Genesis Framework Part 48

Genesis Framework

GF 48 Genesis 4.23-24
August 7, 2016
Part 48

NKJ Genesis 4:23-24
Then Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, Even a young man for hurting me. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

Let’s overlap a little to catch what we missed from last week.

Genesis 4:17-18
17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son -- Enoch.
18 To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech.

Our concern here is of Cain’s genetic line of dynasty.

Cain begot Enoch, begot Irad, begot Mehujael, begot Methushael, begot Lamech.

Unbroken line? No.

A listing of the names of the botten in this chapter

Genesis 4:19-22
19 Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah.
20 And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.
21 His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.
22 And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.

…added to the original, those who till the soil.

NKJ Genesis 4:19
Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah.

Adah "ornament"

Zilla "shade"

NKJ Genesis 4:20 And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.

Jabal Yah-bahl' “stream of water”

the father of those who dwell in tents and (have) livestock

the founder of

the originator of

He came to be the father of (the producer of a class); one (singular of a collection) who is a dweller of the tent (the nomad) and cattle (domestic animal as a general type).

But “one who is a dweller of the tent and cattle” does not make sense without adding (has).

So, please look at this again, more carefully.

Jabal Yah-bahl' “stream of water”

He is characterized as a class of people, in the same sense as that of a “stream of water”; notably a body that never stops its flowing motion, as in always picking up the tent to move to another location. The unusual syntax of this sentence is said to throw the emphasis on the fact that Jabal was a nomadic kind of people, a wanderer, one who cared more for wandering than for the shepherd part of his life. For us, the military would seem to be attractive to this kind of person.

From this we can safely say that the Jabal-type found the needs of the herds to be a good excuse for satisfying the wander-lust for moving, rather than relocation always being an absolute necessity in order to provide food for the herd.

The lack of a substantive word for “having” cattle suggests an ellipsis, making the case for a better reading such as this:

“Such a man as dwells in tents and [a man of] cattle.”

So that the sense would be that they are the “nomad” and the “herdsman.” How many movies do you recall where a reference has
been made to cattle-men as “drifters”?

NKJ Genesis 4:21

His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.

Jubal Yoo-bahl' "stream"

perhaps of air while singing

He came to be the father of (the producer of a class) everyone (singular) who lay hold of the lyre and flute.

kin-nore' a lyre, a harp; from a root meaning “to twang”

Ugav- a musical instrument, a flute, reed-pipe, or panpipes

string – plucked – bright sound

pipe – wind – appealing sound

NKJ Genesis 4:22

And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.

Tubal-Cain Naamah

Too-bal' Qa'-yin Na-`a-mah'

“you will be brought of Cain” “loveliness”

NKJ Genesis 4:22

And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.

And Zillah in addition she brought forth Tubal-Cain, one who hammers (sharpens) and devises things of bronze and iron (from raw material),…

Basically, “the teaching black-smiths” where the subject is centered on the making of weaponry, primarily the fashioning of swords from raw iron and bronze, as a figure of violence.

iron -- 1. iron, lit.: a. iron-ore, stone containing iron; b. as raw material (to be worked);

Melting Points of Various Metals
Degrees Fahrenheit

Lead 327
Zinc 787
Magnesium 1204
Aluminum1218
Bronze1675
Brass1700
Silver 1761
Gold 1945
Copper 1981
Steel 2500
Nickel 2646
Iron 2700
Tungsten 6150

While the word for sword ( che-reb {kheh'-reb}) does not appear in this verse explicitly, its reference certainly is implied, and harkens the reader back to the garden of Eden and the flaming sword and Cherubim of God’s judgment.

NKJ Leviticus 26:19
I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze.

NKJ 1 Kings 8:51
"(for they are Your people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out of Egypt, out of the iron furnace),

NKJ 1 Samuel 13:19,20
Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, "Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.” But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man's plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle;

Artifacts made from meteorite iron (7.5% nickel, which indicates that they were of meteoric origin) have been found dating from about 5000 BC – for example iron beads in graves in Egypt.

In Mesopotamia (Iraq) there is evidence people were smelting iron around 5000 BC.

Let’s continue with our new verses.

NKJ Genesis 4.23-24
Then Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, Even a young man for hurting me. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

Cain’s genealogy leads to Lamech.

These are only some of Cain’s royal successors.

The genealogy of evil decline climaxes with Lamech who is depicted as engaged in the function of avenging wrong which belongs particularly to the special kingly office and authority God had appointed under common-grace.

But Lamech’s performance of his royal duties was a travesty to the office.

We are shown an increase in evil from Cain to Lamech in the dynasty of the city of man.

Lamech, more than Cain, manifested alienation from God.

We best not get too carried away with the impressive achievements and cultural advancements made by men, because they were made possible by God’s common grace in the city of man.

By the time of Lamech, man had thoroughly demonstrated his contempt for God’s grace ordinances.

Namely; he perverted God’s family ordinance by practicing bigamy, and he betrayed the divine trust of his kingship by turning the institution appointed to maintain justice into a tyrannical agency for his own personal vengeance.

In place of the just measure of life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, wound for wound, bruise for bruise, he boasted of taking a life to avenge a bruise.

We are safe in assuming that the intention of the narrative in associating advances in the art of crafting bronze and iron with Tubal-Cain is to attribute this prince in Lamech’s court with the invention of the sword, and the killing of others was the earliest application of the art.

With the sword now at Lamech’s disposal, it becomes the symbol of the city of man, and becomes the object of comparison to the familiar fiery sword wielded by God’s Cherubim in Eden.

Armed with the weapon of Tubal-Cain, Lamech despises the divine order of justice and judges himself to be more competent than God to achieve vengeance:

“If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech will be avenged seventy-sevenfold.”

The same sword God had given man as agents of His justice in this world, is clutched in the hand of Lamech and waved in the face of God, as he asserts his superiority over God in the execution of vengeance.

What we discover in Genesis 4.23, 24 is the oldest and first example of parallelism, or parallel lines of verse in the Bible.

The formal definition of this figure is this:

the repetition of similar, synonymous, or opposite thoughts or words in parallel or successive lines.

This is parallelism applied to lines treated as poetry.

This particular example consists of parallel lines of words expressing synonymous thought as well as some gradational elements.

Most translations properly recognize the poetry by using caps to mark the beginning of each phrase of verse.

Song:

Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech!

For I have killed a man for wounding me,
Even a young man for hurting me.

If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,
Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold

Notice, there are three pairs of lines.

When presented in this form the synonymous words will become seen immediately.

Same as above

NKJ Genesis 4:23-26
Then Lamech said to his wives:
"Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech!

Lamech is so elated with that which would give him power among men that he breaks out in a song of eulogy, and he wants his wives to be among the first to hear his humble song.

Perhaps during the performance he had the Jubal-family- singers as his backup group!

NKJ Genesis 4.23-24
For I have killed a man for wounding me,
Even a young man for hurting me.

He boasts that if anyone should injure him, he would outdo even Yahweh in His punishment of those who would injure Cain.

NKJ Genesis 4.23-24
If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,
Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

Lamech’s boastful arrogance was a trampling of the divine charter of the city of man under foot.

Notice how falsely Lamech had taken a name for himself in terms of the completeness of divine sevens, rather than with sixes, the number of man.

This marks the progress of man’s name-lust that spurns him on to claim for himself super-godhood.

Many more self-styled super-gods would follow, and cross swords with God, but God would use a water-sword to extinguish the fire of their rage and snuff out the boastful breath of their nostrils.

Many will be surprised on the Day of Judgment when they discover that it was just as the Word of God says; only the righteousness of Christ is able to save you.All men are sinners and no one can save himself. God is just, so He must punish sin; but He is also merciful, moreover gracious, and offers His Son as the perfect sacrifice in order to purchase a place for you in heaven, which He offers to you as the free gift of eternal life. As we continue to examine man’s earliest duties with regard to the covenant of works, although they can be categorically divided into two distinct types of classes; one in relationship with God, and the other in relationship with fellow man, all covenant stipulations are expressions of the will of the Lord. The law of the covenant is the law of man’s image-sonship.

Jesus is God Incarnate

In order to pay the debt of our sins, He came from Heaven, having been sent by the Father, where He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father even unto the shameful death upon the cross in order to pay the debt of your sins.This gift must be received by faith, believing that Jesus’ perfect life and Cross Work was His complete and necessary Atonement for your sins, in your behalf.Faith is a gift that comes by the Power of God the Holy Spirit working in a person’s innermost being. The Holy Spirit has the authority and power to quicken your dead spirit, to make it come to life. If you have not done so before this moment, ask Jesus to forgive you your sins, tell Him you’ve stop trying to be your own savior, and ask Him to come into your life right now, and to give you eternal life. Then, in faith believing, thank Him for the gift that He is giving you, the one He paid for in full in your place, in Jesus’ name,AMEN