God’s Word for You

Genesis 4:19-22 Ancient achievements and sins

by Pastor Timothy Smith on Sunday, October 11, 2026

19 Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and raise livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 Zillah also bore Tubal-Cain, who made all kinds of tools and weapons out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.

This passage shows new innovations. There were new inventions, new ideas, new achievements—and a new way of sinning. The sin was bigamy, with one man taking two wives. This was only the first step toward the eventual outrage of polygamy.

Bigamy sins against the women in the marriage because it degrades womanhood. It brings jealousy and heartache into marriage and naturally creates an oppositional element to what should be a partnership. One wife will always feel inferior; one wife will always in some way mock the other, or as we see in the case of the prophet Samuel’s mother, the rival will “keep mocking her in order to irritate her” (1 Samuel 1:6). And so we see that bigamy does not bring happiness into the home, but causes grief, jealousy, anger, and a whole list of terrible wrongs and other sins.

But more importantly, bigamy is a sin against God, since God established marriage to be the union of a man and a woman, that is, one man and one woman, and not more than this. To marry more than one wife is as wicked a sin as to forbid marriage, and especially to forbid the marriage of clergy (still a common practice today). To do so, Paul says, is the doctrine of demons (1 Timothy 4:1-3). Marriage is a law not only in Scripture, but in all civilized nations, even among the heathen. We see the churches where men and women are encouraged to take vows of chastity, that such a vow is secondary to the word of God (at best), and that such a person who has taken a vow of chastity but who find they cannot keep their vow should marry. “If they are unwilling or unable to persevere, it is better for them to marry than to fall into the fire through their lusts; at least they should give no offense to their brothers and sisters.” This is the other side of bigamy. God’s will is that for all who can, there should be a spouse; one spouse. But to force someone to remain celibate against nature is as much a sin as Lamech’s bigamy. To be forbidden to take a spouse is a sin; to take more than one at the same time is equally sinful.

Spare us from these sins, O Lord!

How did these two wives fare? They were both given children. Adah’s sons, Jabal and Jubal, showed themselves to be peaceful men. One adopted the life of the nomad, traveling with flocks and living in tents wherever they found pasture. But in Jabal we also see the beginning of men living beyond their needs; he began to amass wealth in his livestock. His talents “held out the prospect of more leisure” (Jeske).

The other brother, Jubal, found simple ways to make music and to enjoy such leisure. The lyre (kinnor, כִּנּוֹר) is one of the simplest stringed instruments, with fibers (such as the sinews of an animal) stretched across an angled wooden frame, either in the shape of an L or a U. The pipe or flute (ugav, עוּגָב) is simply a hollow tube or reed, blown into or with air blown across a small opening, and with holes to make variations in the tube to create different notes. Together with singing words or other sounds, the lyre and the pipe can make a vast range of lovely music.

These are marvelous inventions, but let us use them to give you praise, O Lord!

Zillah’s son Tubal-Cain became a smith, a man who worked in metals. The verb Moses uses (latash) means “to hammer, sharpen, forge.” It appears that he invented the idea of shaping iron, a common element, into useful tools. There are many things implied in this skill, for it implies the use of charcoal, a bellows (or windy hillside), knowledge of the relationship of air and fire, something like an anvil, a metal hammer, and perhaps even tongs. More than this, he seems to have made edged weapons such as metal knives, spears, or swords.

A further achievement was the discovery of mixing metals, since bronze is an alloy, usually using the simple ratio of 17 to 3 (or 85 to 15, which is the same thing). When 17 parts of copper are melted together with 3 parts tin, the result is bronze. Bronze is easily shaped but then hardens into a useful metal with a pleasing color and can bear an edge that can be sharpened to a cutting surface.

These, too, are useful things. But let us use them for good, and not for bloodshed, O Lord.

Here in the family of Cain we see the beginning of civil government, or at least its foreshadowing. If it is not quite present in the building of Cain’s city (verse 17), it is here in the appearance of master craftsmen who are called “fathers” in verses 20-21. Although God wants all superiors to be honored (“Rise in the presence of the aged,” Leviticus 19:32), the Fourth Commandment clearly mentions parents “because the fellowship of the household is the foundation of the political state, because its appellation (that is, its very name) admonishes magistrates, instructors, lords, and all superiors to show a paternal attitude toward the subordinates who have been committed to their trust and care. This is why the first place in the Second Table of the Law is given to parents, because they should be honored and regarded as second only to God” (Gerhard).

The purpose of government is to protect the lives, property, honor, and reputation of the people, to safeguard them in the pursuit of their occupations and in the enjoyment of their liberties, and to preserve order and discipline (Romans 13:1-7). The government will also promote the general welfare of the people (1 Timothy 2:1-2), educate its citizens, conserve national resources, improve conditions and remove suffering, combat social, economic, and physical dangers, and improve living conditions in general.

Lastly, we hear of Tubal-Cain’s sister, Naamah. Her name seems to mean that she was a pleasing person, or a very beautiful woman. By including her in the list, it is possible that she was once well-known for her own achievement, perhaps as a queen. But beyond this we can’t say more. After the mothers Eve, Adah, and Zillah, she is the fourth woman to be named in Scripture.

Jesus said, “The children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light” (Luke 16:8). Luther used that verse to show that “the worldly promote and expand their endeavors, they praise themselves and their achievements, and they acquire riches and positions of honor and power. Meanwhile, the true church lies there despised and is harassed, suppressed, excommunicated, etc.”

That ancient generation was not satisfied with a simple life. They were winning great achievements and earning honor and praise for themselves. Perhaps there were some who still believed with the faith of Adam and Eve, but it is likely that many, and more and more with each generation, were lost.

It is not a sin to achieve wonderful things, or to make new discoveries about God’s world. But part of putting our faith in our Savior is to give him glory, to give him praise for all things, and to thank him for all his gifts. “Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise. Praise be to the LORD from everlasting to everlasting. Amen.” (Psalm 106:47-48)

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith

 

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