Intriguing Facts about Eve

Much of our knowledge about the first woman seems to come from tradition, with a little Genesis mixed in. The Bible does not tell us much about Eve, but we can deduce some things from Scripture. We can also learn a bit from science.

Things we may have assumed turn out to be incorrect in the light of further examination. Some may not matter at all (such as my unsupportable opinion that both Adam and Eve were both exceptionally attractive). Most of these opinions and traditions are not worth fighting over.

Poster of Eve in frame, from James Tissot (ca. 1902), modified at PhotoFunia

Tradition has it that the forbidden fruit was an apple, but that has nothing to do with the Bible. Also, she gave it to Adam, who was with her (Gen. 3:6). Was he entertained?

When people create artwork, they do so from their own perspectives and cultures. Famous European paintings portray Adam and Eve as white people, so those undoubtedly influenced our opinions years later. But the first parents were not white. Also, Eve's real name according to the Hebrew texts was closer to Havah —

"Like in the song Hava Nagila, Cowboy Bob?"

Well, that song is a fairly modern Jewish folk song, but the title means, "Let's rejoice." For that matter, when God brought her to Adam, he was probably rejoicing in Genesis 2:23. 

Now let's get to the featured articles.

While the early chapters of Genesis contain many familiar passages, through further study there is often more to be gained. This is one of the beautiful things about the Bible.

Although Eve is referred to by her personal name only four times, she is a key to the understanding of biblical history. Her impact on humanity has been huge, but there are a number of facts about Eve that perhaps are not so obvious. Outlined below are five things about Eve which you may not have known before:

To read the rest, see "Five things you may not know about Eve." Be sure to come back, we have a kind of companion piece to consider.

There is some debate about how Eve was created from Adam. The word צֵלָע (tsela) is usually translated as rib, but some contend that it should be side. Well, the rib is pretty much rooted in the side, but is that justified? Reasoning from Scripture and science provides insight on this as well.

There are a number of questions and contentions about Genesis 1–2 from skeptics and Christians alike. Many of them deal with the creation Eve. Some of the main problems (which ultimately stem from misunderstanding, adding to, or ignoring the text) will be examined and rebutted below.

To examine the rest of this short article, click on "How Was Eve Created?"