The Bible lists no genealogy for Abel, so we can guess that he died before he had any children. Scripture focuses on the descendants of Seth but gives a short recitation of Cain’s genealogy first (in Genesis 4).
We must be careful in reading these names in Cain’s line, since two names also appear in Seth’s line, though they refer to different men.
Such is the case with Lamech (1). (The other name to be careful with is Enoch. Also, watch out for Methushael, not to be confused with Methuselah.)
We know little about Lamech, but two things stand out.
First, Lamech marries two women, Adah and Zillah.
This is the first time any form of the word marriage occurs in the Bible, and this passage is also the first reference to polygamy.
Though Bible scholars often place elevated importance on the first time a word appears in Scripture, we must be careful not to connect marriage with polygamy.
The Bible merely states that Lamech married two women, but it adds no commentary. Therefore, we’re wrong to take this descriptive text as approval for polygamy or as a warning against it.
Notably, this may be the only time in Scripture when a man has multiple wives that doesn’t result in conflict or heartache. Consider the multiple wives of Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, and many others. Each suffers as a result.
The other thing we know about Lamech is that he kills a man. He’s the Bible’s second recorded murderer, with Cain being the first.
Though we could charitably ascribe the death of this unnamed man by the hand of Lamech as self-defense, it’s more likely an excessive retaliation.
Lamech’s justification is that the man he killed had wounded and injured him. Regardless, Lamech considers what he did to be less wrong than Cain murdering Abel out of jealousy.
We must note, however, that Lamech’s killing of this man occurs prior to God giving Moses the Ten Commandments, which prohibit murder. Yet he should have been instinctively aware that murder is wrong.
When have we responded in an excessive manner to someone who wronged us? Do you think Lamech killed this man or murdered him? What is the difference?
[Read about Lamech in Genesis 4:19–24. All other mentions of Lamech in the Bible refer to Lamech (2), a descendant of Seth.]
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More Old Testament Sinners and Saints is part of the Bible Character Sketches series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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