gtJC! (Slava Isusu Christu!)

Hello all,

I've had a particular thought about this passage for some years now, and recently I mentioned it to a friend during one of our scripture reading discussions. [I forget about it from time to time, but my understanding always seems to re-surface during Great Lent because of the daily devotional readings ascribed in the Lectionary.]

Any one else follow along with my understanding that Lamech accidentally killed Cain?

Gen 4:23,23
Lamech sais to his wives: "Ada and Sella, hear my voice, wives of Lamech, give ear to my speech: I kill a man for wounding me, a youth for bruising me. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Lamech seventy times sevenfold."

then the next passage tells us that Adam knew his wife again and she bore him a son and called him Seth...


toodles & God bless, sUSAn

typo error correction...

it's the word "said" not "sais"

sorry, but it's early and I need coffee.

toodles, smc

Seeing that Lamech is Cain's descendant of the fifth generation, i.e., Lamech is at the very least Cain's great-great-great-grandson it does not follow (at least to me) that Lamech would identify Cain as "a youth" in your understanding. in other words

Susie,

I cannot help but notice how Lamech and Enoch are both seven generations from Adam. In all the genealogies in Genesis, the 7th person listed is always special. But ...

Whereby Enoch is 7th from Adam via Seth's lineage, Lamech is 7th from Adam via Cain's lineage. If Enoch "walked with God", then what do we make of Lamech from the other ... um, err ... nasty family line?

Lamech means conqueror, strong, powerful, destroyer. He is basically an egotistical, selfish brat gone haywire. He also boasts a lot, even about his killing sprees.

Lamech is the ancient form of a porn addict. Women were just objects. Even the women in his life had names that spoke of earthly beauty. Even his daughter! Some research on their names will reveal a lot about them as well as Lamech. Have fun on this.

I find Lamech's song (Gen 4:23) the antithesis of Adam's song to Eve (Gen 2:23). What do you make of their difference? Given what you know about Lamech and Adam and their relationship with women, what kind of songs do you think they were?

Joe Thur

Great comments. All of it. Insightful.

-ray