Lamech

Lamech is the name of two persons in the OT.

1. The 7th generation great-grandson of Adam through the line of Cain, and the son of Methushael (Gen 4:18). His first son by his wife Adah, Jabal is reported to be " the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock" (v20), while his other son Jubal was " the father of all who play the harp and flute" (v21). He also had a son by his other wife Zillah, Tubal-cain "forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron," and a daugher named Naamah. Infamously like his great-grandfather, Lamech was also a murderer, killing a young man" who injured him (v23); for his act, he believed he would be avenged far more than his great-grandfather (v24). This individual is mentioned (4x) in the OT only in the passage cited above (Gen 4:18-24), and with him the story of Cain comes to a close.

2. The 9th generation great-grandson of Adam through the line of Seth, and the son of the long-living Methuselah (Gen 5:25). Lamech did not do so badly himself, siring Noah and living up to a full round 777. Presciently, he named his son Noah and thus foretold that "he will comfort us in the labour and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed" (v29). In addition to these verses in Genesis, this individual is also mentioned in the genealogy of Israel in 1 Chron 1:3 and of Jesus in Lk 3:36.