In Genesis
Genesis names Lamech as Methushael's son and says he takes two wives, Adah and Zillah. Speaking to his wives, Lamech says he has killed a man for hurting him and a young man for bruising him. He compares revenge for Cain with revenge for himself, giving seven times for Cain and seventy seven times for Lamech.
Genesis also names Lamech as Methuselah's son and says he becomes the father of Noah. Lamech names Noah with the hope that his son will bring comfort in their work and hard labor on the cursed ground. The text gives Lamech other sons and daughters and a total lifespan of seven hundred seventy seven years.
In 1 Enoch
In 1 Enoch, Methuselah takes a wife for his son Lamech, and she bears a son. Lamech is terrified of the child and flees to his father Methuselah, doubting that the child comes from him.
Enoch tells Methuselah to assure Lamech that the newborn child is truly his own son. Methuselah then returns home and tells Lamech everything that his father Enoch has shown him.
In Jubilees
Jubilees names Lamech as the son of Methuselah and Edna, the daughter of Azrial. Lamech marries Betenos, who bears a son, and he gives the child the name Noah. He says Noah will comfort him in his trouble and work, and for the ground the Lord has cursed. The text also describes Methuselah commanding Lamech, who passes on everything his fathers have commanded him.
Where Lamech appears
- GenesisGenesis names Lamech as Noah's father and also describes Lamech, son of Methushael, with his wives Adah and Zillah. · The Complete 88-Book Ethiopian Bible
- 1 EnochIn 1 Enoch, Lamech fears his newborn son and receives reassurance through his father Methuselah. · The Complete Books of Enoch
- JubileesJubilees names Lamech's wife as Betenos and describes the birth and naming of their son Noah. · The Complete 88-Book Ethiopian Bible
- Mysteries of Heaven and EarthMysteries of Heaven and Earth says Lamech is blind and that he kills Cain. · The Complete Books of Enoch
- 1 ChroniclesIn 1 Chronicles, Lamech appears in a list of names between Methuselah and Noah. · The Complete 88-Book Ethiopian Bible
What the texts say, in their own words
“Lamech lived 182 years, and then had a son. He named him Noah, saying, “This son will comfort us in our work and the hard labor of our hands, because of the ground that Yahweh has cursed.””
“And his father Lamech is afraid; he has fled to me. He does not believe the child came from him, but thinks he is in the likeness of the angels of heaven.”
“Lamech married a wife, and her name was Betenos, the daughter of Baraki’il, who was his father’s brother’s daughter, and in this week she gave birth to a son and he called his name Noah, saying, ‘This one will comfort me for my trouble and all my work, and for the ground which the Lord has cursed.’”
“Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, listen to me. You wives of Lamech, listen to what I say, because I killed a man for hurting me, a young man for bruising me. If someone gets revenge for Cain seven times, then for Lamech it will be seventy-seven times.””
Questions
Who was Lamech?
Genesis names Lamech as Methuselah's son and Noah's father, and also names Lamech as the son of Methushael.
Who was Lamech's wife?
Jubilees names Lamech's wife as Betenos, while Genesis gives Adah and Zillah as the wives of Lamech, Methushael's son.
Why does Lamech fear his son in 1 Enoch?
Lamech doubts that the child comes from him and thinks he resembles the angels of heaven. Enoch tells Methuselah to assure Lamech that the child is truly his son.
Where is Lamech mentioned in the lost texts?
Lamech appears in Genesis, Jubilees and 1 Chronicles, in The Complete 88-Book Ethiopian Bible; 1 Enoch and Mysteries of Heaven and Earth, in The Complete Books of Enoch.
