Lemekh's Monologue/1/en
Lemekh's Oration
Introduction
A Confession?
After the story of Kayin's killing of Hevel, the Torah lists Kayin's descendants, pausing at the sixth generation to expound about Lemekh. His biographical information is followed by a short but enigmatic poem which hints to a murder but explicates no further:
(כג) וַיֹּאמֶר לֶמֶךְ לְנָשָׁיו עָדָה וְצִלָּה שְׁמַעַן קוֹלִי נְשֵׁי לֶמֶךְ הַאְזֵנָּה אִמְרָתִי כִּי אִישׁ הָרַגְתִּי לְפִצְעִי וְיֶלֶד לְחַבֻּרָתִי. (כד) כִּי שִׁבְעָתַיִם יֻקַּם קָיִן וְלֶמֶךְ שִׁבְעִים וְשִׁבְעָה.
(23) And Lemekh
This speech appears without any context, making it difficult to decipher both the tone and meaning of Lemekh's monologue. Do his words constitute a statement or a question? What emotions lie behind them; is Lemekh upset, consoling, or boastful? Most importantly, what is it that he is trying to share with his wives? Almost every phrase that he utters is unclear:
- Who are the "אִישׁ" and "יֶלֶד" that are mentioned? Why were they killed?
- What do the words "לְפִצְעִי" and "לְחַבֻּרָתִי" come to explain? Do they reflect the motivation for the killing or the method thereof?
- What role does the comparison to Kayin play? What does the phrase "שִׁבְעָתַיִם יֻקַּם" mean?
Context and Purpose
Perhaps one of the most troubling aspects of Lemekh's speech is its very presence in the Torah. What is the relevance of this episode to the reader? The oration is sandwiched between the Kayin narratives and the list of Adam's descendants which leads into the description of the flood, suggesting that perhaps the stories are connected. But what message lies in the juxtaposition of the events? Is Lemekh's murder somehow related to Kayin's killing of Hevel? What might the incident add to one's understanding of the flood narrative?
The immediate context of the monologue might also be relevant. It follows a description of the material inventions of Lemekh's children:
(יט) וַיִּקַּח לוֹ לֶמֶךְ שְׁתֵּי נָשִׁים שֵׁם הָאַחַת עָדָה וְשֵׁם הַשֵּׁנִית צִלָּה. (כ) וַתֵּלֶד עָדָה אֶת יָבָל הוּא הָיָה אֲבִי יֹשֵׁב אֹהֶל וּמִקְנֶה. (כא) וְשֵׁם אָחִיו יוּבָל הוּא הָיָה אֲבִי כָּל תֹּפֵשׂ כִּנּוֹר וְעוּגָב. (כב) וְצִלָּה גַם הִוא יָלְדָה אֶת תּוּבַל קַיִן לֹטֵשׁ כָּל חֹרֵשׁ נְחֹשֶׁת וּבַרְזֶל וַאֲחוֹת תּוּבַל קַיִן נַעֲמָה.
(19)
Are these advances in civilization at all connected to Lemekh's deed?
