Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 4

19Lemech married two women. The name of the first was Adah; the name of the second was Tzilah.   יטוַיִּקַּח־ל֥וֹ לֶ֖מֶךְ שְׁתֵּ֣י נָשִׁ֑ים שֵׁ֤ם הָֽאַחַת֙ עָדָ֔ה וְשֵׁ֥ם הַשֵּׁנִ֖ית צִלָּֽה:
וַיִּקַּח־לוֹ לֶמֶךְ - Lemech married. It would not have been necessary to mention all this in detail, except that it comes to teach us from the conclusion of the narrative that the Holy One, blessed be He, fulfilled His promise when He said, “Vengeance will be exacted on Cain after seven generations”; for Lemech arose and killed Cain after he had fathered children and produced a seventh generation. It is about this that Scripture says: “Did I kill a man (i.e., Cain) by my wound…?” 1   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:
שְׁתֵּי נָשִׁים - Two women. This was the custom of the generation preceding the Flood: one wife for childbearing, and the other purely for marital relations. The one who was for marital relations would be given to drink a sterilizing drug in order that she become barren, and she would be adorned like a bride and fed fine foods, while her fellow-wife would be ignored and in mourning like a widow. To this Job 2 expressly refers: “He nurtures the barren one who will not give birth, but the widow he does not treat well,” as is explained in the aggadah of Chelek.3   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):
עָדָה - Adah. She was the one for childbearing, so named because she was repulsive to him and was kept away from him. עָדָה is Aramaic for סוּרָה “removed.”   עָדָה.  הִיא שֶׁל פְּרִיָּה וּרְבִיָּה עַל שֵׁם שֶׁמְּגֻנָּה עָלָיו וּמוּסֶרֶת מֵאֶצְלוֹ, עָדָה תַּרְגּוּם שֶׁל סוּרָה:
צִלָּֽה - Tzilah. She was the one for marital relations, so named because she always dwelt in his shadow (צִלּוֹ). These are aggadic explanations in Bereshit Rabbah. 4   צִלָּֽה.  הִיא שֶׁל תַּשְׁמִישׁ, עַל שֵׁם שֶׁיּוֹשֶׁבֶת תָּמִיד בְּצִלּוֹ, דִּבְרֵי אַגָּדָה הֵם בּבְּרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה:
20Adah gave birth to Yaval; he was the forerunner of all those who live in tents and keep herds. He was the first to build temples for idol worship.   כוַתֵּ֥לֶד עָדָ֖ה אֶת־יָבָ֑ל ה֣וּא הָיָ֔ה אֲבִ֕י ישֵׁ֥ב אֹ֖הֶל וּמִקְנֶֽה:
אֲבִי ישֵׁב אֹהֶל וּמִקְנֶֽה - The forerunner of all those who live in tents and keep herds - means he was the first of those who pastured animals in desert areas, dwelling in tents a month here and a month elsewhere to have pasture for his flock, for when the pasture was used up in one place he would go and pitch his tent in another place. And the aggadic explanation is: He built houses for idol-worship, as the verse says: “the idol of jealousy which provokes God’s anger (הַמַּקְנֶה).” 5 Similarly, his brother “played harp and flute” to make music for idol-worship.   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:
21His brother’s name was Yuval; he was the forerunner of all those who play the harp and flute.   כאוְשֵׁ֥ם אָחִ֖יו יוּבָ֑ל ה֣וּא הָיָ֔ה אֲבִ֕י כָּל־תֹּפֵ֥שׂ כִּנּ֖וֹר וְעוּגָֽב:
22Tzilah also gave birth to a son, Tuval-Cain, who sharpened all copper and iron tools. Tuval-Cain’s sister was Na’amah.   כבוְצִלָּ֣ה גַם־הִ֗וא יָֽלְדָה֙ אֶת־תּ֣וּבַל קַ֔יִן לֹטֵ֕שׁ כָּל־חֹרֵ֥שׁ נְח֖שֶׁת וּבַרְזֶ֑ל וַֽאֲח֥וֹת תּֽוּבַל־קַ֖יִן נַֽעֲמָֽה:
תּוּבַל קַיִן - Tuval-Cain. He was so called because he refined Cain’s handicraft. תּוּבַל is of the same root as תְּבָלִין “spices,” which give a refined taste to food. He refined and improved Cain’s craft by making weapons for murderers.   תּוּבַל קַיִן.  תּוֹבֵל אֻמָּנֻתוֹ שֶׁל קַיִן, תּוּבָל לְשׁוֹן תַּבְלִין, תִּבֵּל וְהִתְקִין אֻמָּנוּתוֹ שֶׁל קַיִן לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּלֵי זַיִן לָרוֹצְחִים:
לֹטֵשׁ כָּל־חֹרֵשׁ נְחשֶׁת וּבַרְזֶל - means: He would sharpen tools used for copper and iron work. We find לֹטֵשׁ used in a similar sense: יִלְטוֹשׁ עֵינָיו לִי “He sharpens his gaze towards me.” 6 The word חֹרֵשׁ is not a noun, which would be punctuated חֹרֶשׁ, but a verb, for it is punctuated with a kamatz-katan (tzeireh) and its accent is on the last syllable – whereas a noun has the accent on the first syllable. The meaning is therefore: He would sharpen and polish all kinds of tools used for crafting 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:
נַֽעֲמָֽה - Na’amah. She was Noah’s wife (Bereshit Rabbah).   נַֽעֲמָֽה.  הִיא אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁל נֹחַ: