And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.
What does Genesis 4:20 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
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Keep this verse inside Genesis 4:19-22 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Genesis 4:20
And Adah bare Jabal,.... According to Hillerus (m), this name, and Jubal and Tubal, after mentioned, all signify a river; why Lamech should call all his sons by names signifying the same thing, is not easy to say.
Key words
- Jabal
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And Adah bare Jabal,.
Context in Genesis 4
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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
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A collection of passages on hope under pressure, future inheritance, resurrection expectation, and confidence in God’s final faithfulness.
Glossary
- Adah Person
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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.
- Jabal Person
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A stream, a descendant of Cain, and brother of Jubal; “the father of such as dwell in tents and have cattle” ( Gen. 4:20 ). This description indicates that he led a wandering life.