Lamech

(19) Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other was Zillah.(20) Adah bore Jabal; he was the ancestor of those who dwell in tents and amidst herds.(21) And the name of his brother was Jubal; he was the ancestor of all who play the lyre and the pipe.(22) As for Zillah, she bore Tubal-cain, who forged all implements of copper and iron. And the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.(23) And Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
O wives of Lamech, give ear to my speech.
I have slain a man for wounding me,
And a lad for bruising me.(24) If Cain is avenged sevenfold,
Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

(15) The Eternal One said to him, “I promise, if anyone kills Cain, sevenfold vengeance shall be taken on him.” And the Eternal put a mark on Cain, lest anyone who met him should kill him.

(1) כי שבעתים יקם קין IF CAIN SHALL BE AVENGED SEVENFOLD — (according to Rashi, as previously explained, it signifies “If vengeance shall be taken on Cain after seven generations”). If in the case of Cain who killed with premeditation the punishment was suspended for him until the seventh generation, in the case of myself who slew inadvertently does it not necessarily follow that it should be suspended for me until many seven generations?

(2) How was Cain slain? For one hundred and thirty years, Cain became an angel of death, wandering and roaming about, accursed. Lamech, his descendant in the seventh generation, who was blind, would go hunting led about by his young son. At the sight of game, the lad would apprise his father of its whereabouts. One time the lad said to his father: “I see some kind of beast in the distance.” Lamech sent his arrow in that direction, and Cain was slain. As they approached the corpse, the lad saw a horn protruding from the forehead of the slain creature, and he said to his father: “The corpse resembles a man, but a horn protrudes from its forehead.” Thereupon, Lamech cried out: “Woe is me, it is my grandfather.” In his grief, he clasped his hands together, and accidentally struck the child’s head, killing him. As it is said: I can slay a man by a wound of mine and a child by a strike of mine (Gen. 4:23).

(1) שמען קולי נשי למך, Lemech called out in grief(2) אמרתי, I have to express my mental anguish’(3) הרגתי לפצעי, I have caused myself real injury, for the one who has killed my father (ancestor Kayin) has inflicted upon me the child a deep wound, seeing that the killer was my son. (1) ולמך שבעים ושבעה. My anguish over what I have done will be many times greater than the anguish of Kayin who had been condemned to be a constant fugitive on the earth. 'כי שבעתים יוקם קין וגו, for if Kayin’s punishment was indeed great, my punishment for having killed my son will be many times greater.

(2) שבעים ושבעה SEVENTY AND SEVEN — He uses a term that denotes many periods of seven generations. Thus did R. Tanchuma 1:1:11 explain this passage; but the Midrash Rabbah (Genesis Rabbah 23:4) does not mention that Lamech slew anyone at all, and only states that his wives had lived apart from him after they had born children, because God’s decree had been issued that Cain’s descendants should be exterminated after seven generations. They said, “Why should we bear children only to be destroyed? Soon the Flood will come and will sweep everyone away!” Lamech then said unto them, “Did ‘I’ slay a man ‘לפצע for my wounding” (i.e. that I should be wounded — punished)? Did “I” slay Abel who was a man in height but a child in years, that my descendants should be exterminated on account of this sin (the sin of Cain who killed Abel)? If Cain who did kill had his punishment suspended until the seventh generation, I who have not killed — does it not necessarily follow that my punishment) should be suspended for many seven generations? This, however, is an absurd argument a fortiori, for if so, the Holy One, blessed be He, could never exact his debt nor fulfil his word.