning (v12). Cain had a child with his wife, called him Enoch, then built a city and named it after him. He had grandchildren as well.
Where did his wife come from? There was not another line of people separate from Adam and Eve. For a nice explanation, check out this link from encuringword.com.
Usurping authority – Lamech
One of Cain’s descendents was Lamech. From his two wives, he had sons and a daughter. His sons were herdsmen and skilled craftsmen. How did they acquire skills to play instruments and be an artisan? For sure, mankind actually advanced very quickly. Was it a higher IQ, or special blessing from God to kick-start civilization? Leave a comment if you have an idea.
Lamech married two women, in direct defiance of God’s plan for marriage in Gen 2:24 that it’s one man and one woman. He then repeats Cain’s sin and murders someone in what appears to be aggravated revenge. His final recorded rebellious act was to usurp God’s authority. God had pronounced, as a loving act of mercy, to protect Cain with a mark and a warning that anyone who kills Cain will receive 7 times the vengeance. Lamech decides on his own he’ll “one-up” God and make it 70×7! [It is interesting Jesus uses similar numbering to talk about, not vengeance, but the opposite, forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-22).]
RЯeflection
- It is sad to see how quickly humanity devolved in morality and spirituality. Thankfully, there were a few bright lights we’ll see later. Do you wonder why the world is in such a state as it is today?
