Mystery of "Naamah"

Naamah or Na'amah (Hebrew: נעמה‎) is used as a female given name in contemporary Israel. Literally, it means the "Pleasant One". The interesting thing about the name Naamah, is that all biblical references to this certain female name is shrouded in mystery. The feminine name refers to:

• Naamah (Genesis), the daughter of Lamech the Cainite. In some extra-Biblical traditions, a "Naamah" also appears as Noah's second wife, who is sometimes said to be a daughter of Enoch

• Naamah (wife of Solomon), mother of Rehoboam

• Naamah (demon), an angel of prostitution, one of the succubus mates of the archangel Samael in Zoharistic Kabbalah

Naamah of Genesis

Marble bas relief at Orvieto Cathedral depicts
Naamah as a teacher of reading, while her half-brother,
Jubal, is the father of music.

This individual named Naamah is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in Genesis 4:22. She was a descendant of Cain (brother of Abel and Seth) and the daughter of Lamech and Zillah; she was the only daughter of Lamech mentioned in Genesis and purported to be the youngest child. Naamah was a sister to Tubal-Cain and she was a half sister to Jabal and Jubal (sons of Lamech by his other wife, Adah). There is much controversy as to who this woman actually was. (See: Naamah: Bible)

In the Jewish midrash, Naamah is identified as the daughter of Lamech, sister of Tubal-Cain and as the wife of Noah (in reference to Rashi's commentary on Genesis 4:22). Robert R. Wilson, Hoober Professor of Biblical Studies and a former chair at Yale University for the Biblical Studies Department, suggests that the person who accounted the story of Genesis simply wished to offer a balanced genealogy by noting that both of Lamech's wives (Zillah and Adah) had two children. However, Gordon Wenham notes that the reason "she should be picked out for special mention remains obscure."

It is worth mentioning, there was a Sethite "Naamah" mentioned as the wife of Noah and the daughter of Enoch, Noah's grandfather, in the medieval Book of Jasher (trans. Moses Samuel c. 1840, ed. J. H. Parry 1887) Chapter 5:15. And, the 17th century theologian, John Gill, associated Naamah instead with the name of the wife of Ham, son of Noah, whom he believed may have become confused with Noah's wife. (See: Wives aboard the Ark) 

Regardless, this Naamah was said to be the most beautiful woman in the pre-flood period of Noah's day.

Naamah, Wife of Solomon

Depiction of Naamah, wife of Solomon

This particular female named Naamah was an Ammonite who was the wife of King Solomon and the mother of Rehoboam, the heir to the Jewish kingdom. According to 1 Kings 14:21-31 and 2 Chronicles 12:13 in the Hebrew Bible, she was the only one of Solomon's wives to be mentioned as having borne a child. 

The Ammonites had a fluctuating relationship with Israel [it was anything but stable] and some scholars of religion believe the marriage between her and King Solomon was a political strategy to restore a semblance of friendly relations between Solomon's kingdom and the realm of Ammon. It is commonly suggested that Naamah used her influence to help the two states live in harmony. King Solomon was known to use marriage to cement relations between Israel and other surrounding nations. It is interesting to note that Naamah was revered in the Bava Kamma (38b) for her righteousness. It also states that Moses was warned by God not to make war upon the Ammonites, as Naamah was to descend from them.   

While this ancient queen was a woman of mystery, she definitely lived through one of the most brilliant periods of Jewish history.

Depiction of Naamah & Azael

Naamah the Demon

In the Zohar, Naamah was portrayed as a demonic angel of prostitution, but how she became a demon remains unclear. She was also the mother of divination. She appears in the  Zohar as one of the four angels of sacred prostitution and a "mate" of the archangel Samael. Being one of the four original queens of the demons, she shared her notoriety with Lilith, Eisheth Zenunim, and Agrat Bat Mahlat. There are a few stories attributed to this female demon:

• After Cain killed Abel, Adam separated from Eve for 130 years. During this time period, two evil female spirits, Naamah and Lilith, visited Adam and bore him children. (Zohar 3:76b-77a)

• Also in the Zohar, Naamah corrupted Aza and Azael, two fallen angels. (Zohar: Genesis: Chapter XXXII). It is written that these fallen angels co-habituated with Naamah, daughter of Lamech, and sired the sedim (Assyrian guardian spirits)... hence her becoming a demon? Purportedly, Azael is chained in a desert where he will remain until Judgement Day. (ref: De Plancy, Dictionnaire Infernal)

• In the Misrash Petirat Mosheh, these fallen angels (Azazel and Ouza), who revolted from God, came down from Heaven and was corrupted.

• In the Occult Philosophy, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa lists four evil angels as the opposites of the four holy rulers of the elements, and among the evil ones Azazel is included.

If this particular queen of the demons ever existed is still opened for debate among many theologians and scholars of religion; however, her wicked ways continue to be somewhat elusive to those who believe.

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The Etymology of this female name is argued among the current scholars even unto this day. Whether "Naamah" refers to either her virtuous nature or to her evil angel status, it will continue to be a controversy among the theologians of ancient religious studies. And, the biblical women named Naamah [in the Tanakh/Old Testament] will most likely remain a controversial unsolved mystery.