21st Century Bible Hebrew -- Genesis 4:21-24, shivataim

Genesis 4:21-24

 

כא וְשֵׁ֥ם אָחִ֖יו יוּבָ֑ל ה֣וּא הָיָ֔ה אֲבִ֕י כָּל־תֹּפֵ֥שׂ כִּנּ֖וֹר וְעוּגָֽב:

כב וְצִלָּ֣ה גַם־הִ֗וא יָֽלְדָה֙ אֶת־תּ֣וּבַל קַ֔יִן לֹטֵ֕שׁ כָּל־חֹרֵ֥שׁ נְח֖שֶׁת וּבַרְזֶ֑ל וַאֲח֥וֹת תּֽוּבַל־קַ֖יִן נַֽעֲמָֽה:

כג וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לֶ֜מֶךְ לְנָשָׁ֗יו עָדָ֤ה וְצִלָּה֙ שְׁמַ֣עַן קוֹלִ֔י נְשֵׁ֣י לֶ֔מֶךְ הַֽאֲזֵ֖נָּה אִמְרָתִ֑י כִּ֣י אִ֤ישׁ הָרַ֨גְתִּי֙ לְפִצְעִ֔י וְיֶ֖לֶד לְחַבֻּֽרָתִֽי:

כד כִּ֥י שִׁבְעָתַ֖יִם יֻֽקַּם־קָ֑יִן וְלֶ֖מֶךְ שִׁבְעִ֥ים וְשִׁבְעָֽה:

 

Translation: The name of his brother was Yuval; he was the father of all playing the harp and ugav.

Tsillah, she gave birth to Tuval Qain sharpening every tool of bronze and iron; the sister of Tuval Qain was Naamah.

Lemekh said to his wives “Adah and Tsillah, obey me, wives of Lemekh hearken to my saying; if I killed a man [was it] for my wounding? or a boy, for my injury?

If Qain is avenged shivataim; then Lemekh seventy seven.”

 

Vocabulary

תֹּפֵשׂ	toucher
כִּנּוֹר	harp
לֹטֵשׁ	sharpener
חֹרֵשׁ	Tool
נְחשֶׁת	Bronze, copper
בַרְזֶל	iron
הַאֲזֵנָּה	Listen to
פִצְעִי	My wounding
חַבֻּרָתִי	My injury
יֻקַּם	Be avenged

 

Let’s get the grammar out of the way first. Yuqam is hufal, of course, as it was earlier.  Lemekh is saying that he personally should be legally defined as yuqam in the 77^th – what? 

 

Lemekh is the seventh generation of people in the world. This suggests that shivataim is seven pairs, that is seven pairs of parents or seven generations. So Lemekh should be avenged to the 77^th generation.  Why?  Qain is only supposed to be avenged if somebody kills him, and he’s still alive.

 

Or is he? Whom did Lemekh kill? What boy did he wound? Midrash Tanchuma Breshit 11 says that he was blind and his son Tuval Qain used to lead him around, put bow and arrow in his hand, and tell him where to aim. Up to this date, the arrows only found animals. Today, Lemekh killed Qain. When the boy told him what had happened, Lemekh killed the boy by accident.

 

Qain was sorry for what he did. Lemekh is not. Lemekh is presumptuous, thinking that 77 generations of descendants will follow him.  A blind man has no excuse for handling weapons, let alone letting a minor child, who cannot legally form intent, tell him where to aim. It’s a recipe for trouble.  Lemekh blinded himself to the possible consequences and thinks he’s going to get away with it just because Qain did.  How often have we heard that in the news?  Human nature hasn’t changed in thousands of years.