People of the Bible

Lamech (descendant of Cain)

Line of Cain

Family

Easton’s Bible Dictionary

The fifth in descent from Cain. He was the first to violate the primeval ordinance of marriage (Gen. 4:18-24). His address to his two wives, Adah and Zillah (4:23, 24), is the only extant example of antediluvian poetry. It has been called “Lamech’s sword-song.” He was “rude and ruffianly,” fearing neither God nor man. With him the curtain falls on the race of Cain. We know nothing of his descendants.

From M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary (1893), in the public domain.

Named in 4 verses

Genesis: 4:18, 4:19, 4:23, 4:24

The family, dates and events on this page come from Theographic, a knowledge graph of the Bible by Robert Rouse, used and shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. It is a work in progress, and its dates follow one reconstruction of biblical chronology among several. The dictionary article above is separately in the public domain.