n, n + 1 (Gen 4:24)

You Can’t Go Home Again

²⁴ Yes, let Cain incur sevenfold revenge כִּ֥י שִׁבְעָתַ֖יִם יֻקַּם־קָ֑יִן

And Lemekh seventy-sevenfold! וְלֶ֖מֶךְ שִׁבְעִ֥ים וְשִׁבְעָֽה׃

Last time, I came up with this translation for what is evidently the punchline of the Song of Lemekh. Science writers (I’ve heard) are told by their publishers that every equation they include cuts the book’s sales in half. So why did I, a Bible scholar, put something at the head of this essay that looks like an equation?