Adah

Adah is the name of two women in the Old Testament. The first was one of Lamech's two wives, mentioned in Genesis as the mother of Jabal and Jubal. The second Adah was one of Esau's wives, identified as the daughter of Elon the Hittite. Adah the wife of Lamech is notable as part of the first recorded instance of polygamy in the Bible.

Etymology & Roots

The Hebrew name עָדָה (Adah) derives from the root עָדָה ('adah), meaning "to adorn" or "to deck oneself." This same root appears in verbal form in texts describing the adorning of a bride (Isaiah 61:10; Jeremiah 2:32). The name carries connotations of beauty, ornamental splendor, and festive decoration. Linguistically, the name belongs to a class of Hebrew feminine names expressing aesthetic or relational qualities, similar to names like Naamah (pleasant) and Tirzah (delight). Cognate Semitic forms appear in Akkadian and Phoenician contexts where similar roots describe ceremonial adornment and beauty.

Biblical Bearers

Two women bear the name Adah in the Old Testament. The first (Genesis 4:19-21) was one of Lamech's two wives in the antediluvian period, notable as part of the Bible's first recorded polygamous union. She was the mother of Jabal, ancestor of nomadic herdsmen, and Jubal, ancestor of musicians. The second Adah (Genesis 36:2) was one of Esau's Canaanite wives, daughter of Elon the Hittite. She bore Eliphaz, the firstborn among Esau's sons and later grandfather of the Amalekites, whose descendants became Israel's perennial enemies.

Theological Significance

The name Adah, meaning ornament or adornment, appears at two pivotal junctures in Genesis. The first bearer is introduced within Lamech's boastful song of vengeance (Genesis 4:23-24), contrasting the beauty her name implies with the violent world her husband celebrates, a poignant tension between created splendor and fallen humanity's capacity for evil. The second Adah appears in the genealogy of Esau (Genesis 36), situating her descendants outside the covenant line. Theologically, both bearers illustrate that even those bearing names of beauty and adornment exist within narratives of human frailty, reminding readers that outward ornament cannot substitute for covenant faithfulness.

Discover the meanings and origins of 409 biblical names.