His brother’s name: brother refers to a younger brother from the same mother. For languages in which the word “brother” can also include people in other relationships, it may be necessary to say something like “true [younger] brother.”

Father of all those means the one who originated, or the one who began, or who was “the very first one to play….” Lyre refers to a small stringed instrument of rectangular shape whose strings are all of the same length. The strings are plucked with the fingers as for the harp. Pipe, which is often translated “flute,” refers to a wind instrument made of reed, metal, wood, or ivory. These two instruments are mentioned together in Job 21.12; 30.31; Psa 150.4.

Lyre is translated “harp” by Good News Translation and others. However, it may be rendered by a term for a local stringed instrument such as the guitar. Pipe is often translated by the term for the local flute or other wind instrument; for instance, the term “bamboo” is used in some parts of the world. In the absence of any such instruments, it is possible to say, “The man who invented musical instruments,” “the first person to play music…,” or “the ancestor of those who are experts in playing music.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .