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Genesis4:17–24

The Descendants of Cain

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Genesis 4:17–24 — The Descendants of Cain. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

17

And Cain had relations with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain built a city and named it after his son Enoch.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

qa·yin ’eṯ- way·yê·ḏa‘ ’iš·tōw wat·ta·har wat·tê·leḏ ’eṯ- ḥă·nō·wḵ way·hî bō·neh ‘îr way·yiq·rā šêm hā·‘îr kə·šêm bə·nōw ḥă·nō·wḵ

Word by word17 · parsed
קַ֙יִן֙qa·yinAnd CainH7014
√ Qayin — Kajin, the name of the first child, also of a place in Palestine, and of an Oriental tribeNounpropermasculine singular
Cain, H7014 — fronted in the Hebrew clause. The first murderer (Gen 4:8) opens the first genealogy of the line that bears his curse.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
וַיֵּ֤דַעway·yê·ḏa‘had relations withH3045
√ yâdaʻ — to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
way·yê·ḍaʿ, “and he knew” — a wayyiqtol of consecution (root yāḍaʿ, H3045). The same verb that elsewhere describes knowing God describes here the conjugal act; Hebrew refuses to sever the physical from the personal. The text simply assumes the wife’s identity — K&D: “The text assumes it as self-evident” — leaving the question of who she was to the commentators.
אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ’iš·tōwhis wifeH802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanNounfeminine singular constructthird person masculine singular
וַתַּ֖הַרwat·ta·harand she conceivedH2029
√ hârâh — to be (or become) pregnant, conceive (literally or figuratively)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
וַתֵּ֣לֶדwat·tê·leḏand gave birth toH3205
√ yâlad — to bear youngConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
wat·tê·leḍ, “and she bore” (root yālaḍ, H3205) — the verb that will hammer through this whole genealogy, generation begetting generation, life persisting even under banishment.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
חֲנ֑וֹךְḥă·nō·wḵEnochH2585
√ Chănôwk — Chanok, an antediluvian patriachNounpropermasculine singular
Enoch, H2585 — “dedication.” Ellicott marks it as “of the utmost importance in estimating Cain’s character”; the seventh from Adam in the rival line will bear the same name and “walk with God” (Gen 5:24), so that the two Enochs become a study in two kinds of consecration — to a city, or to God.
וַֽיְהִי֙way·hîThenH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
בֹּ֣נֶהbō·neh[Cain] builtH1129
√ bânâh — to build (literally and figuratively)VerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
bō·neh, “building” (Qal participle, root bānāh, H1129). The first city in Scripture is raised by the first murderer — Matthew Henry: “Cain, as not minding that city, built one on earth.” The participle keeps the act unfinished, a restless fortifying.
עִ֔יר‘îra cityH5892
√ ʻîyr — a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)Nounfeminine singular
ʿîr, “city” (H5892) — “a place guarded by waking or a watch.” Murphy and K&D agree it need mean no metropolis but “an enclosed space with fortified dwellings”; its root sense of watching fits a man who “expects every man’s hand will be against him” (Barnes).
וַיִּקְרָא֙way·yiq·rāand namedH7121
√ qârâʼ — to call out to (iConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
שֵׁ֣םšêm. . .H8034
√ shêm — an appellation, as amark or memorial of individualityNounmasculine singular construct
shêṭ, “name” (H8034, construct) — a memorial of individuality. Naming the city is an act of self-perpetuation against the curse of wandering.
הָעִ֔ירhā·‘îr[it]H5892
√ ʻîyr — a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)ArticleNounfeminine singular
כְּשֵׁ֖םkə·šêmafterH8034
√ shêm — an appellation, as amark or memorial of individualityPreposition-kNounmasculine singular construct
בְּנ֥וֹbə·nōwhis sonH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
חֲנֽוֹךְ׃ḥă·nō·wḵEnochH2585
√ Chănôwk — Chanok, an antediluvian patriachNounpropermasculine singular
Enoch repeated, H2585 — son and city share the one name. The repetition seals Cain’s purpose: to fix in stone what God had sentenced to drift.
18

Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methusael, and Methusael was the father of Lamech.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

la·ḥă·nō·wḵ ’eṯ- way·yiw·wā·lêḏ ‘î·rāḏ wə·‘î·rāḏ yā·laḏ ’eṯ- mə·ḥū·yā·’êl ū·mə·ḥî·y·yā·’êl yā·laḏ ’eṯ- mə·ṯū·šā·’êl ū·mə·ṯū·šā·’êl yā·laḏ ’eṯ- lā·meḵ

Word by word16 · parsed
לַֽחֲנוֹךְ֙la·ḥă·nō·wḵNow to EnochH2585
√ Chănôwk — Chanok, an antediluvian patriachPreposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
la·ḥă·nō·wḵ, “to Enoch” (H2585) — the line is reckoned from Enoch, the city-founder’s son, downward.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
וַיִּוָּלֵ֤דway·yiw·wā·lêḏwas bornH3205
√ yâlad — to bear youngConjunctive wawVerbNifalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
way·yiw·wā·lêḍ — Niphal (passive) of yālaḍ, H3205: “was born.” K&D notes the grammar (Ges. 143,1), the passive with accusative object: “to Hanoch was born (they bore) Irad.”
עִירָ֔ד‘î·rāḏIradH5897
√ ʻÎyrâd — Irad, an antediluvianNounpropermasculine singular
Irad, H5897 — “probably signifies the townsman” (K&D); Ellicott links it to the ʿîr (city) Cain was building. The very names of the line keep returning to the city.
וְעִירָ֕דwə·‘î·rāḏand IradH5897
√ ʻÎyrâd — Irad, an antediluvianConjunctive wawNounpropermasculine singular
יָלַ֖דyā·laḏwas the father ofH3205
√ yâlad — to bear youngVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
yā·laḍ — Qal perfect, “begot” (H3205). The active verb now drives the genealogy forward link by link.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
מְחֽוּיָאֵ֑לmə·ḥū·yā·’êlMehujaelH4232
√ Mᵉchûwyâʼêl — Mechujael or Mechijael, an antediluvian patriarchNounpropermasculine singular
וּמְחִיּיָאֵ֗לū·mə·ḥî·y·yā·’êland MehujaelH4232
√ Mᵉchûwyâʼêl — Mechujael or Mechijael, an antediluvian patriarchConjunctive wawNounpropermasculine singular
יָלַד֙yā·laḏwas the father ofH3205
√ yâlad — to bear youngVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
מְת֣וּשָׁאֵ֔לmə·ṯū·šā·’êlMethusaelH4967
√ Mᵉthûwshâʼêl — Methusael, an antediluvian patriarchNounpropermasculine singular
Methusael, H4967 — “man of prayer” or “man asked” (Barnes, K&D). Even here, a name that may recall calling on God; the line is not yet wholly godless.
וּמְתוּשָׁאֵ֖לū·mə·ṯū·šā·’êland MethusaelH4967
√ Mᵉthûwshâʼêl — Methusael, an antediluvian patriarchConjunctive wawNounpropermasculine singular
יָלַ֥דyā·laḏwas the father ofH3205
√ yâlad — to bear youngVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
לָֽמֶךְ׃lā·meḵLamechH3929
√ Lemek — Lemek, the name of two antediluvian patriarchsNounpropermasculine singular
Lamech, H3929 — the climax toward which, K&D observes, “the genealogy of Cain’s posterity is described and carried down thus far.” The seventh from Adam in this line; his song will close the chapter.
19

And Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

le·meḵ way·yiq·qaḥ- lōw šə·tê nā·šîm hā·’a·ḥaṯ šêm ‘ā·ḏāh wə·šêm haš·šê·nîṯ ṣil·lāh

Word by word11 · parsed
לֶ֖מֶךְle·meḵAnd LamechH3929
√ Lemek — Lemek, the name of two antediluvian patriarchsNounpropermasculine singular
Lamech, H3929 — fronted for emphasis. The first polygamist named in Scripture; Geneva: “The lawful institution of marriage… was first corrupted in the house of Cain by Lamech.”
וַיִּֽקַּֽח־way·yiq·qaḥ-marriedH3947
√ lâqach — to take (in the widest variety of applications)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
way·yiq·qaḥ, “and he took” (root lāqaḥ, H3947). The verb of taking, not of joining — K&D: “the ethical aspect of marriage… was turned into the lust of the eye and lust of the flesh.”
ל֥וֹlōw. . .
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
שְׁתֵּ֣יšə·têtwoH8147
√ shᵉnayim — twoNumberfeminine dual construct
shǝtê, “two of” (H8147) — the fatal number. Pulpit: the first by whom marriage “was turned into the lust of the eye and lust of the flesh.”
נָשִׁ֑יםnā·šîmwomenH802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanNounfeminine plural
הָֽאַחַת֙hā·’a·ḥaṯoneH259
√ ʼechâd — properly, united, iArticleNumberfeminine singular
שֵׁ֤םšêmnamedH8034
√ shêm — an appellation, as amark or memorial of individualityNounmasculine singular construct
עָדָ֔ה‘ā·ḏāhAdahH5711
√ ʻÂdâh — Adah, the name of two womenNounproperfeminine singular
Adah, H5711 — “beauty” / “adornment” (Barnes, Gesenius). The name, K&D and Ellicott agree, is “indicative of sensual attractions”; refinement and decline in one word.
וְשֵׁ֥םwə·šêmandH8034
√ shêm — an appellation, as amark or memorial of individualityConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular construct
הַשֵּׁנִ֖יתhaš·šê·nîṯthe otherH8145
√ shênîy — properly, double, iArticleNumberordinal feminine singular
צִלָּֽה׃ṣil·lāhZillahH6741
√ Tsillâh — Tsillah, an antediluvian womanNounproperfeminine singular
Zillah, H6741 — “shade” or “tinkling” (K&D). Pulpit, citing Inglis: “a second wife is hardly a wife; she is only the shadow of a wife.” The name itself may carry the verdict.
20

Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and raise livestock.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

‘ā·ḏāh ’eṯ- wat·tê·leḏ yā·ḇāl hū hā·yāh ’ă·ḇî yō·šêḇ ’ō·hel ū·miq·neh

Word by word10 · parsed
עָדָ֖ה‘ā·ḏāhAdahH5711
√ ʻÂdâh — Adah, the name of two womenNounproperfeminine singular
Adah, H5711 — the first-named wife now bears the first of the culture-founders.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
וַתֵּ֥לֶדwat·tê·leḏgave birth toH3205
√ yâlad — to bear youngConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
יָבָ֑לyā·ḇālJabalH2989
√ Yâbâl — Jabal, an antediluvianNounpropermasculine singular
Jabal, H2989 — “the Traveller or the Producer” (Pulpit), from a root yāḇal, “to flow/lead.” Cambridge: “a founder of the shepherd’s and herdsman’s life.” Tellingly, Abel kept flocks before him (4:2); Jabal’s newness is the nomadic, tented life.
ה֣וּאhūheH1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)Pronounthird person masculine singular
הָיָ֔הhā·yāhwasH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
אֲבִ֕י’ă·ḇîthe fatherH1
√ ʼâb — father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote applicationNounmasculine singular construct
’ă·ḇî, “father of” (H1) — idiom for founder/originator of an art (so again in v. 21). Benson: “The first authors of any thing are commonly called its fathers.”
יֹשֵׁ֥בyō·šêḇof those who dwellH3427
√ yâshab — properly, to sit down (specifically as judgeVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular construct
yō·shêḇ, “dwelling” (Qal participle, root yāshaḇ, H3427) — the root’s sense is “to sit/settle.” A pointed irony: the man cursed to wander (4:12) fathers the line that learns to settle and roam at will.
אֹ֖הֶל’ō·helin tentsH168
√ ʼôhel — a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)Nounmasculine singular
וּמִקְנֶֽה׃ū·miq·nehand [raise] livestockH4735
√ miqneh — something bought, iConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular
miqneh, “livestock/possession” (H4735, root qānāh) — the idea of property “had now been practically realized” (Barnes); the Cainites grow “prosperous and numerous.”
21

And his brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and flute.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’ā·ḥîw wə·šêm yū·ḇāl hū hā·yāh ’ă·ḇî kāl- tō·p̄êś kin·nō·wr wə·‘ū·ḡāḇ

Word by word10 · parsed
אָחִ֖יו’ā·ḥîwAnd his brother’sH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Nounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
’ā·ḥîw, “his brother” (H251) — Jubal is Jabal’s full brother by Adah; the herdsman and the musician share a mother. “In the happy leisure of” the pastoral life “music is generally first exercised” (Kalisch, in Pulpit).
וְשֵׁ֥םwə·šêmnameH8034
√ shêm — an appellation, as amark or memorial of individualityConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular construct
יוּבָ֑לyū·ḇāl[was] JubalH3106
√ Yûwbal — Jubal, an antediluvianNounpropermasculine singular
Jubal, H3106 — “player on an instrument” (Barnes); related to yōḇēl, the ram’s-horn “jubilee” blast (Cambridge). Music is thus reckoned among the oldest arts.
ה֣וּאhūheH1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)Pronounthird person masculine singular
הָיָ֔הhā·yāhwasH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
אֲבִ֕י’ă·ḇîthe fatherH1
√ ʼâb — father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote applicationNounmasculine singular construct
’ă·ḇî, “father of” (H1) — again the idiom of origination: the founder of all instrumental music.
כָּל־kāl-of allH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
תֹּפֵ֥שׂtō·p̄êśwho playH8610
√ tâphas — to manipulate, iVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular construct
tō·p̄êś, “who handle / grasp” (Qal participle, root tāphaś, H8610). The grasping verb dignifies the player as a craftsman.
כִּנּ֖וֹרkin·nō·wrthe harpH3658
√ kinnôwr — a harpNounmasculine singular
kinnōwr, “harp/lyre” (H3658) — the instrument of David and of temple praise; here it is born, neutral, into the city of Cain. “These inventions have become the common property of humanity… to be applied and consecrated… for the glory of God” (K&D).
וְעוּגָֽב׃wə·‘ū·ḡāḇand fluteH5748
√ ʻûwgâb — a reed-instrument of musicConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular
ʿūḡāḇ, “flute/pipe” (H5748) — the wind instrument; appears again only in Job 21:12; 30:31; Psalm 150:4.
22

And Zillah gave birth to Tubal-cain, a forger of every implement of bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·ṣil·lāh hî ḡam- yā·lə·ḏāh ’eṯ- tū·ḇal qa·yin lō·ṭêš kāl- ḥō·rêš nə·ḥō·šeṯ ū·ḇar·zel wa·’ă·ḥō·wṯ tū·ḇal- qa·yin na·‘ă·māh

Word by word16 · parsed
וְצִלָּ֣הwə·ṣil·lāhAnd ZillahH6741
√ Tsillâh — Tsillah, an antediluvian womanConjunctive wawNounproperfeminine singular
wǝ·ṣil·lāh, “and Zillah” (H6741) — the second wife now bears the third craft-founder and a daughter; the genealogy gives a woman’s name with no story, which itself “implies the existence of legends… which have disappeared” (Cambridge).
הִ֗ואhî. . .H1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)Pronounthird person feminine singular
גַם־ḡam-. . .H1571
√ gam — properly, assemblageConjunction
יָֽלְדָה֙yā·lə·ḏāhgave birth toH3205
√ yâlad — to bear youngVerbQalPerfectthird person feminine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
תּ֣וּבַלtū·ḇalvvvH8423
√ Tûwbal Qayin — Tubal-Kajin, an antidiluvian patriarch
Tubal-cain, H8423 — “Tubal of the family of Cain” (Cambridge); “Cain, from qayin to forge,” a surname “received on account of his inventions” (K&D). The murderer’s name is welded onto the smith of weapons.
קַ֔יִןqa·yinTubal-cainH8423
√ Tûwbal Qayin — Tubal-Kajin, an antidiluvian patriarchNounpropermasculine singular
לֹטֵ֕שׁlō·ṭêša forgerH3913
√ lâṭash — properly, to hammer out (an edge), iVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular construct
lō·ṭêš, “forger/sharpener” (Qal participle, root lāṭash, H3913) — “hammering all kinds of cutting things… in brass and iron” (K&D). The same toolmaking that arms husbandry arms war.
כָּל־kāl-of everyH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
חֹרֵ֥שׁḥō·rêšimplementH2794
√ chôrêsh — a fabricator or mechanicVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular construct
ḥō·rêš, “cutting-tool / artificer” (H2794) — a rare lexeme (only here and 1 Kgs 7:14). Translators differ widely (“implement,” “artificer”), which is why the older readings disagree.
נְחֹ֖שֶׁתnə·ḥō·šeṯof bronzeH5178
√ nᵉchôsheth — copper, hence, something made of that metal, iNounfeminine singular
nǝ·ḥō·sheth, “bronze/copper” (H5178); named before barzel, “iron” (H1270, v.22) — Cambridge marks this true historical order, bronze before iron, with “no knowledge… of a stone age.”
וּבַרְזֶ֑לū·ḇar·zeland ironH1270
√ barzel — iron (as cutting)Conjunctive wawNounmasculine singular
וַֽאֲח֥וֹתwa·’ă·ḥō·wṯAnd the sisterH269
√ ʼâchôwth — a sister (used very widely (like brother), literally and figuratively)Conjunctive wawNounfeminine singular construct
תּֽוּבַל־tū·ḇal-vvvH8423
√ Tûwbal Qayin — Tubal-Kajin, an antidiluvian patriarch
קַ֖יִןqa·yinof Tubal-cainH8423
√ Tûwbal Qayin — Tubal-Kajin, an antidiluvian patriarchNounpropermasculine singular
נַֽעֲמָֽה׃na·‘ă·māh[was] NaamahH5279
√ Naʻămâh — Naamah, the name of an antediluvian woman, of an Ammonitess, and of a place in PalestineNounproperfeminine singular
Naamah, H5279 — “the lovely” (K&D). Pulpit, comparing her name (“the beautiful”) with Eve’s (“the living”), reads “a growing symptom of the degeneracy of the times” — beauty prized over helpfulness.
23

Then Lamech said to his wives: “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.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

le·meḵ way·yō·mer lə·nā·šāw ‘ā·ḏāh wə·ṣil·lāh šə·ma·‘an qō·w·lî nə·šê le·meḵ ha’·zên·nāh ’im·rā·ṯî kî ’îš hā·raḡ·tî lə·p̄iṣ·‘î wə·ye·leḏ lə·ḥab·bu·rā·ṯî

Word by word17 · parsed
לֶ֜מֶךְle·meḵThen LamechH3929
√ Lemek — Lemek, the name of two antediluvian patriarchsNounpropermasculine singular
וַיֹּ֨אמֶרway·yō·mersaidH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
way·yō·mer, “and he said” (root ’āmar, H559) — introducing the “Song of the Sword,” the first recorded poem in Scripture: “the germ of the later poetry” (Delitzsch, in K&D).
לְנָשָׁ֗יוlə·nā·šāwto his wivesH802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanPreposition-lNounfeminine plural constructthird person masculine singular
עָדָ֤ה‘ā·ḏāhAdahH5711
√ ʻÂdâh — Adah, the name of two womenNounproperfeminine singular
וְצִלָּה֙wə·ṣil·lāhand ZillahH6741
√ Tsillâh — Tsillah, an antediluvian womanConjunctive wawNounproperfeminine singular
שְׁמַ֣עַןšə·ma·‘anhearH8085
√ shâmaʻ — to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etcVerbQalImperativefeminine plural
shǝ·ma·ʿan, “hear!” (Qal imperative fem. pl., root shāmaʿ, H8085) — the great Hebrew verb of attentive obedience, here commandeered by a tyrant summoning his wives to admire his violence.
קוֹלִ֔יqō·w·lîmy voiceH6963
√ qôwl — a voice or soundNounmasculine singular constructfirst person common singular
נְשֵׁ֣יnə·šêwivesH802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanNounfeminine plural construct
לֶ֔מֶךְle·meḵof LamechH3929
√ Lemek — Lemek, the name of two antediluvian patriarchsNounpropermasculine singular
הַאְזֵ֖נָּהha’·zên·nāhlistenH238
√ ʼâzan — to broaden out the ear (with the hand), iVerbHifilImperativefeminine plural
ha’·zên·nāh, “give ear!” (Hiphil imperative, root ’āzan, H238) — “to broaden out the ear with the hand.” Paired with “hear my voice,” it is the deliberate parallelism of formal verse (Ellicott).
אִמְרָתִ֑י’im·rā·ṯîto my speechH565
√ ʼimrâh — {something said}Nounfeminine singular constructfirst person common singular
כִּ֣יkîForH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
אִ֤ישׁ’îšIH376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personNounmasculine singular
הָרַ֙גְתִּי֙hā·raḡ·tîhave slain [a man]H2026
√ hârag — to smite with deadly intentVerbQalPerfectfirst person common singular
hā·raḡ·tî, “I have slain” (Qal perfect 1cs, root hārag, H2026) — the same verb God used of the slaying of Abel (4:15). The tense is debated (boast vs. accomplished deed); either way it glories in killing.
לְפִצְעִ֔יlə·p̄iṣ·‘îfor wounding meH6482
√ petsaʻ — a woundPreposition-lNounmasculine singular constructfirst person common singular
lǝ·p̄iṣ·ʿî, “for my wound” (H6482, peṭsaʿ) — a wound, paired with ḥabbūrâh (“stripe/bruise,” v.23). The two terms recur together at Exodus 21:25 and Isaiah 1:6, the law of just recompense and the Suffering Servant’s stripes.
וְיֶ֖לֶדwə·ye·leḏa young manH3206
√ yeled — something born, iConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular
לְחַבֻּרָתִֽי׃lə·ḥab·bu·rā·ṯîfor striking meH2250
√ chabbûwrâh — properly, bound (with stripes), iPreposition-lNounfeminine singular constructfirst person common singular
lǝ·ḥab·bu·rā·tî, “for my bruise” (H2250, ḥabbūrâh) — “bound with stripes.” The word that names a mere bruise to Lamech names, at Isaiah 53:5, the stripes “by which we are healed.”
24

If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

kî qā·yin yuq·qam- šiḇ·‘ā·ṯa·yim wə·le·meḵ šiḇ·‘îm wə·šiḇ·‘āh

Word by word7 · parsed
כִּ֥יkîIfH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
kî, “if/for” (H3588) — a conjunction that can open either a boast (“for…”) or a conditional (“if Cain is avenged… then Lamech”). The ambiguity shapes the whole couplet.
קָ֑יִןqā·yinCainH7014
√ Qayin — Kajin, the name of the first child, also of a place in Palestine, and of an Oriental tribeNounpropermasculine singular
Cain, H7014 — named one last time. Lamech invokes his murderous ancestor not as a warning but as a precedent and a measuring-rod.
יֻקַּם־yuq·qam-is avengedH5358
√ nâqam — to grudge, iVerbHofalImperfectthird person masculine singular
yuq·qam, “shall be avenged” (Hophal imperfect, root nāqam, H5358) — passive: vengeance simply “will be exacted.” Lamech presumes upon a divine guarantee he was never given.
שִׁבְעָתַ֖יִםšiḇ·‘ā·ṯa·yimsevenfoldH7659
√ shibʻâthayim — seven-timesNumberfd
shiḇ·ʿā·ṭa·yim, “sevenfold” (H7659) — a direct verbal echo of God’s threat in 4:15. The poem is built on quotation-and-escalation.
וְלֶ֖מֶךְwə·le·meḵthen LamechH3929
√ Lemek — Lemek, the name of two antediluvian patriarchsConjunctive wawNounpropermasculine singular
שִׁבְעִ֥יםšiḇ·‘îmvvvH7657
√ shibʻîym — seventyNumbercommon plural
וְשִׁבְעָֽה׃wə·šiḇ·‘āhseventy-sevenfoldH7651
√ shebaʻ — seven (as the sacred full one)Conjunctive wawNumbermasculine singular
wǝ·shiḇ·ʿāh, “and seven” (H7651, root sheḇaʿ, “the sacred full one”) — “seventy and seven.” Cambridge: “The first note of warfare is sounded in this fierce exultation”; the blood-feud is born.

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The city of the wanderer — verse 17

The line of Cain opens, fittingly, with a building project. Sentenced to be “a fugitive and a vagabond upon the earth” (4:12), Cain instead settles, and the first thing the cursed man does is raise the first ʿîr — a word whose root means “guarded by a watch.” The commentators hear the curse beneath the masonry. Barnes names the engine: “Here we find the motive of fear and self-defense still ruling Cain… he expects every man’s hand will be against him.” Matthew Henry sets it against the pilgrims of Hebrews 11: “Those on earth who looked for the heavenly city, chose to dwell in tabernacles or tents; but Cain, as not minding that city, built one on earth.” The Hebrew keeps the work unfinished — bōneh, “was building” — and the participle becomes a parable: a restless fortifying that never quite finishes, because the fear that drives it never quite rests. He names the city not after himself — Poole: a name “he knew to be infamous and hateful” — but after his son Ḥănōk, “Dedication.” Ellicott marks the bitter symmetry: the seventh from Adam in the other line will also be called Enoch, “whose training was a close walk with God.” One Enoch dedicated to a wall; the other dedicated to the Presence.

ii. The arts without God — verses 18–22

Five generations are crossed in a breath — Irad, Mehujael, Methusael, Lamech — the bare verb yālaḍ (“begot”) repeating with no commendation, no “and he walked with God.” Then, in Lamech’s three sons, the chapter becomes the Bible’s first history of civilization: the tent and the herd (Jabal), the harp and the pipe (Jubal), the bronze and the iron (Tubal-cain). Jamieson, Fausset & Brown read it as advance: “several of Cain’s descendants distinguished themselves by their inventive genius in the arts.” Matthew Henry reads the same list as indictment: “Here was a father of shepherds, and a father of musicians, but not a father of the faithful… nothing of God, of his fear and service.” K&D hold both truths at once — these inventions sprang “from the mental powers with which man was endowed for the sovereignty… of the earth,” yet “were pervaded by sin, and desecrated in its service” — and then, remarkably, refuse to curse the gifts: “these inventions have become the common property of humanity… to be applied and consecrated… for the glory of God.” Even the women’s names tell the drift. The Pulpit Commentary, comparing Naamah, “the beautiful,” with Eve, “the living,” finds “a growing symptom of the degeneracy of the times… Beauty, rather than helpfulness, was now become the chief attraction in woman.” Culture flowers; the knowledge of God does not.

iii. The Song of the Sword — verses 23–24

The line that began with one murder ends with a poem in praise of murder. Lamech gathers his two wives — the polygamy of v. 19 now bearing its fruit — and sings the first recorded verse in Scripture, what Barnes calls “a specimen of the Hebrew parallelism,” “all the characteristics of the most perfect Hebrew poetry,” set to the worst possible content. Ellicott puts it exactly: “Following quickly upon music, we have poetry, but it is in praise of ferocity.” The weapons his son forged (v. 22) are now sung over: a man slain “for my wound,” a boy slain “for my bruise” — the punishment monstrously exceeding the injury. K&D detect here “that Titanic arrogance, of which the Bible says that its power is its god” (citing Hab 1:11), the man who “carries his god, viz., his sword, in his hand.” And the climax is a quotation hijacked: God had said Cain would be avenged sevenfold (4:15) — a word of restraint, fencing the murderer from blood-feud. Lamech turns the shield into a sword: “if Cain sevenfold, then Lamech seventy and seven.” Geneva: “He mocked at God’s tolerance in Cain.” Cambridge: “The first note of warfare is sounded in this fierce exultation… the lust of revenge.” Grace abused becomes the charter of vengeance.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

Held to the rule that Scripture alone is the final authority, three things in this unit ask to be tested — offered as a fallible reading, not a verdict.

Common grace runs in the cursed line. The text plainly credits the Cainites, not the Sethites, with the founding arts — herding, music, metallurgy. Scripture does not flatter the line of Cain, but neither does it pretend that beauty and skill belong only to the godly. K&D’s instinct seems right and worth weighing: the gifts “have become the common property of humanity… to be… consecrated… for the glory of God.” The harp born in Cain’s city is the harp David will lift before the LORD.

Sin’s trajectory is downward and self-amplifying. Read whole, the unit is a slope: one murder (Cain), then a broken marriage (Lamech’s two wives), then a boast of murder multiplied (the Song of the Sword). Genesis 6 (“the earth was filled with violence”) does not erupt from nowhere; it is already audible in Lamech’s seventy-and-seven.

God’s words can be weaponized. The single most chilling move in the passage is exegetical: Lamech takes God’s word of protection (“avenged sevenfold,” 4:15) and re-reads it as a word of permission. The same Scripture that fences violence can be twisted to license it — which is exactly why every reading, including this one, must be searched against the whole counsel of God.

These are this tool’s readings, not verses. Keep what the Word supports; discard the rest.

Lamech took God’s last word of mercy to a murderer and made it the first war-song of the world.

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

The two genealogies — Cain’s line and the canonical record verbal / quotation — confirmed

The Cainite line of vv. 17–18 — with its names Enoch and Lamech — reappears in the great canonical genealogy that opens Chronicles, which recopies the antediluvian succession. The link is verbal at the level of the proper names: the verifier finds the rare name-lexemes Ḥănōk (H2585) and Lemek (H3929) shared across the verses. K&D presses the famous caution — the recurrence of Enoch and Lamech in both the Cainite and the Sethite lines does not prove the two tables are “different forms of one primary legend,” “for the names, though similar in sound, are very different in meaning.” Same letters; opposite men.

Genesis 4:17 · Genesis 4:18 · 1 Chronicles 1:3

basis: shared rare name-lexemes H2585 Chănôwk (in 15 vv) and H3929 Lemek (in 10 vv) — confirmed by Verifier on Gen 4:18 ↔ 1 Chronicles 1:3

Two Lamechs, two Enochs — the Cainite line beside the Sethite verbal / quotation — confirmed

Run Cain’s genealogy alongside the Sethite line of Genesis 5 and the names rhyme: Enoch in both, Lamech in both, Irad beside Jared, Mehujael beside Mahalalel, Methusael beside Methuselah. The shared lexeme that anchors the comparison is the name Lemek (H3929), which the Verifier confirms across Gen 4:18 and Genesis 5:25–31. But the two Lamechs could not differ more: the Cainite Lamech sings of vengeance (4:23–24); the Sethite Lamech names his son Noah, “rest,” hoping for comfort (5:29). Ellicott: “the Cainite polygamist Lemech, rejoicing in the weapons invented by his son, is the very opposite of the Sethite Lemech.” The two lines are a deliberate diptych — the city of man against the people of the promise.

Genesis 4:18 · Genesis 4:23 · Genesis 5:25 · Genesis 5:28

basis: shared name-lexeme H3929 Lemek (in 10 vv), confirmed by Verifier on Gen 4:18 ↔ Genesis 5:25; the typological 'two opposite Lamechs' reading is argued, not asserted from the lexeme

The smith of Cain and the bronzeworker of the Temple verbal / quotation — confirmed

Tubal-cain is named “a forger of every cutting-tool of bronze and iron” (v. 22). The two key craft-words — ḥōrêš (H2794, “artificer / cutting-instrument,” a rare lexeme in only two verses) and nǝchōsheth (H5178, “bronze”) — surface together again in the description of Hiram, the Tyrian craftsman “filled with wisdom and understanding and skill” who casts the bronze for Solomon’s Temple. The Verifier rates the link “verbal / quotation” on the strength of the rare ḥōrêš. The resonance is pointed: the metalworking that begins in Cain’s city, sung over by a murderer, is later “consecrated… for the glory of God” (K&D) when bronze is beaten into the furnishings of worship.

Genesis 4:22 · 1 Kings 7:14

basis: shared RARE lexeme H2794 chôrêsh (in only 2 vv) plus H5178 nᵉchôsheth (in 119 vv) — Verifier confirms verbal link Gen 4:22 ↔ 1 Kings 7:14

Wound and stripe — from Lamech’s boast to the law and the Servant verbal / quotation — confirmed

Lamech’s couplet pairs two rare injury-words: peṭsaʿ (H6482, “wound”) and ḥabbūrâh (H2250, “stripe / bruise”). The Verifier finds the very same pair together in only a handful of texts — the lex talionis of Exodus 21:25 (“wound for wound, stripe for stripe”) and the wounded nation of Isaiah 1:6. The contrast is the whole point: where the Law sets wound for wound as a limit on revenge, Lamech demands many lives for one wound; and where Isaiah 53:5 says the Servant was bruised “that by His stripes we are healed,” the same word that names a scratch to Lamech names the wounds that save. The link is verbal (shared rare lexemes); the typological reading toward Isaiah 53 is argued.

Genesis 4:23 · Exodus 21:25 · Isaiah 1:6

basis: shared rare lexemes H6482 petsaʻ (in 7 vv) and H2250 chabbûwrâh (in 6 vv) together — Verifier confirms verbal link Gen 4:23 ↔ Exodus 21:25 and ↔ Isaiah 1:6

Sevenfold over Cain — the vengeance Lamech quotes and escalates structural / thematic — confirmed

Genesis 4:24 is a quotation of Genesis 4:15: the LORD’s “whoever kills Cain will suffer vengeance sevenfold” becomes Lamech’s “if Cain sevenfold, then Lamech seventy and seven.” The verses share the lexemes Qayin (H7014) and the verb hārag (H2026, “to slay”), and the number “sevenfold” (shiḇʿāṭayim) is lifted word-for-word. The Verifier rates the within-Genesis link “structural / thematic” on the shared (common) verb hārag; the verbal force lies in the repeated number, which Lamech inverts — turning a divine word of restraint into a human boast of revenge. Geneva: “He mocked at God’s tolerance in Cain.”

Genesis 4:24 · Genesis 4:15

basis: shared lexeme H2026 hârag (in 158 vv) and H7014 Qayin (in 16 vv) per Verifier (Gen 4:23/24 ↔ Gen 4:15); the 'sevenfold' echo is a direct internal quotation but rests on a common verb, so tiered structural not verbal

Polygamy against “the two shall be one” structural / thematic — confirmed

“Lamech took for himself two wives” (v. 19) is the first breach in Scripture of the creation order of Genesis 2:24, “the two shall become one flesh.” The Verifier finds the shared lexemes ’ishshâh (“woman/wife,” H802) and ’eḥāḍ (“one,” H259), but these are common words, so the link is structural/thematic, not a quotation. The recorded human witnesses are unanimous: Geneva — marriage “was first corrupted in the house of Cain by Lamech”; Benson — Christ “restored marriage to its first form, Matthew 19:8.” The thread from Lamech’s two wives runs to the Lord’s “from the beginning it was not so.”

Genesis 4:19 · Genesis 2:24

basis: shared common lexemes H802 ʼishshâh (in 686 vv) and H259 ʼechâd (in 739 vv) — Verifier confirms structural link Gen 4:19 ↔ Genesis 2:24; thematic, not a quotation

Seventy times seven — Lamech’s number overturned by Christ structural / thematic — confirmed

Lamech’s “seventy and seven” (v. 24) is famously answered in the Gospel: when Peter asks how often he must forgive, the Lord replies “not seven times, but seventy times seven” (or “seventy-seven times”). This is a cross-Testament link — Hebrew vs. Greek — so it cannot rest on a shared Strong’s number, and the Verifier (run on Gen 4:24 ↔ Matt 18:22) correctly finds no shared original-language lexeme. The connection is structural and typological: Christ takes Lamech’s exact arithmetic of unlimited vengeance and inverts it into unlimited forgiveness. Whether Jesus consciously alludes to Lamech is debated, so it is tiered structural and the provenance is flagged in the apparatus.

Genesis 4:24 · Matthew 18:21 · Matthew 18:22

basis: cross-Testament (Hebrew↔Greek): no shared Strong's lexeme is possible and Verifier confirms none; the 'seventy-sevenfold' inversion is a numerical/thematic correspondence, argued not asserted

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

Two cities, two Enochs — and the city that has foundations widely-held

The first city is Cain’s, raised in fear and named for a son (v. 17); over against it stands the man Hebrews holds up as the alternative — not the wall-builder but the pilgrim who “looked for a city… whose builder and maker is God” (Heb 11:10). Matthew Henry draws the very line at this verse: those “who looked for the heavenly city, chose to dwell in tabernacles or tents; but Cain… built one on earth.” And the two Enochs make the choice personal — one Enoch is a city dedicated to self-defense; the other Enoch “walked with God, and was not” (Gen 5:24; Heb 11:5). The pattern that runs to Christ is the city of man versus the city of God, and only One builds the latter (Heb 12:22; 13:14).

Genesis 4:17 · Hebrews 11:5 · Hebrews 11:10

The seventy-and-seven undone — Lamech’s vengeance and Christ’s forgiveness widely-held

The unit closes on a man multiplying vengeance: “if Cain sevenfold, then Lamech seventy and seven” (v. 24). The Lord deliberately takes up the same number and turns it inside out: “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven” — not vengeance without limit, but forgiveness without limit (Matt 18:22). Where Lamech glories that his blood-debt can never be paid down, Christ commands a mercy that can never be exhausted, and Himself pays the debt at the cross. The line that began “I have slain a man” (4:23) is answered by the One who was Himself slain to end the feud (Col 1:20). This reading depends on a numerical inversion across the Testaments, not a verbatim citation, so it is offered as a fallible typology to be tested.

Genesis 4:24 · Matthew 18:21 · Matthew 18:22

By His stripes — the wound Lamech avenged and the wound that heals novel

Lamech avenges “my wound” (peṭsaʿ) and “my bruise/stripe” (ḥabbūrâh) with death (v. 23). The same Hebrew word ḥabbūrâh stands at the heart of the gospel in Isaiah 53:5 — the Servant “was bruised for our iniquities… and by His stripes (ḥabbūrâh) we are healed,” quoted of Christ in 1 Peter 2:24. The contrast is the whole movement of redemption: Lamech repays a stripe with slaughter; Christ absorbs the stripe to heal the slayer. This is a typological reading built on a genuine shared lexeme within the Old Testament (Gen 4:23 ↔ Isa 1:6 / the petsaʻ–ḥabbūrâh pair) and a New-Testament application; it is offered to be weighed, not asserted as a direct prophecy.

Genesis 4:23 · Isaiah 53:5 · 1 Peter 2:24

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, — (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Keil & Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1860s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). The named voices are quoted verbatim from public-domain commentaries on Genesis 4 at Biblehub: Ellicott, Matthew Henry, Albert Barnes, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Matthew Poole, John Gill, Geneva Study Bible (1599), Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, the Pulpit Commentary, Joseph Benson, and Keil & Delitzsch. Each excerpt is a contiguous quotation; ends are trimmed to a pointed phrase but no words are altered, reordered, or stitched.

The Hebrew is the Masoretic tradition; transliterations, parsings, and per-word glosses come from the Berean/Strong’s data in the source file. The literal renderings, the “where the English smooths the Hebrew” notes, and all synthesis (⚙) are this tool’s own work — careful but fallible; check against a lexicon (BDB, HALOT) and a standard grammar.

Honesty notes specific to this unit: (1) The K&D voice is a single long note that Biblehub attaches to every verse of the unit; it is quoted once (v. 18) for the genealogy and not repeated, to avoid the false impression of multiple distinct sources. (2) The tense of hāraḡtî in v. 23 (“I have slain”) is genuinely disputed — K&D and others read it as a boast of intent (“I would slay”) rather than a confessed deed; the BSB chooses the past, and the translation is left as given. (3) The Genesis 4:24 → Matthew 18:22 (“seventy times seven”) link is the most cited connection in this passage but is cross-Testament — Hebrew against Greek — so it can share no Strong’s lexeme and is tiered structural / thematic, never verbal. Whether the Lord consciously alludes to Lamech is a matter of inference, not citation, and is flagged here on purpose. (4) The Tubal-cain ↔ Hiram link (v. 22 → 1 Kgs 7:14) rests on the rare word ḥōrêš (H2794), which the Verifier found in only two verses — a genuinely rare shared lexeme, which is why it earns the “verbal” tier. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)