Something About Cain I Just Found Out

Genesis 4:23-24

King James Version (KJV)

23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.

24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

Here's the full chapter if you're interested:

www.biblegateway.com...

Some people have taken this to mean that Lamech, a great great great great grandson of Cain, was the man who killed Cain. While Cain is not specifically mentioned in the verse, nor does it specifically mention who the man. it does mention that Lamech will be cursed seven times, and there was only one man who had that specific curse, and that was Caine.

So he was killed after all.

reply to post by EvilSadamClone


I'm more interested in how he had 2 wives at the same time.

Listen to my voice; wives of Lemech, hearken to my words: For I have killed a man to my injury, and a child to my wound. Yes, sevenfold was the vengeance of Cain; and Lemech, seventy-seven. (4:23-24)

reply to post by EvilSadamClone

But Cain, by that time, could hardly have been called "a young man".
More modern translations say "I have slain a man for wounding me".
The point seems to be that the penalty for injuring Lamech will be even more severe than the penalty for injuring Cain, by the proportion of seventy-seven to seven (perhaps because Lamech, or Tubal-cain, had just invented metal weapons).

reply to post by EvilSadamClone


Lamech was Seth's 8th generational son. Seth was Cain's brother, Cain would have been Lemechs great great uncle way up the line.

reply to post by lonewolf19792000

There was a Lamech in the line of Cain as well as one in the line of Seth.
(Also an Enoch in both lines. The coincidences between the two lines of descent are quite interesting)

reply to post by lonewolf19792000


Sorry, but according to the KJV:

17And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.

From the same chapter.

Originally posted by DISRAELI
reply to post by lonewolf19792000

 

There was a Lamech in the line of Cain as well as one in the line of Seth.
(Also an Enoch in both lines. The coincidences between the two lines of descent are quite interesting)

edit on 30-7-2012 by DISRAELI because: (no reason given)

Sounds to me that not only did he kill a man, he killed a child also, something beyond the crime of Cain in severity because he killed twice and one was a mere child.

Symbolism is employed. This is actually the Serpent's answer to God's promise of a seed through Adam that will bruise its own heal and crush the Serpents head. Lemech says "For I have killed a man to my injury, and a child to my wound". He is saying through this act that the Serpent will prevail. Maybe the first instance of ritual human sacrifice to symbolically worship the devil. The severity of the sentence with all the sevens is obviously not heeded but being mocked since the ritual involves thwarting the original promise of God thereby making any curse thwartable by their belief also.

Originally posted by TinfoilTP
Sounds to me that not only did he kill a man, he killed a child also

No, he just killed the one person, but describes it twice, saying the same thing in slightly different words.
This is normal for Hebrew poetry.
The "young man" was old enough to wound him, so he had evidently already become a fighter.

Originally posted by DISRAELI

Originally posted by TinfoilTP
Sounds to me that not only did he kill a man, he killed a child also

No, he just killed the one person, but describes it twice, saying the same thing in slightly different words.
This is normal for Hebrew poetry.
The "young man" was old enough to wound him, so he had evidently already become a fighter.

No he clearly killed two people.
The man and the child.
for two reasons, an injury and a wound.
The heel of the seed will be bruised, the bruising blow causing the first injury and the head crushed causing the wound from God's original Promise to Adam.
In God's version the head blow is fatal not just a wound, with the curse involving all the sevens being the ultimate end with no return.
In Lemech's devil worshipping human sacrifice version of the outcome, the Serpent only receives a wound destroying God's promise and power over him. So the curse is also powerless over him.

reply to post by TinfoilTP

You are not paying attention to the way Hebrew poetry works.
Saying the same thing twice over is the norm, as natural to the poetry as rhyming is in our own culture.
"I have slain a man for wounding me
A young man for striking me."
It is one event, described twice.

PS Compare the first half of the verse;
"Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
You wives of Lamech, hearken to what I say".
Ahad and Zillah are the wives of Lamech, so again this is the same thing being said twice over.

the whole old testament is propaganda by the southern kingdom of judah against the northern kingdom of israel.

its quite ironic that israel is called israel today.

reply to post by NotReallyASecret

We are not discussing the whole of the Old Testament.
Just the meaning of one passage in Genesis.

Originally posted by DISRAELI
reply to post by TinfoilTP

 

You are not paying attention to the way Hebrew poetry works.
Saying the same thing twice over is the norm, as natural to the poetry as rhyming is in our own culture.
"I have slain a man for wounding me
A young man for striking me."
It is one event, described twice.

PS Compare the first half of the verse;
"Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
You wives of Lamech, hearken to what I say".
Ahad and Zillah are the wives of Lamech, so again this is the same thing being said twice over.

edit on 30-7-2012 by DISRAELI because: (no reason given)

Either way it is the same meaning. Taking it your way, Gods Promise would be one event then also the bruising and the crushing. Apply same principle to both parables and you still end up with Lemech performing human sacrifice to the Devil with the exact same outcome as to its meaning. The Serpents answer to the Promise.

Originally posted by DISRAELI
reply to post by NotReallyASecret

 

We are not discussing the whole of the Old Testament.
Just the meaning of one passage in Genesis.

edit on 30-7-2012 by DISRAELI because: (no reason given)

The one passage has no meaning, since the whole old testament is nonsense.

Originally posted by NotReallyASecret

Originally posted by DISRAELI
reply to post by NotReallyASecret

 

We are not discussing the whole of the Old Testament.
Just the meaning of one passage in Genesis.

edit on 30-7-2012 by DISRAELI because: (no reason given)

The one passage has no meaning, since the whole old testament is nonsense.

All words have meaning, even yours.

Originally posted by DISRAELI
reply to post by EvilSadamClone

 

But Cain, by that time, could hardly have been called "a young man".
More modern translations say "I have slain a man for wounding me".
The point seems to be that the penalty for injuring Lamech will be even more severe than the penalty for injuring Cain, by the proportion of seventy-seven to seven (perhaps because Lamech, or Tubal-cain, had just invented metal weapons).

edit on 30-7-2012 by DISRAELI because: (no reason given)

Cain could not have been murdered by another man anyway, that was part of the mark. "Lest any man see me and slay me"....