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Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

LAMECH

1. Methushael’s son, a descendant of Cain, and the husband of Adah and Zillah. Lamech’s sons by Adah were Jabal, “the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock,” and Jubal, “the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.” A son, Tubal-cain, “the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron,” and a daughter, Naamah, were Lamech’s children by Zillah (Gn 4:18-22). In the account of beginnings given in the early chapters of Genesis, the sons of Lamech are the first herdsmen, musicians, and metalworkers. His song of vengeance (vv 23-24) is an example of early Hebrew poetry. In the song Lamech declares that he has killed a man for wounding him and compares the act to his forebear Cain’s slaying of Abel (cf. vv 8-12). He asserts that “if anyone who kills Cain is to be punished seven times, anyone who takes revenge against me will be punished seventy-seven times!” Lamech’s song indicates that, as civilization became more complex, pride and the propensity for violence increased. Jesus’ word about forgiving “seventy times seven” (Mt 18:22) stands in sharp contrast to Lamech’s example.

2. Methuselah’s son, and the father of Noah (Gn 5:25-31; 1 Chr 1:3). When Noah was born, Lamech expressed his hope that the child would bring relief to humanity from the curse placed upon Adam (Gn 5:29; cf. 3:17). His life span—777 years—is one of the longest in the listing of those who lived before the Flood. Fanciful conversations in old age between Lamech and his father, Methuselah, are recorded in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Lamech is listed as an ancestor of Jesus in the genealogy recorded in Luke 3:36.