Naamah (Daughter of Lamech)

Biblical Record

Naamah appears in the genealogy of Cain's descendants recorded in Genesis 4. Lamech, a descendant of Cain, had two wives, Adah and Zillah. Adah bore Jabal and Jubal, and Zillah bore Tubal-cain (Genesis 4:19–22). The text introduces Tubal-cain as "an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron" and then adds, "and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah" (Genesis 4:22). This single verse is all that the Bible says about Naamah; nothing is recorded about her life or deeds.

Significance Within the Bible

The genealogies in Genesis generally list only the names of sons. This genealogy, however, specifically records the name of a daughter, Naamah, a detail to which commentators have drawn attention. The Hebrew name "Naamah" is understood to mean "lovely" or "beautiful." Naamah's brothers are presented as the originators of livestock herding (Jabal), music (Jubal), and metalworking (Tubal-cain) (Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-cain). No such description, by contrast, is attached to Naamah. The New Testament makes no mention of her.

Interpretations and Debates

Later Jewish tradition added stories not found in the biblical text.

• Genesis Rabbah, a rabbinic work, is reported to contain the view that Naamah was the wife of Noah. Since the Bible does not name Noah's wife, however, this remains only a tradition.
• Still later Jewish mystical literature preserves stories linking Naamah with evil spiritual beings. These, too, are legends unrelated to the biblical text.

Protestant commentators generally treat such traditions as distinct from what the text itself says. They differ, however, on why Naamah's name was recorded at all. Some regard it as a device for completing the genealogy, while others surmise that she was a figure known to the original readers. Neither view can be confirmed from the text.

The same name occurs elsewhere in the Bible, but it refers to different persons or places:

• Naamah, the Ammonite woman who was the mother of Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:21; 2 Chronicles 12:13)
• Naamah, a town in the territory of the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:41)
• "Zophar the Naamathite," one of Job's three friends (Job 2:11); here the name indicates his place of origin or people.

In Korean Churches

In Korean Protestant churches, sermons or Sunday school materials that treat Naamah as a standalone topic are rare. She is usually mentioned only alongside her brothers in sermons or Bible studies covering the genealogy of Cain's descendants following the account of Cain and Abel.