And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
What does Genesis 4:19 mean?
One of Cain's wicked race is the first recorded, as having broken the law of marriage. Hitherto, one man had but one wife at a time; but Lamech took two.
Key themes
Read with
Keep this verse inside Genesis 4:19-22 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Genesis 4:19
This is the first record and probably the first instance of polygamy. The names of the two wives, Adah, "beauty," and Zillah, "shade or tinkling," seem to refer to the charms which attracted Lamek. Superabundance of wealth and power perhaps led Lamek to multiply wives. Genesis 4:20 is the first notice of the tent and of cattle. The tent was the thin shining and shading canvas of goats' hair, which was placed over the poles or timbers that constituted the original booth. In process of time it would supplant the branches and foliage of the booth as a covering from the sun or the wind.
Key words
- ornament
-
ornament. And Lamech took unto him two wives,....
- Lamech
-
And Lamech took unto him two wives,.
- wives
-
And Lamech took unto him two wives,.
Context in Genesis 4
Show chapter context
Genesis 4 belongs to the early movement of the book, especially the section often described as primeval history from creation to Babel. Genesis opens the whole Bible with creation, fall, flood, Babel, and the long patriarchal story that carries the reader from Eden to Egypt. Read this chapter with the wider themes of creation, fall, and covenant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
Explore by topic
A collection of passages on hope under pressure, future inheritance, resurrection expectation, and confidence in God’s final faithfulness.
Glossary
- Adah Person
-
Ornament. (1. ) The first of Lamech’s two wives, and the mother of Jabal and Jubal ( Gen. 4:19 , 20, 23). (2. ) The first of Esau’s three wives, the daughter of Elon the Hittite.