Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 4

19And Lemech took himself two wives; one was named Adah, and the other was named Zillah.   יטוַיִּקַּח־ל֥וֹ לֶ֖מֶךְ שְׁתֵּ֣י נָשִׁ֑ים שֵׁ֤ם הָֽאַחַת֙ עָדָ֔ה וְשֵׁ֥ם הַשֵּׁנִ֖ית צִלָּֽה:
And Lemech took himself two wives: It was not necessary to elaborate on all this, but it did so to teach us from the end of the section that the Holy One, blessed be He, kept His promise when He said, “vengeance will be wrought upon Cain sevenfold,” and Lemech arose after he had begotten sons and raised the seventh generation, and he slew Cain. This is what is meant by [Lemech’s statement] “for have I slain a man by my wounding, etc.” - [from sources quoted on verse 23]   וַיִּקַּח־לוֹ לֶמֶךְ: לֹא הָיָה לוֹ לְפָרֵשׁ כָּל זֶה, אֶלָּא לְלַמְּדֵנוּ מִסּוֹף הָעִנְיָן, שֶׁקִּיֵּם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הַבְטָחָתוֹ שֶׁאָמַר שִׁבְעָתַיִם יֻקַּם קָיִן, עָמַד לֶמֶךְ לְאַחַר שֶׁהוֹלִיד בָּנִים וְעָשָׂה דּוֹר שְׁבִיעִי וְהָרַג אֶת קַיִן, זֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר כִּי אִישׁ הָרַגְתִּי לְפִצְעִי וְגוֹמֵר:
two wives: So was the custom of the generation of the Flood, one [wife] for propagation and one for marital relations. The one who was for marital relations would be given a potion of roots to drink, so that she should become sterile (in some editions, the following does not appear), and he would adorn her like a bride and feed her delicacies, but her companion was neglected and was mourning like a widow. This is what Job explained (24:21): “He feeds the barren woman who will not bear, but he does not adorn the widow.” [This is] as explained in the Aggadah of Chelek (Sanh. ch. 10) (not found in our edition, but in Gen. Rabbah 23:2).   שְׁתֵּי נָשִׁים: כָּךְ הָיָה דַּרְכָּן שֶׁל דּוֹר הַמַּבּוּל אַחַת לִפְרִיָּה וּרְבִיָּה וְאַחַת לְתַשְׁמִישׁ, זוֹ שֶׁהִיא לְתַשְׁמִישׁ מַשְׁקָהּ כּוֹס שֶׁל עִקָּרִין כְּדֵי שֶׁתֵּעָקֵר וּמְקֻשֶּׁטֶת כְּכַלָּה וּמַאֲכִילָהּ מַעֲדַנִּים, וַחֲבֶרְתָּהּ נְזוּפָה וַאֲבֵלָה כְּאַלְמָנָה, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁפֵּרֵשׁ אִיּוֹב רֹעֶה עֲקָרָה לֹא תֵלֵד וְאַלְמָנָה לֹא יְיֵטִיב (איוב כ"ד), כְּמוֹ שֶׁמְּפֹרָשׁ בְּאַגָּדַת חֵלֶק (וּבּבְּרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה):
Adah: She was the one for propagation, called so because she was despicable to him and removed from him. עָדָה is the Aramaic translation of סוּרָה, turn away.   עָדָה: הִיא שֶׁל פְּרִיָּה וּרְבִיָּה עַל שֵׁם שֶׁמְּגֻנָּה עָלָיו וּמוּסֶרֶת מֵאֶצְלוֹ, עָדָה תַּרְגּוּם שֶׁל סוּרָה:
Zillah: She was the one for marital relations. [so named] because she would always sit in his shadow (בְּצִלּוֹ). These are the words of Aggadah in Genesis Rabbah.   צִלָּֽה: הִיא שֶׁל תַּשְׁמִישׁ, עַל שֵׁם שֶׁיּוֹשֶׁבֶת תָּמִיד בְּצִלּוֹ, דִּבְרֵי אַגָּדָה הֵם בּבְּרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה:
20Now Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle.   כוַתֵּ֥לֶד עָדָ֖ה אֶת־יָבָ֑ל ה֣וּא הָיָ֔ה אֲבִ֕י ישֵׁ֥ב אֹ֖הֶל וּמִקְנֶֽה:
the father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle: He was the first to pasture animals in uncultivated places and dwell in tents, one month here and one month here for the sake of his flocks. When the pasture in this place was depleted, he went and pitched his tent elsewhere (Targumim). According to the Midrash Aggadah (Gen. Rabbah 23:3), he would build houses for idol worship, as it is said (Ezek. 8:3), "The image of jealousy that provokes (God to) jealousy (הַקִּנְאָה הַמַּקְנֶה). And so did his brother grasp the lyre and the flute to sing to pagan deities. (Bereishith Rabbathi, p. 49)   אֲבִי ישֵׁב אֹהֶל וּמִקְנֶֽה: הוּא הָיָה הָרִאשׁוֹן לְרוֹעֵי בְהֵמוֹת בַּמִּדְבָּרוֹת, יוֹשֵׁב אֹהָלִים חֹדֶשׁ כָּאן וְחֹדֶשׁ כָּאן בִּשְׁבִיל מִרְעֵה צֹאנוֹ, וּכְשֶׁכָּלֶה הַמִּרְעֶה בְּמָקוֹם זֶה הוֹלֵךְ וְתוֹקֵעַ אָהֳלוֹ בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר. וּמִדְרַשׁ אַגָּדָה בּוֹנֶה בָתִּים לַעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמַר סֵמֶל הַקִּנְאָה הַמַּקְנֶה (יחזקאל ח'), וְכֵן אָחִיו תּוֹפֵשׂ כִּנּוֹר וְעוּגָב לְזַמֵּר לַעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה:
21And his brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all who grasp a lyre and a flute.   כאוְשֵׁ֥ם אָחִ֖יו יוּבָ֑ל ה֣וּא הָיָ֔ה אֲבִ֕י כָּל־תֹּפֵ֥שׂ כִּנּ֖וֹר וְעוּגָֽב:
22And Zillah she too bore Tubal-cain, who sharpened all tools that cut copper and iron, and Tubal-cain's sister was Na'amah.   כבוְצִלָּ֣ה גַם־הִ֗וא יָֽלְדָה֙ אֶת־תּ֣וּבַל קַ֔יִן לֹטֵ֕שׁ כָּל־חֹרֵ֥שׁ נְח֖שֶׁת וּבַרְזֶ֑ל וַֽאֲח֥וֹת תּֽוּבַל־קַ֖יִן נַֽעֲמָֽה:
Tubal-cain: He refined the craft of Cain. Tubal is related to the word תַּבְלִין (spices). He “spiced” and “refined” Cain’s craft to make weapons for murderers- [from Gen. Rabbah 23:3].   תּוּבַל קַיִן: תּוֹבֵל אֻמָּנֻתוֹ שֶׁל קַיִן, תּוּבָל לְשׁוֹן תַּבְלִין, תִּבֵּל וְהִתְקִין אֻמָּנוּתוֹ שֶׁל קַיִן לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּלֵי זַיִן לָרוֹצְחִים:
who sharpened all tools that cut copper and iron: Heb. לֹטֵשׁ. He sharpened the tools [for working with] copper and iron, like (Job 16:9): “sharpens (יִלְטוֹשׁ) his eyes upon me.” חֹרֵשׁ is not an expression of פּוֹעֶל (a noun) but an expression of פּוֹעֵל (a verb), because it is vowelized with a small “kamatz” (i.e., a tzeireh) and the final syllable is accented, i.e., he sharpens and burnishes all implements of the craft of copper and iron.   לֹטֵשׁ כָּל־חֹרֵשׁ נְחשֶׁת וּבַרְזֶל: מְחַדֵּד אֻמָּנוּת נְחֹשֶׁת וּבַרְזֶל כְּמוֹ יִלְטֹשׁ עֵינָיו לִי (איוב ט"ז). חוֹרֵשׁ אֵינוֹ לְשׁוֹן פֹּעֶל אֶלָּא לְשׁוֹן פּוֹעֵל, שֶׁהֲרֵי נָקוּד קָמָץ קָטָן וְטַעְמוֹ לְמַטָּה, כְּלוֹמַר, מְחַדֵּד וּמְצַחְצֵחַ כָּל כְּלֵי אֻמָּנוּת נְחֹשֶׁת וּבַרְזֶל:
Na’amah: She was Noah’s wife. (Genesis Rabbah 23:3)   נַֽעֲמָֽה: הִיא אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁל נֹחַ: