Person Old Testament
Zillah
Zillah, one of Lamech's two wives, was the mother of Tubal-Cain, the first metalworker, and Naamah. Mentioned in 3 verses across 1 book, first at Genesis 4:19.
Why it matters. Wife of Lamech; mother of Tubal-Cain and Naamah
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Zillah
Zillah was one of the two wives of Lamech, a descendant of Cain, and is mentioned in the genealogy of Cain's line in Genesis 4. She was the mother of Tubal-Cain, who is described as the first metalworker, and of a daughter named Naamah. Zillah and her co-wife Adah are significant because their children represent the development of important aspects of human civilization, such as animal husbandry, music, and metalworking. The mention of Lamech's wives by name is unusual in the genealogies of Genesis, which typically only list male names. This suggests that Zillah and Adah played a notable role in the advancement of human society. Some scholars see the names of Lamech's wives as symbolic, with Zillah meaning "shade" or "protection," possibly representing the transition to a more settled way of life. The story of Lamech and his wives is part of the larger narrative of the early chapters of Genesis, which trace the development of human civilization from the creation of Adam and Eve to the time of Noah.
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
- Children
- NaamahTubal-cain
Appears in Scripture
Named in 3 verses across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.