Naamah (Genesis)
| Naamah | |
|---|---|
|
Marble bas relief at Orvieto Cathedral depicts Naamah as a teacher of reading, while her half-brother Jubal is a father of music. | |
| Born | Naamah |
| Other names | Naama |
| Spouse(s) | maybe Noah |
| Parent(s) |
Lamech and Zillah maybe Enoch and Edna |
| Relatives |
Jabal (half-brother) Jubal (half-brother) Tubal-cain (brother) |
Naamah (Hebrew: נַעֲמָה Na‘ămāh) is an individual mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, in Genesis 4:22. A descendant of Cain, she was the only mentioned daughter of Lamech and Zillah and their youngest child; her brother was Tubal-cain, while Jabal and Jubal were her half-brothers, sons of Lamech's other wife Adah.
Theories
Gordon Wenham notes that the reason "she should be picked out for special mention remains obscure,"[1] while R. R. Wilson suggests that the narrator simply wished to offer a balanced genealogy by noting that both of Lamech's wives had two children.[2]
The early Jewish midrash Genesis Rabba (23.3) [3] identifies this Naamah (the daughter of Lamech and sister of Tubal-cain) as the wife of Noah (see Rashi's commentary on Genesis 4:22), while some Jewish traditions associate her with singing.[1]
The Naamah mentioned in the Bible is a Cainite, a descendant in the lineage of Cain. However, a Sethite Naamah is named as the wife of Noah, and a daughter of Enoch, Noah's grandfather, in a mediaeval midrash.[4]
The 17th century theologian John Gill mentioned a theory which identified Naamah instead with the name of the wife of Ham, son of Noah, who he believed may have become confused with Noah's wife. See Wives aboard the Ark.[5]
The demon Naamah is identified with this person in some Kabbalistic traditions.
In Islam
In Islam Naamah is identified as Wahila:
Allah has described for disbelievers the example of Nuh’s (Noah’s) wife (Wahila) and Lut’s (Lot’s) wife (Wa‘ila). They were married to two of Our pious servants. But both of them betrayed them. So they could not help them before (the torment of) Allah, and it was said to them: ‘Both of you (women), enter Hell along with all who enter it.’— Quran 66:10
Islamic scholars
According to Islamic scholars: This betrayal was not in the sense that they had committed an indecency but in the sense that they did not follow the Prophets Noah and Lot on the way of faith but sided with their enemies against them. Ibn Abbas say: No Prophet’s wife has ever been wicked and immoral. The betrayal of these two women in fact was in the matter of faith and religion. They did not acknowledge the religion of the Prophets Noah and Lot. The Prophet Noah’s wife used to convey news about the believers to the wicked of her people, and the Prophet Lot’s wife used to inform the immoral people about those who visited him in his house(Ibn Jarir).[6]
References
- 1 2 Gordon Wenham, Genesis 1–15 (WBC; Word, 1987), 114.
- ↑ R. R. Wilson, Genealogy and History in the Biblical World (Yale University Press, 1977), 144.
- ↑
- Sacred Texts: Judaism: The Bereshith or Genesis Rabba, a selection of sayings from the work translated into English by Samuel Rapaport.
- ↑ Parry, J. H. (ed.). "5:15". Book of Jasher. Translated by Moses, Samuel.
- ↑ Exposition of the Old and New Testament, by John Gill, (1746–63), at sacred-texts.com., note on Genesis 4:22.
- ↑ https://books.google.com.pk/books?id=G3RTDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA109&lpg=PA109&dq=Quran+66:10+Ibn+Jarir&source=bl&ots=8F2EtqrbeH&sig=jZIYI8mwOxlosCwLAYRYm80y9t0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiQ8KiTwOzTAhUILsAKHX7tBHoQ6AEIPDAF#v=onepage&q=Quran%2066%3A10%20Ibn%20Jarir&f=false
External links
Media related to Tubal-Cain at Wikimedia Commons