Tafsiran Kejadian 4:23: Rashi, Bekhor Shor, Chibbah Yeteirah & Chizkuni

שמען קולי HEAR MY VOICE — For his wives separated from him because he had killed Cain and Tubal-Cain, his own son. Lamech was blind and Tubal-Cain used to lead him. The latter saw Cain and thought him to be an animal. He therefore told his father to draw the bow, and thus Lamech killed him. As soon as he learned that it was his forefather Cain, he smote his hands together, struck his son between them and so killed him too. His wives thereupon separated from him, and he endeavoured to appease them,

And Lemech said to his wives - the explanation of Rav Yosef Karo of blessed memory: since Lemech married two wives first, they would fight and envy one another and each would anger her rival, and they would make a cacophony. He said to them, "What is my sin above all men that there is no peace in my house?! No [peace] in eating, nor in drinking, nor in lying down, nor in arising - have I killed people, or strangled babies, that this thing should happen to me which never happened to any person?! And now, look, I'm dying at your hands! I can't bear all of this! But the Holy Blessed One will exacted payment for this! For Kayin who sinned, God said God would take revenge seventy times -- all the more so God should take revenge for me seventy-seven!" And this comes to teach us that man shouldn't have many wives, because that's trouble and strife. And it seems to me that in those days they were far-seeing and wise, and they knew a flood would come in the days of Lemech, for you don't find genealogies for the children of Lemech because they would drown in the flood. The wives of Lemech heard this and wanted to separate from Lemech. They said, "Why should we birth for vanity, and suffer the pain of pregnancy and birth and child-rearing?" And he said to them and comforted them, "Don't believe that the Holy Blessed One would do this, for have I killed a man or strangled youths, that this should happen to me and my children should be drowned? The Holy Blessed One took pity on Kayin - should They not do this all the more so for me?" And he seduced them with words until he had offspring from them, and it seems to me that this is why these children of Lemech learnt these crafts, since they weren't blessed in agriculture because of the curse of Kayin in their youth, and regarding this matter it was explained by Targum Onkelos.

"Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; wives of Lamech listen to my statement." His wives did not listen to him, as in Isaiah (32) "Carefree women, come, listen to my voice; confident daughters, listen to my statement." And therefore it says "Because I killed a man for my anger and a lad for my bruising." There is cause for his wives to fear him, because he has killed several people. According to another interpretation, he warned them that they are not stronger than the "man" that "I killed" and if they think that he would not hurt them because they are women, behold, he has also killed a child, so he would not hesitate to harm them as well.