Genesis 4:19 kjv
And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
Genesis 4:19 nkjv
Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah.
Genesis 4:19 niv
Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah.
Genesis 4:19 esv
And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
Genesis 4:19 nlt
Lamech married two women. The first was named Adah, and the second was Zillah.
Genesis 4 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 2:24 | Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. | God's original design for monogamy. |
| Matt 19:4-6 | ...He answered, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave...and become one flesh'?" | Jesus affirms the foundational monogamous union. |
| Mk 10:6-8 | But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' 'Therefore a man shall leave...and the two shall become one flesh.' | Jesus affirms the foundational monogamous union. |
| Deut 17:17 | Nor shall he acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away... | Royal prohibition against multiplying wives. |
| 1 Kgs 11:1-8 | Now King Solomon loved many foreign women...His wives turned away his heart. | Solomon's many wives led to his downfall. |
| Neh 13:26-27 | Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by such things?...Also among you we hear that you have married foreign women and broken faith... | Nehemiah condemning intermarriage and multiplying wives. |
| Mal 2:14-15 | Has not the LORD acted as witness between you and the wife of your youth...He hates divorce. And what does He seek? Godly offspring. | Upholding faithfulness in marriage and God's desire for righteous lineage. |
| Gen 6:1-2 | When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. | Depravity associated with unauthorized taking of multiple wives/lustful unions. |
| Gen 4:23-24 | Lamech said to his wives...If Cain's revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech's seventy-sevenfold. | Lamech's boastful declaration of disproportionate vengeance and arrogance, directly after his polygamous marriage. |
| Gen 4:8 | Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. | Context of Cain's murderous lineage, leading to Lamech's heightened sin. |
| Gen 6:5 | The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. | The widespread wickedness prior to the Flood, to which Lamech's actions contribute. |
| Prov 2:16-17 | So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words, who forsakes the companion of her youth... | Wisdom warning against breaking marriage covenants. |
| Heb 13:4 | Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. | New Testament emphasis on marital purity and sanctity. |
| 1 Tim 3:2 | Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife... | Qualification for spiritual leadership, emphasizing monogamy. |
| 1 Tim 3:12 | Let deacons each be the husband of one wife... | Qualification for deacons, emphasizing monogamy. |
| Tit 1:6 | ...if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery... | Qualification for elders, emphasizing monogamy. |
| Rom 7:2-3 | For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released...So then, if she lives with another man while her husband lives, she is called an adulteress. | Paul's teaching on the permanency of the marital bond until death. |
| 1 Cor 7:2 | But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. | Encouraging marital faithfulness, implying one spouse. |
| Eph 5:31 | "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." | Recitation of Gen 2:24 in New Testament for Christian marriage. |
| 2 Sam 12:7-8 | ...I gave you your master's house and your master's wives...And if that had been too little, I would have added to you as much more. | Nathan's rebuke of David, highlighting the consequences of not respecting divine boundaries even when permitted in certain contexts historically. |
| Isa 4:1 | And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, "We will eat our own bread and wear our own apparel, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach." | A consequence of judgment, highlighting societal imbalance where men are scarce and women desperate for marriage, even in polygamy. |
| Judg 8:30 | Gideon had seventy sons, fathered by many wives... | Example of prominent Israelite leaders engaging in polygamy despite implied divine standard. |
Genesis 4 verses
Genesis 4 19 Meaning
Genesis 4:19 marks a significant departure from God's original design for marriage, explicitly stating that Lamech took two wives, Adah and Zillah. This act represents the first recorded instance of polygamy in the biblical narrative, symbolizing the escalating sinfulness and departure from divine order within the lineage of Cain. It reflects a growing embrace of self-will and human societal constructs over the divine institution established in Eden, foreshadowing further moral degradation.
Genesis 4 19 Context
Genesis 4:19 is situated within the genealogies of Cain's lineage. This chapter details the initial generations after the fall, focusing on the spread of sin following Cain's murder of Abel. While Adam and Eve established the original pattern of one man, one woman for marriage, Lamech's action directly violates this, marking a new low in moral descent within this specific line. The verse sets the stage for Lamech's subsequent boastful and violent speech (Gen 4:23-24), where he brags about vengeance, exhibiting pride and a rejection of God's grace shown to Cain. This progressive corruption within the Cainite line underscores the worsening human condition leading up to the great Flood described in Genesis 6. Historically and culturally, the narrative immediately distinguishes Lamech’s marital pattern from the Genesis 2 ideal, implying a deviation from God's established order for humanity's well-being and moral integrity.
Genesis 4 19 Word analysis
- And Lamech: Lamech (לֶמֶךְ, Lemech), a descendant of Cain through Methushael, is introduced. This is distinct from another Lamech in Genesis 5:25, who is Noah's father from Seth's righteous lineage. The identity as a Cainite is crucial; his actions are consistent with the increasing sinfulness of this line.
- took unto him: Hebrew: יִקַּח־לֹו (yiqach-lo). This verb "took" (from לָקַח, laqach) is commonly used for taking a wife or wives in the Bible. The addition of "unto him" (לֹו, lo) emphasizes a personal appropriation or initiative, suggesting a self-willed act.
- two wives: Hebrew: שְׁתֵּי נָשִׁים (sh'tei nashim). The phrase explicitly states "two women," making the introduction of polygamy stark and deliberate. This stands in direct contrast to Genesis 2:24, which speaks of "his wife" (singular) and "they shall become one flesh," signifying a unique, exclusive bond between one man and one woman. This immediately signifies a break from the original creational ordinance.
- the name of the one was Adah: Adah (עָדָה, 'Adah) means "ornament" or "dawn/morning mist." The naming of the wives is significant; it grants them an individual identity and recognition in a genealogical list primarily focused on men, possibly indicating their influential role in Lamech's life, or setting up Lamech's later address to them.
- and the name of the other Zillah: Zillah (צִלָּה, Tzillah) means "shade," "shadow," or "tinkling" (as of cymbals). The dual names contribute to the narrative of Lamech's domestic arrangements, further distinguishing this new societal pattern from monogamy. Zillah is noted as the mother of Tubal-Cain, an artificer in metal, possibly linking to the "tinkling" meaning.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "And Lamech took unto him two wives": This phrase directly introduces the deviation from God's ideal marriage. It's a conscious action ("took unto him") rather than an accidental one. The specificity of "two wives" highlights a deliberate transgression against the established norm of one man and one woman. It signifies the human inclination to multiply desires and create customs outside of divine wisdom.
- "the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah": Naming the wives gives them a certain prominence, implying that this was not a fleeting or insignificant arrangement but a foundational shift in family structure within the Cainite line. Their distinct names may also symbolically hint at different aspects of Lamech's new, self-serving order or foreshadow the diverse aspects of culture (music, metalworking) that would emerge from these unions, yet within a corrupted moral framework.
Genesis 4 19 Bonus section
The story of Lamech highlights a significant theological concept: the escalation of sin. From Adam's disobedience, to Cain's murder (affecting another), to Lamech's polygamy and boastful vengeance (corrupting a divine institution and exceeding the original sin in its manifestation). This downward trajectory in the Cainite line demonstrates how rejecting God's initial commands leads to ever-greater corruption and disorder, setting humanity further away from His perfect design. This escalation culminates in the worldwide depravity leading to the Great Flood (Gen 6).
Furthermore, Lamech's taking of multiple wives stands in stark contrast to the divine principle that multiplication is blessed by God when it pertains to people fulfilling His commands (e.g., "be fruitful and multiply," Gen 1:28; Gen 9:1), but condemned when it pertains to illicit accumulation or departure from His ordained order (e.g., Deut 17:17 about multiplying wives or horses for kings).
Genesis 4 19 Commentary
Genesis 4:19 serves as a stark commentary on the swift decline of humanity after the Fall and Cain's sin. It presents the first recorded instance of polygamy, directly contradicting the foundational principle of marriage established by God in Genesis 2:24 – one man and one woman becoming "one flesh." Lamech's action demonstrates a progressive moral decay within the Cainite line, characterized by a blatant disregard for divine standards and an increasing embrace of self-will. This departure from monogamy is not just a societal quirk; it reflects a broader abandonment of the Creator's design, setting a precedent for multiplied indulgence and distorted family structures. It sets the stage for Lamech's even more depraved boast of vengeance, illustrating how disregard for God's law in one area can quickly escalate into widespread wickedness, characteristic of the pre-Flood world where "every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen 6:5).