The last part of Genesis chapter four tells us all about the children of Cain but focuses attention on the line of Lamech. Mays summarizes what is coming in the rest of this chapter by saying, “Among Cain’s descendants are Jabal the ancestor of pastoral nomads, Jubal the ancestor of musicians, and Tubal-Cain, the originator of metallurgy. Over against these descendants of Cain is set Lamech, who boasts of his vengeful reign of terror. This dark story of violence ends with a genealogy that moves from murderer to murderer; the framing of a genealogy by two acts that bring death stands in contradiction to the genealogical record of the continued life of a family. In sharp contrast to the surrounding darkness is the light that dawns in the announcement of the birth of Seth, who fathers Enosh and a family of those who calls upon Yahweh’s name, a family that will include Abram, who will call upon that same God.”[1]
Genesis 4:20 tells us that Lamech’s first wife had a son. We don’t know a lot about the sons of Lamech, but the text does give us a little information. It says, “Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.” Freeman suggests, “…the term father is used to denote the author or beginner of something. It is frequently used this way throughout the Bible. Undoubtedly, Jabal was the first to dwell in tents and had cattle; therefore, he is called the father of all those who dwell in tents and have cattle. In other words, he was the progenitor of tent dwellers and herdsmen, and probably was a nomad and lived a wandering life.”[2] Based upon one noun from Ezekiel chapter 8 that also appears in this verse, Carasik tells us that “…the midrash interprets this verse to mean that he built temples for idolatry.” This maintains the idea of the degenerating nature of the line of Cain, but it seems a little far-fetched for me. Carasik also adds that Jabal’s “…brother Jubal is similarly understood to be playing ‘the lyre and the pipe’ (v. 21) as part of idolatrous worship.”[3] I could not find anything in the language or in the ancient or modern commentaries that suggested what Jabal did was idolatry. However, the idea has some merit when we consider the direction Cain’s line takes.
Most Christian commentators see Jabal as the first nomad. Abel raised sheep, but Jabal tended to “herds.” Wenham says, “…that term covers all animals that are herded—sheep, goats, cattle, asses, or camels. Whereas Abel merely lived off his flocks, Jabal could trade with his beasts of burden, and this represents a cultural advance.”[4] It’s more sophisticated than what might first meet the eye. Walton says that “Raising livestock is the first stage in animal domestication, which involves human control of breeding, food supply, and territory. Sheep and goats were the first livestock to be domesticated, with the evidence extending back to the ninth-millennium BC. Larger cattle came later, and evidence for pig domestication began in the seventh millennium.”[5] Interestingly, Cain taught his sons and grandsons how to raise animals like their uncle Abel had done. Most likely, this was the result of the ground not producing for Cain and his descendants according to God’s curse on them. Lamech’s sons improved civilization in their respective fields. But it appears that the improvements were at the expense of a relationship with God and healthy relationships with each other. Many, even today, will fill their lives with accomplishments at the neglect of more important things. Jesus asked, “What will it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his own soul?”
[1] Mays, James Luther, ed. 1988. Harper’s Bible Commentary. San Francisco: Harper & Row.
[2] Freeman, James M., and Harold J. Chadwick. 1998. Manners & Customs of the Bible. North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers.
[3] Carasik, Michael, ed. 2018. Genesis: Introduction and Commentary. Translated by Michael Carasik. The Commentators’ Bible. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society.
[4] Wenham, Gordon J. 1987. Genesis 1–15. Vol. 1. Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word, Incorporated.
[5] Walton, John H. 2001. Genesis. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.