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Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice, You wives of Lamech, listen to my speech, For I have slain a man for wounding me, A young man for bruising me.
Verse Takeaways
1
A Boast, Not a Confession
Commentators overwhelmingly interpret Lamech's poem not as a confession of guilt, but as an arrogant boast. Unlike his ancestor Cain who feared retribution, Lamech, likely armed with newly invented metal weapons, brags to his wives about his violent deed. Scholars see this as a significant escalation of sin, where violence becomes a source of pride and ferocity, marking a deep moral degradation in the line of Cain.
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Genesis
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5
18th Century
Presbyterian
19th Century
Anglican
Lamech said... Following quickly after music, we have poetry, but it is in praise of ferocity and expresses the pride of one who, …
16th Century
Protestant
Hear my voice, ye wives of Lamech. The intention of Moses is to describe the ferocity of this man—who was, however, the fifth in descent f…
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17th Century
Reformed Baptist
And Lamech said to his wives, Adah and Zillah Confessing what he has done, or boasting what he would do should he be attacked;…
One of Cain's wicked descendants is the first recorded as having broken the law of marriage. Until now, one man had only one wife at a time; but La…