Genesis 4:23

Study note

Setting — Lamech addresses his two wives, Adah and Zillah, immediately following the genealogical record of Cain that introduces Tubal-cain and Naamah. He announces his violent retaliation against a man and a young man who wounded and struck him.

The words — The Hebrew שְׁמַ֣עַן (she.Ma'an) translates to "listen to," and קוֹלִ֔/י (ko.L/i) means "voice my." Lamech uses these terms to demand his wives' attention for his declaration of violence.

The thread — Lamech's claim of disproportionate vengeance in Genesis 4:24 directly contrasts the earlier divine protection granted to Cain. The command to "listen" in Genesis 4:23 parallels the call to hear in Numbers 23:18, while the theme of retaliation stands in tension with the prohibition against murder in Exodus 20:13 and the command against personal revenge in Leviticus 19:18.

Why it lands — The text records Lamech's boastful admission of killing in response to being struck, establishing his claim to seventy-sevenfold vengeance. Readers must note the stark contrast between this self-justified violence and the subsequent biblical commands to refrain from murder and personal retaliation.

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.