Women in the Bible – Adah – Wife of Lamech

Women in the Bible – Adah – Wife of Lamech

Genesis 4:19-24 (ESV) And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. Zillah also bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold.”

The next Woman in the Bible is Adah. There are two women with this name found in scripture. Today we look at the one married to Lamech. Lamech is a descendant (sixth generation) of Cain, the son of Adam; six generations and still dealing with the curse of Cain. Apparently Lamech had a temper. He killed a young man for striking him. Unlike Cain, his forefather, he admitted it to his wives, and fully expected to receive punishment from God. Lamech married two wives, Adah and Zillah.

Adah bore two sons, Jabel and Jubel. We’re not told if they were twins. Adah must have been a special woman. First of all, her name comes from the Hebrew word ʿādâ, which means “ornament.” She was a blessing to her husband. She also raised two amazing sons. Both were given special recognition in scripture. Jabel, the first son, became the father of all nomadic shepherds. It may have been the shame of his heritage that caused him to go wandering, but he was very good at it. He became the trademark for the occupation.

The second son, Jubel, became an accomplished musician, and apparently taught others as well. He is known as the father of all who play the lyre and pipe. He perhaps, like many famous musicians today, buried himself in his craft to escape the pressures of his world, the shame of his father, and perhaps his father before him.

I can easily see how Adah would have helped shape both of these men to go beyond the constraints of being “a son of Cain” to achieve great things. Stories like these should give everyone hope of a better future. Regardless of your “pre-horizoned” entrance into this world the choices you make once you become self-aware can lead you to an acceptable outcome. This is the very essence of what I believe is meant by the New Testament term “predestined”. The Greek word for predestined simply means “pre-horizoned.” You could have been born anywhere, to any family, but you weren’t. Your beginning point was beyond your control. You opened your eyes when you were born to find the hand you had been dealt.

Predestination, as I understand it, doesn’t mean your future is also handed to you on day one. It simply means that God has a chosen destiny for you, which is become conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus. Regardless of the beginning point, the destination should always be the same. I believe Adah helped her sons find this path that led them to fulfilling more, “beyond what we could ask or think”, in their life that affected generations that would come after them.

Let us be like Lamech and take responsibility for our actions. Be quick to repent. Let us be like Adah, who in spite of being married into the cursed linage of Cain, raised two sons that exceeded the expectations others had of them. Let us be like Jabel and Jubel, and affect our world and potentially generations to come. There are those that need you. Some have not even been born yet. But your actions now can affect their lives then. They are worth the effort and any sacrifice you might have to pay.