Genesis 4:23

I have slain a man. Lamech’s words, in Hebrew poetic form, have aptly been called the “Song of Lamech.” So far as is known this “song” constitutes the world’s first poetic composition. The exact meaning of his somewhat cryptic words is difficult to ascertain. Origen wrote two books concerning the “song” and then pronounced it beyond explanation. The Hebrew words employed permit the explanation that Lamech had slain one or two men for wounds they had inflicted upon him, with the implication that he would be ready to commit such acts again should the necessity arise. His threatened revenge, however, is ambiguous, and leaves room for more than one interpretation. The RSV reads: “I have slain a man for wounding me.”