The City of Enoch

2023-08-08

There was an Enoch that was the son of Cain, not to be confused with the Enoch the seventh from Adam who preached against ungodliness.

When Cain went out from the presence of the Lord after murdering his brother Abel, he settled in a land called Nod. Nod means “wandering” (cf. Psalm 56:8), but Cain didn’t wander there. He was condemned to be a vagabond and a fugitive, but it looks like he was not content to do so, settling down and marrying his wife, having this son Enoch, and building a city. This city was named after his son, Enoch.

And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. (Genesis 4:16-17)

Like the other Enoch was the seventh from Adam via Seth, another man, Lamech, was the seventh from Adam via Cain. He was his antithesis, and perhaps these men were contemporaries. Perhaps Enoch even preached to Lamech at some point.

This is what life was like in this city of Enoch.

  1. They had changed the pattern of marriage. “And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah” (Genesis 4:19).
  2. They were innovative. The three sons of Lamech mentioned all started a new trade.
  3. They learned to raise cattle. “And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle” (Genesis 4:20).
  4. They were musical. “And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ” (Genesis 4:21).
  5. They learned to work with metal. “And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah” (Genesis 4:22).
  6. They were vengeful and violent. “And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold” (Genesis 4:23-24). God’s grace to Cain (Genesis 4:15) became everyone else’s license. The rest of the world had followed suit: “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence” (Genesis 6:11).

This was a culture of decadence, yet they were also an intelligent lot that learned much about God’s world to make life work better. They entertained themselves with music. They advanced technology with metallurgy. They were all about themselves. There is nothing to suggest they followed the Lord. They had left Him behind.

The line of Seth had nothing to say of any of that. Rather, we read, “And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD” (Genesis 4:25-26). They had the Lord, and that is all they need to be remembered for.