This week, Fr. Paul notes the significance of Cain’s construction and subsequent naming of a city after his son, Enoch, the significance of the name Lamech as a metathesis of Melek, and the problem of civilization connected with the city as the production of man. (Episode 75)
Are you a regular listener? Please subscribe to our program on iTunes, feed.press, or wherever you get your podcasts: subscribe.
Great podcast. Fr. Paul said that NAAMAH was the grace and presented a tension in the genealogy. Can anyone expand on that a bit more?
I had concluded that NAAMAH was a combination of NAAH, which means to be comely or befitting, beautiful and AMAH, which means maid-servant or female slave.
Likewise, ZILLAH (Tsillah) comes from the word TSALAL, which means to be or grow dark (the idea of hovering over, shadowing, (blocking the light?). So when I read the genealogy I see “And Zillah (the one who grew dark), she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron:(similar to Cain – he is an instructor, a “sharpener” of weapons of death of the brother/ war) and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah (concubine/female slave). So this would be the progression of civilization/culture concluding with darkness (absence of light), war(mongering), and concubinage. Then in verse 23-24 we have the ancient song (probably used to praise the King – the one who oversees all of this/ acts as judge) used most likely to illustrate the digression of wickedness from murder to measure less blood revenge and this closes that section and then in verse 25 the tension is (re)presented in the genealogy with Seth, “another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew”.
If anyone has any thoughts on this please enlighten me.
Thanks to all who make this podcast possible!