Bible Strands
Genesis 4:19
And Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records a genealogical detail following the descent of Cain's line in Genesis 4:18 and immediately preceding the birth of Jabal in Genesis 4:20. The statement identifies Lamech as the subject and names his two wives within a family record.
The words — וַ/יִּֽקַּֽח (va/i.yi.kach) = and he took, and שְׁתֵּי נָשִׁים (she.tei na.shim) = two wives. The text explicitly reports that Lamech took two wives, specifying their names as Adah and Zillah.
The thread — The mention of marital union connects to Genesis 2:24 and Genesis 2:18, which describe the Creator's provision for human companionship, and Matthew 19:4, which cites the Creator's design for male and female union.
Why it lands — The verse requires a reader to note the factual expansion of Cain's lineage and the specific naming of Lamech's wives without adding theological commentary. It demands attention to the historical record as presented in the text before considering any later interpretive frameworks.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
Cross-references
- Genesis 2:24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
- Genesis 2:18 The LORD God also said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper.”
- Matthew 19:4 Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’
- Matthew 19:8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hardness of heart. But it was not this way from the beginning.