וַיִּֽקַּֽח־ל֥וֹ לֶ֖מֶךְ שְׁתֵּ֣י נָשִׁ֑ים שֵׁ֤ם הָֽאַחַת֙ עָדָ֔ה וְשֵׁ֥ם הַשֵּׁנִ֖ית צִלָּֽה׃
Y tomó para sí Lamech dos mujeres; el nombre de la una fué Ada, y el nombre de la otra Zilla.
Sefer HaYashar (midrash)
And the anger of the Lord was kindled at the actions of the sons of man, and at the abominations which they practiced upon the earth. And the Lord caused the waters of the river Gihon to rise and to spread over them; and he destroyed them completely, and one third of the earth was destroyed. But for all that the sons of man did not turn from their evil ways, and their arms still remained outstretched to do whatever was evil in the eyes of the Lord. And in those days the seed, which the sons of man were sowing into the ground, turned into thorns, thistles and briars, for since the days of Adam these things occurred in the earth on account of the curse wherewith the Lord hath cursed the earth, because of the sin which Adam committed before the Lord. And as the sons of man increased in wickedness, to rebel and transgress against the Lord, the earth also increased its badness and degeneration. And Enos lived ninety years and begat Cainan and he grew up, and when he had reached his fortieth year he acquired wisdom and was practiced in all knowledge and skill, and he ruled all the sons of man, and he directed them all in the ways of wisdom and understanding. For Cainan was a very wise man, versed in all wisdom, and in his understanding he ruled even over the spirits and demons. And Cainan in his wisdom came to know that God would destroy the sons of man on account of their sinfulness on the earth, and that the Lord would finally bring the deluge over them. And Cainan wrote therefore upon tablets of stone all the future things to occur in those days, and he placed those tablets into his treasury. And Cainan ruled over the whole earth and he influenced part of the sons of man to turn and serve God again. And when Cainan was seventy years he had already begotten three sons and two daughters. And these are the names of Cainan’s sons. The name of the first-born was Mahalaleel, and the second Enon, and the third Ered; and their sisters were Adah and Zillah. Those are all that were born unto Cainan—five children. And Lamech Methusael’s son, became the son-in-law of Cainan, taking his two daughters to wives. And Adah conceived and bare a son unto Lamech and she called his name Jabloh, and she conceived again and bare a son and she called his name Jubal. And Zillah her sister was barren in those days, she had no child as yet. For in those days the sons of man began to rebel against the Lord, and transgressed the laws of God which he commanded unto them, to be fruitful and multiply upon the earth. And the sons of man gave to part of their wives to drink a drink of barrenness, so that they should continue in their beauty, and not lose their fine figures and looks. And when the sons of man caused part of their wives to take that drink, Zillah was among them. And the women that bare children became abominable in the eyes of their husbands, being consigned, as it were, to widowhood, though their husbands were alive, for the men were attached only to their barren wives.
Midrash Tanchuma Buber
(Exod. 16:4:) THEN THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES: BEHOLD, I WILL RAIN DOWN BREAD FROM THE HEAVENS FOR YOU. This text is related (to Job 36:31): FOR THROUGH THESE THINGS HE JUDGES PEOPLES. These things are the heavens; through them he judges the peoples of the world. You yourself know that, when the generation of the flood sinned, he judged them through those < heavens >, as stated (in Ps. 11:6): HE WILL RAIN DOWN SNARES UPON THE WICKED…. Ergo (in Job 36:31): FOR THROUGH THESE THINGS HE JUDGES PEOPLES…. When the people of Sodom sinned, he judged them through the heavens, as stated (in Gen. 19:24): THEN THE LORD RAINED DOWN UPON SODOM….66Cf. Exod. R. 25:1. Also when Sisera sinned, he judged him through the heavens, as stated (in Jud. 5:20): <THE STARS > FOUGHT FROM THE HEAVENS …. Through the heavens he judges the peoples. (Job 36:31, cont.:) HE GIVES FOOD IN ABUNDANCE. From those < heavens > we know that he gave nourishment to Israel. To what is the matter comparable? To a baker who was standing at the oven.67Cf. above, Gen. 4:19; Gen. R. 51:2. When his enemy entered, he raked up burning coals, and put them on his head. When his friend entered, he took out <some> hot bread. Thus <the oven> gave him the burning coals and the bread. Both of them came out of the oven. So the Holy One brought down fire upon the Sodomites and burned them up, but for Israel he brought down manna from heaven, as stated (in Exod. 16:4): BEHOLD, I WILL RAIN DOWN <BREAD FROM THE HEAVENS > FOR YOU….
Bereshit Rabbah
“Irad was born to Hanokh and Irad begot Mehuyael and Mehuyael begot Metushael and Metushael begot Lemekh” (Genesis 4:18).
“Irad was born to Hanokh…” – Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: These are all expressions of rebellion.2The meanings of their names express God’s reactions to rebellion. Irad – ‘I will expel them [ored] from the world’; Meḥuyael – ‘I will eradicate them [moḥeh] from the world’; Metushael – ‘I will uproot them [metish] from the world’; Lemekh – ‘What do I have to do with Lemekh3Lemekh is an acronym for ‘ma li valakh’ – ‘what need do I have of you?’ and his offspring?’
“Lemekh took for himself two wives; the name of one was Ada, and the name of the other Tzila” (Genesis 4:20). Rabbi Azarya said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon: This is what the people of the generation of the Flood would do: Each one would take two wives for himself, one for procreation and one for intercourse. The one that was designated for procreation would sit as though she were a widow in her lifetime [variant reading: in the life of her husband]. The one that was designated for intercourse, he would give her a sterility potion so she would not bear children, and she would sit by him adorned like a harlot. That is what is written: “He consorts with the barren who will not give birth, and to the widow he will do no good” (Job 24:21). You may know that it is so, as Lemekh was the most outstanding among them and he took two wives. That is what is written: “Lemekh took for himself two wives; the name of one was Ada” – as she was removed [ada] from him; “and the name of the other Tzila” – as she was sitting in his shadow [tzilo].
“Irad was born to Hanokh…” – Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: These are all expressions of rebellion.2The meanings of their names express God’s reactions to rebellion. Irad – ‘I will expel them [ored] from the world’; Meḥuyael – ‘I will eradicate them [moḥeh] from the world’; Metushael – ‘I will uproot them [metish] from the world’; Lemekh – ‘What do I have to do with Lemekh3Lemekh is an acronym for ‘ma li valakh’ – ‘what need do I have of you?’ and his offspring?’
“Lemekh took for himself two wives; the name of one was Ada, and the name of the other Tzila” (Genesis 4:20). Rabbi Azarya said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon: This is what the people of the generation of the Flood would do: Each one would take two wives for himself, one for procreation and one for intercourse. The one that was designated for procreation would sit as though she were a widow in her lifetime [variant reading: in the life of her husband]. The one that was designated for intercourse, he would give her a sterility potion so she would not bear children, and she would sit by him adorned like a harlot. That is what is written: “He consorts with the barren who will not give birth, and to the widow he will do no good” (Job 24:21). You may know that it is so, as Lemekh was the most outstanding among them and he took two wives. That is what is written: “Lemekh took for himself two wives; the name of one was Ada” – as she was removed [ada] from him; “and the name of the other Tzila” – as she was sitting in his shadow [tzilo].