in l  poverty km ;

with l  the poor, the humble km .

Generations pass, and the impacts of error lessen until, at last, mercy can begin its work. At the first reading, the error of Lamech seems very much like the sin of elder Cain, in that they both had taken the lives of other men; but there was real difference.

Yes, Lamech had killed a man. Perhaps he'd murdered him in his heart, as well! The received text doesn’t say, but it does record Lamech’s  confession. Elder Cain did not confess, and neither did he repent.

Discouraged l by the confusion m and rampant chaos k in the hamlet of Enoch in the Land of Nod, Lamech understood that he'd fallen captive to the town’s spiritual poverty. Yes, “fallen”: the realm of light he had known before coming to Earth was buried in the thick darkness of his life in Nod.

His great guilt at having caused the death of another was building humility in him. He lagged behind l its potential, however, because of his association with self-indulgent m  and reckless k peers. Lamech therefore lamented l the instability m and disorder k of Nod: even his near kinfolk needed guidance l that might rescue w them from this seductive trap f of defense followed by defiance x!

Lamech’s self-absorbed admission of guilt had been a feeble attempt at prayer, but it was a start !