Bible Dictionary
Adah
Adah was the wife of Lamech and mother of Jabal and Jubal. The name also belonged to Esau’s Hittite wife, who was the mother of Eliphaz.
Definition
Adah is a name meaning adornment or ornament. One Adah was a wife of Lamech and the mother of Jabal and Jubal. Another was the Hittite wife of Esau and mother of Eliphaz; she is also called Bashemath in another passage.
Biblical Usage
Adah appears in the genealogies of Genesis as Lamech’s wife and as Esau’s wife. Her sons Jabal and Jubal are associated respectively with tent-dwelling people and with those who play the harp and pipe.
Historical Background
The biblical lists give different names for some of Esau’s wives, and the supplied material states that the data are insufficient to resolve the differences.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Ornament. (1.) The first of Lamech’s two wives, and the mother of Jabal and Jubal (Gen. 4:19, 20, 23). (2.) The first of Esau’s three wives, the daughter of Elon the Hittite (Gen. 36:2, 4), called also Bashemath (26:34).
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(ornament, beauty).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>a'-da (`adhah, "adornment"):</p><p>(1) One of the two wives of Lamech the descendant of Cain (Ge 4:19,20,23). The narrative in Ge assigns to her two sons, Jabal the "father" of tent-dwelling people, and Jubal the "father" of all such as handle the harp and pipe." Josephus says that Lamech had 77 sons by Ada and Zillah (Ant., I, ii, 2).</p><p>(2) According to Ge 36:2,4,10,12,16, the Hittite wife of Esau, daughter of Elon, and mother of Eliphaz. In this chapter Esau's other wives are Oholibamah, a Hivite, and Basemath the daughter of Ishmael. The names are differently given elsewhere (Ge 26:34; 28:9). Basemath is said to be the daughter of Elon. The daughter of Ishmael is called Mahalath. In place of Oholibamah the Hivite we find Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite. Data are lacking for the solution of the problem.</p><p>Willis J. Beecher</p>