Person Old Testament
Adah
Adah was one of the two wives of Lamech, a descendant of Cain, and the mother of Jabal, the first to live in tents and raise livestock, and Jubal, the first to play the lyre and pipe. Mentioned in 3 verses across 1 book, first at Genesis 4:19.
Why it matters. Wife of Lamech; mother of Jabal and Jubal
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Adah
Adah was one of the two wives of Lamech, a descendant of Cain, who is mentioned in the genealogy of Cain in Genesis 4. Lamech is the first recorded polygamist in the Bible, having taken both Adah and Zillah as his wives (Gen.4.19).
Adah gave birth to two sons, Jabal and Jubal (Gen.4.20-21). Jabal was described as the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock, indicating that he was the first to adopt a nomadic pastoral lifestyle (Gen.4.20). Jubal was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe, suggesting that he was the first to develop musical instruments (Gen.4.21).
In Lamech's speech to his wives (Gen.4.23-24), he mentions Adah by name, along with Zillah, as he boasts about his violent actions and asserts his own form of justice. This speech provides insight into the increasing wickedness and violence among the descendants of Cain.
Adah's mention in the genealogy of Cain highlights the development of various aspects of human culture and civilization, such as nomadic pastoralism and music, as well as the spread of polygamy and violence in the early generations of humanity.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
- Spouse
- Lamech
Appears in Scripture
Named in 3 verses across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.