Genesis 4:16-22
New Catholic Bible
16 Descendants of the Murderer.[a] Cain left the presence of the Lord and lived in the land of Nod,[b] which lies to the east of Eden.
17 Cain was intimate with his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. He became the founder of a city, which he named after his son, Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad. Irad was the father of Mehujael. Mehujael was the father of Methusael. Methusael was the father of Lamech.
19 Lamech had two wives: one named Adah and the other named Zillah. 20 [c]Adah bore Jabal, who was the forefather of those who live in tents and herd cattle. 21 His brother was named Jubal. He was the forefather of those who play the lyre and the flute. 22 Zillah bore Tubalcain, the forger, and forefather of those who forge things made of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.
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- Genesis 4:16 A very ancient tribal document. The tribe of Cain is connected with the origin of an inhabited area and with the legendary first practitioners of three trades associated with nomads. Moreover, Lamech, their father, is supposed to have begun the practice of polygamy and to have been noted for his savage and unbridled vendettas. In the eyes of the sacred writer, the passage shows that the progress of civilization cannot prevent a frightening moral regression.
- Genesis 4:16 Land of Nod or region of foreigners; Nôd, nad, is the fugitive and foreigner. Its geographical location has not been determined.
- Genesis 4:20 Shepherds, musicians, and smiths, three types of nomads, are traced back to three ancestors whose names point to their trades: Jabal (ybl, to lead), Jubal (yôbel, trumpet), and Tubalcain. (The Tubal were a people of the north, the land of metals, Gen 10:2; in other Semitic languages kain is a “smith”).
1 Chronicles 1:1-4
New Catholic Bible
Genealogical Tables[a]
Chapter 1
From Adam to Abraham.[b] 1 Adam, Seth, Enosh, 2 Kenan, Mehalalel, Jared, 3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah.
4 The sons of Noah were Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
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- 1 Chronicles 1:1 The Book begins with a long list of names, genealogies and censuses, which bewilder the modern reader. But such lists are found elsewhere in the Bible, because in the view of the ancients, they give expression to a vision of history and the great connections that mark the plan of God; for this reason, the accuracy of the information conveyed is not essential. In like manner, Genesis establishes a continuity between Adam and Abraham as a way of locating the first patriarch in the trajectory of God’s plan (see Gen 5; 11). The evangelists will endeavor to construct a genealogy of Jesus that goes back either to Abraham (Mt 1) or to Adam (Lk 3:23), in order to show that all of history was leading up to Jesus Christ. In the first nine chapters of Chronicles we will likewise find at work a theological conception of human history. Here are its main perspectives: all human beings are connected with one another by their common origin in Adam, but from among them God chose a people and, inseparable at the center of this people, King David and the priests. The king is the sign of the Messianic promises, while the priests are the guardians of the sanctuary wherein Israel meets God. In the author’s eyes, all of humanity gravitates around God’s will to establish his reign and his worship among us. Such is the author’s grand vision, which is given learned expression in these endless lists.
- 1 Chronicles 1:1 This is the list in Gen 5.
Luke 3:36-38
New Catholic Bible
36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad,
the son of Shem, the son of Noah,
the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch,
the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel,
the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enos,
the son of Seth, the son of Adam,
the son of God.
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