Lamech

Lamech (meaning poor; made low) is the name of two men in the early genealogies. (1.) A descendant of Cain in the sixth generation, the first polygamist recorded in Scripture, who took two wives, Adah and Zillah (Gen. 4:18–19). His song to his wives (Gen. 4:23–24), boasting of vengeance seventy-seven-fold, is the earliest extant example of Hebrew poetry and stands in dark contrast to godly covenant life. His sons Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-cain were founders of pastoral, musical, and metalworking arts. (2.) The son of Methuselah in the Sethite line and father of Noah, who at Noah's birth declared hope that his son would "comfort us" from the curse on the ground (Gen. 5:25–29), foreshadowing Noah's role in the post-flood renewal.