And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
What does Genesis 4:21 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 4:21
And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. Here is the invention of musical instruments in their two leading varieties, the harp and the pipe. This implies the previous taste for music and song. It seems not unlikely that Zillah, the mother of Jubal, was a daughter of song. The fine arts follow in the train of the useful. All this indicates the easy circumstances in which the Cainites now found themselves.
Key words
- brothers
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Sanchoniatho (r) makes Chrysor or Vulcan, the same with Tubalcain, the brother of Jubal, to exercise himself in eloquence, songs and divination, confounding or mistaking the employment of the two brothers.
- Jubal
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And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
- father
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And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
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.
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A collection of passages on hope under pressure, future inheritance, resurrection expectation, and confidence in God’s final faithfulness.