JABAL; JUBAL; and TUBAL-CA1N.) The 1110S1 re markable circumstance in connection with Lamech is the poetical address which Ile is very abruptly introduced as making to his wives. This is not only remarkable in itself, but is the first and most ancient piece of poetry in the Hebrew Scriptures; and, indeed, the only example of Antediluvian poetry extant : Adah and Zillah, hear my voice! Wives of Lainech, receive my speech! If I slew a man to my wounding, And a young man—to my hurt : If Cain was avenged seven times, Then Lamech—seventy times seven.' This exhibits the parallelism and other character istics of Hebrew poetry, the development of which belongs to another article. (See POETRY,HEBREW.) It has all the appearance of an extract from an old poem, which we may suppose to have been handed down by tradition to the time of Moses. It is very difficult to discover to what it refers, and the best explanation can be nothing more than a conjecture. So far as we can make it out,it would
seem to be, as Bishop Lowth explains (Prcrlect. iv :qt ), an apology for committing homicide, in his own defense, upon some man who had vio lently assaulted him, and. as it would seem, struck and wounded him ; and he opposes a homicide of this natttre to the willful and inexcusable fratri cide of Cain. Under this view Lamech would appear to have intended to comfort his wives by the assurance that he was really exposed to no danger from this act, and that any attempt upon his life on the part of the friends of the deceased would not fail to bring down upon them the severest vengeance. Naamah 'the comely one' is fancifully supposed to be perhaps the most ancient Venus of the Pagans (Gen. iv:18-24).
2. Son of Methuselah, and father of Noah (Gen. v :25-3t ; C111-011. i :3; Luke iii :36). (B. C. 3297-252o.) LAMENT (16.-ment'). See NIOURNING.