Fact-Checking the Torah -- Lemekh I

Your assignment for this week was to read Genesis 4:18-24.

In this episode, Lemekh is the descendant of Qain.  What’s more, if you count Adam, Lemekh is the 7^th generation of the world.  It has taken seven pairs, male and female, to get to Lemekh.  Seven pairs, seven twos, is shivataim.  Yeah, it’s roundabout. 

Now what’s Lemekh’s connection, aside from his descent?

His connection is in his complaint, “If I killed.”

What version of “killed?”

If you are following along in the 21st Century Hebrew lessons, you will soon get to the point that shows that Lemekh is also not a ratschan but a horeg.  Not a murderer but a killer.

The problem is that as the 7^th generation, Lemekh knows he hasn’t been punished for Qain’s sin – and he definitely knows about Qain’s sin, as his complaint shows.

So since he hasn’t been punished for that, he thinks he will get off “77 fold,” and again, the Hebrew is important.  Lemekh repeats what was said of Qain, shivataim yuqam.  That means “be avenged 7 pairs.”  He goes on to say “then Lemekh 77.”  In other words there will be at least 70 more generations after Lemekh, all his descendants, before there’s any vengeance.

So is that what happened?  For that, read Genesis 6 and 7.

© Patricia Jo Heil, 2013-2018 All Rights  Reserved