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Eve was the first woman and second human, created by God from the rib of Adam, specifically to be his wife. Originally known as "Ishsha" (Heb.: woman, wife), for Adam perceived that she had been taken from the man (Ish: man, husband),[1] he would later name her "Chawah" ('hard' aitch), as the "mother of all living" from the verb "chaya" (to be).[2]

Created on the sixth day with her husband, she completed the creative work of God. He had created the two of them as "man," that is, "mankind." Equal in being with the man, she had every bit of the "image and likeness" of God.[3] However, she had been created to be a "helper fit for" her husband. She could provide the companionship that no other creature could offer and the ability to help Adam fulfill the command to "be fruitful and multiply."

At the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil she found a serpent who talked to her. The serpent deceived her and made her doubt God—and tempted her to eat the forbidden fruit. She did so, and having done so, she gave some to Adam which triggered the Fall of the human race into sin. A consequence of this rebellion was her being cursed to have pain in childbirth, and desire to be in control of her husband who would rule over her.

She would have two sons soon after the expulsion from the garden — Cain and Abel — only to lose Abel some time later to her firstborn's murderous hand. At the age of 130 years old, she would set the record for birthing a child, never to be excelled in recorded history. Nothing else is known from the Bible about her subsequent life.

Etymology[]

Eve is the Late Latin version of the Hebrew word חַוָּה, Ḥawwāh, literally "living one" or "source of life," from ḥavvâ, "living" or "life", from ḥāyâ, "to live."

Biography[]

Creation[]

On the sixth day of The Creation God created the first man, named Adam. God placed the man in the Garden of Eden and commanded him not to eat fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. After this commandment, God proclaimed (perhaps to himself or to Adam; as he referred to Adam in the third person) that he would create a suitable helper, since it was not good he was alone.[4]

God had created many animals that each had other members of their kind. After Adam went through and named each of the animals he discovered there was not suitable helper for him. In fulfilment of his promise Adam was put into a deep sleep and took a rib and formed the first woman out it. Eve was brought to Adam by God and when the man saw the helper suitable for him he greatly rejoiced and she was given the title of "Woman", for she was of his own flesh.[5]

After the Woman was created she and her husband, who had both been made in God's image were asked to reproduce, fill, and subdue the Earth.[6] The Woman and her husband may have begun procreating right away or waited some time.

Nevertheless at this time the Woman was naked in the Garden, yet she felt no shame.[7]

Temptation and Fall[]

While living in the Garden, the Woman approached by a serpent who questioned if God had really forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. She in turn misquoted God by telling the serpent that mankind had been forbidden to take fruit from the middle of the garden (rather than just of the Tree of Knowledge). Even before the Wife of Adam gave her response she was already being tempted. In the temptation the woman saw that the fruit was beautiful, appeared delicious for consumption and it would be beneficiary to be as wise as God.[8] Eve was deceived but Adam, the male, was not deceived.[9] He chose the fellowship with his fallen wife before his fellowship with God. They discerned they had lost their fellowship with God and hid, realizing they were naked.[10] When God confronted Eve and her husband she gave all blame to the serpent, for having tempted her. Eve was in turn blamed by Adam.[11]

In punishment God made the woman's childbearing extremely painful, and that her desire would be for her husband who would rule over her.[12]

Mother of all[]

As a result of the pronounced curse of painful childbearing and Adam's reestablished authority over the woman, he named her Eve as she would be the mother of all living humans.[13] Then Adam was banished from the Garden of Eden, and so Eve went with her husband.

Sometime after the banishment Eve was made pregnant by her husband and eventually gave birth to Cain. In joy she said that with the help of God she had brought forth a man. Sometime later Eve bore Abel.[14] As Cain and Abel grew up Eve had many other children during this time. The offspring of these people would later become a source of fear for Cain, when he was sentenced to be a nomad after killing Abel.[15]

At the age of one-hundred and thirty, Eve yet again conceived with Adam. She gave birth to a son and named him Seth, for another child had been born in place of Abel.[16] Though nothing is known of Eve after she bore Seth it is known that Adam had other children born to him (would've been from Eve). She did so to obey God's command that she would need to bear children and have them fill the Earth.[6]

Capabilities[]

In order to fulfill this role, Eve would have been more capable of producing more children. While her husband may have outlived her, she had more children with Adam within an eight-hundred year period. SInce she had been created as an adult and told from the beginning to produce children, Eve was mentally and psychologically prepared to "fill the Earth". Living several hundred years the period of time, which she was physically capable to produce children would have been increasingly longer than after the Flood (since the lifespan was reduced to one-hundred twenty,[17] and so the fertility age reduced proportionally). It may even be possible that since Eve did not have to develop reproductive function that she had a much stronger system so she could fulfill her role.

Verses[]

  1. Genesis 2:24 (Link)
  2. Genesis 3:20 (Link)
  3. Genesis 1:27 (Link)
  4. Gen 2:18 (Link)
  5. Gen 2:19-23 (Link)
  6. 6.0 6.1 Gen 1:28
  7. Gen 2:25 (Link)
  8. Genesis 3:6 (Link)
  9. 1 Timothy 2:14 (Link)
  10. Genesis 3:8-10 (Link)
  11. Genesis 3:12-13 (Link)
  12. Gen 3:16 (Link)
  13. Gen 3:20 (Link)
  14. Genesis 4:1-2 (Link)
  15. Genesis 4:14 (Link)
  16. Genesis 4:25, 5:3 (Link)
  17. Genesis 6:3 (Link)
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