Interesting Facts

• Eve was created from one of Adam’s ribs while he was in a deep sleep.
• Upon seeing Eve, Adam declared her to be “bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh,” and named her Woman because she was taken out of Man. He later renamed her Eve, signifying that she was the mother of all living.
• God brought Eve to Adam after he had named all the animals and found no suitable helper.
• According to Jubilees, Eve was brought into the Garden of Eden eighty days after Adam entered it.
• Eve initially covered her shame with fig leaves after eating the forbidden fruit, before giving some to Adam.

Genealogy

• Eve did not have human parents; she was created by the Lord God from a rib taken from Adam.
• She became the wife of Adam. Their union was intended to establish the principle that man and wife shall be one, and a man shall leave his parents to cleave to his wife.
• Eve is explicitly named as the mother of Cain, Abel, and Seth. Jasher mentions that after Cain, she bore two sons and three daughters, with Cain being the firstborn and Abel the other son mentioned. Jubilees also mentions that after Seth, Adam and Eve bore nine more sons.

Historical Context

Eve’s initial historical context was the Garden of Eden, a specially created place filled with trees pleasant to sight and good for food, including the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. A river watered the garden, branching into four heads. Eve was brought into this garden after Adam had spent forty days in the land of his creation. The Garden of Eden is described as holier than all other parts of the earth, with every tree planted within it being holy. God had commanded Adam and Eve to tend and keep the garden and had given them permission to eat from every tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, warning that disobedience would result in death. For the first seven years in the garden, Adam and Eve tilled and kept it.

Narrative

The narrative of Eve begins with her creation as a helpmeet for Adam after he found no suitable companion among the animals. She was brought to Adam, and he recognized her as being of his own flesh and bone. Together, they were placed in the Garden of Eden with the responsibility to care for it and with a specific commandment regarding the tree of knowledge. After seven years, the serpent approached Eve and questioned God’s command about eating from the trees, specifically the tree in the midst of the garden. The serpent contradicted God’s word, promising that they would not die but would become like gods, knowing good and evil, if they ate from it. Eve, seeing that the tree was good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom, took the fruit and ate it. She then gave some to her husband, Adam, and he also ate. Immediately after eating, their eyes were opened, and they realized they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. When the Lord God walked in the garden, Adam and Eve hid themselves. Upon being questioned, Adam blamed Eve, stating, “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat”. Eve, in turn, said, “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat”. Consequently, the Lord God issued curses upon the serpent, the woman, and the man. For Eve, the curse included multiplied sorrow in childbirth and subjection to her husband. After this, Adam named her Eve, signifying her role as the mother of all living. The Lord God made garments of skin for them and sent them out of the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which Adam was taken, placing cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life. After leaving the garden, Adam and Eve dwelt in the land of Elda. They later had children, beginning with Cain, and mourned the death of Abel, who was killed by Cain. Eventually, Eve bore Seth as a replacement for Abel.