After Cain and Abel

Cain* has a son. His name is Enoch. My Cruden's concordance tells me it means "dedicated" or "disciplined and well-regulated." Interesting after what Cain did.

Enoch's son? Irad - "wild ass" or "heap of descents" or "of empire"
Irad's son? Mehujael - "who proclaim's God" or "God that blots out" or "who is smitten by God"
Mehujael's son? Methushael - ""who demands his death or death is his hell (grave)"
Methushael's son? Lamech "poor," "made low," "he is struck,"

Fathers, sons, grandsons. Once they were all little. Mothers and daughters were there too. We know even less about them except that they had to be there.

Lamech is married when he says to his wives, "...I have killed [or I will] a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times." God didn't say it. Lamech did. It seems 5 generations later Lamech had even more gall than Cain.

Lamach married Adah ("an assembly") and Zillah ("shadow" "roasted" "tingling of the ear") He was the father of Jabal - the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. He was also the father of Jubal - the father of all who play the harp and flute. Lamach was also the father of Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of bronze and iron tools. Not unlike the stuff of myth and legend in other cultures. He also had a daughter Naamah (meaning not found). I forgot to search for name meanings when the scriptures told me what they did.

Then scripture says that Adam and Eve had another son and named him Seth. The NIV says Seth means "granted": "God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him." That makes sense but before I read it in Gateway I read Crudens. Crudens says Seth means "put" or "who puts." Somehow naming a child "put" rings of discouragement to me. Naming a child "granted" rings more of humility. But I guess those two feelings aren't too far removed from one another.

Seth had a son, and he named him Enosh. Enosh "fallen man subject to all kinds of evil in soul and body."

"At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD" - the last sentence in Genesis 4. I'd never noticed before how closedly man calling on the name of the LORD was tied to parenting and raising children. What? Because of the kids, man first called on the name of the Lord? Probably not intended to be funny but I have to admit it made me smile. Actually, it made me laugh out loud.

Took them 6 generations, 6 generations to call on the name of the Lord! It took them 6 generations of child-raising to call on the name of the Lord. One side of me is amazed. The other . . . not. . . God knows we're a stubborn lot.




*Cain means "possession". Abel means "vanity" "breath" "vapor." Other sources may use other meanings but it's interesting.