Genesis 4:23 BSB — MannaFest

Genesis 4:23

Then Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; wives of Lamech, listen to my speech. For I have slain a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

And Lamech said unto his wives: Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: For I have slain a man for wounding me, And a young man for bruising me:

KJV

And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.

⋯

Commentary

2 voices

Basil of Caesarea

Letter 260 (379)

Some suppose that Cain was slain by Lamech, and that he survived to this generation that he might suffer a longer punishment. But this is not the case. Lamech evidently committed two murders, from what he says himself, "I have slain a man and a young man," the man to his wounding, and the young man to his hurt. There is a difference between wounding and hurt. And there is a difference between a man and a young man. "If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold."

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

This passage is extremely obscure. We know not whom he slew, or on what occasion: neither what ground he had to be so confident of the Divine protection.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

And Lamech said unto his wives - The speech of Lamech to his wives is in hemistichs in the original, and consequently, as nothing of this kind occurs before this time, it is very probably the oldest piece of poetry in the world. The following is, as nearly as possible, a literal translation: “And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Tsillah, hear ye my voice; Wives of Lamech, hearken to my speech; For I have slain a man for wounding me, And a young man for having bruised me.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Lamech said unto his wives--This speech is in a poetical form, probably the fragment of an old poem, transmitted to the time of Moses. It seems to indicate that Lamech had slain a man in self-defense, and its drift is to assure his wives, by the preservation of Cain, that an unintentional homicide, as he was, could be in no danger.

Voices on this verse

loading…

Original language & word study

17 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר	vai.Yo.mer	and he said	H559 →
לֶ֜מֶךְ	Le.mekh	Lamech	H3929 →
לְנָשָׁ֗יו	le.na.Shav	to wives his	H802 →
עָדָ֤ה	'a.Dah	O Adah	H5711 →
וְצִלָּה֙	ve.tzi.Lah	and Zillah	H6741 →
שְׁמַ֣עַן	she.Ma.'an	listen to	H8085 →
קוֹלִ֔י	ko.Li	voice my	H6963 →
נְשֵׁ֣י	ne.Shei	O wives of	H802 →
לֶ֔מֶךְ	Le.mekh	Lamech	H3929 →
הַאְזֵ֖נָּה	ha'.Ze.nah	give ear to	H238 →
אִמְרָתִ֑י	'im.ra.Ti	speech my	H565 →
כִּ֣י	ki	that	H3588 →
אִ֤ישׁ	'ish	a man	H376 →
הָרַ֙גְתִּי֙	ha.Rag.ti	I have killed	H2026 →
לְפִצְעִ֔י	le.fitz.'I	for bruise my	H6482 →
וְיֶ֖לֶד	ve.Ye.led	and a young man	H3206 →
לְחַבֻּרָתִֽי׃	le.cha.bu.ra.Ti	for wound my	H2250 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Leviticus 19:18
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
leads to
- Romans 13:9
  The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Matthew 22:39–40
  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
- Mark 12:31–34
  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
- Luke 10:27–37
  He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
- Galatians 5:14
  The entire law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Through
Exodus 20:13
You shall not murder.
leads to
- Deuteronomy 5:17
  You shall not murder.
- Genesis 9:5–6
  And surely I will require the life of any man or beast by whose hand your lifeblood is shed. I will demand an accounting from anyone who takes the life of his fellow man:
- Matthew 5:21–22
  You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not murder’ and ‘Anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’

Featured studies on this passage

On Genesis 4:23

Adam to Noah

Ten generations, sixteen centuries, and one man who did not die — the register of Genesis 5, read honestly.

Open the study →

On Genesis 4:23

Cain and Abel: Genesis 4

Open the study →

On Genesis 4:23

Parallelism: the Bible's Rhyme of Thoughts

Open the study →

Walks through Genesis 4

Enoch Walked With God: Genesis 5

Open the study →

Walks through Genesis 4

Eve: The Mother of All Living · MannaFest

Open the study →

Walks through Genesis 4

The Hall of Faith

Hebrews 11 walks the whole Old Testament as one procession — witness by witness, each name a deed, all of them running toward Jesus.

Open the study →

About Genesis

Cain Slays Abel — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

Genesis: the study guide →Read chapter 4 →The featured study →

Continue: Genesis 4 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Genesis

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Genesis