Genesis 2:20 11
the man, “You are free to eat from any tree
in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,
for when you eat from it you will cert ain
ly die.”
18 T he Lord God said, “It is not good for
the man to be a
lone. I will make a helper
suitable for him.”
19 Now the Lord God had f
ormed out of the
CREATION
ERA 1
round all the wild animals and all the birds
g
in the sky. He b
rought them to the man to
see what he would name them; and whatev
er the man called each living creature, that
was its name. 20 So the man gave names to
all the livestock, the b
irds in the sky and all
the wild animals.
But for Adam a no suitable helper was
a 20 Or
the man
EVE
Genesis 2:18–24
SYNOPSIS
Eve was the first woman, the wife of Adam, and the mother of all humankind. She provided
perfect companionship and help until she fell to the temptation of the serpent. Mercifully,
God promised that her offspring would soundly defeat that evil one.
BACKGROUND
Adam’s Need
After the Lord created Adam (see article, p. 17) from the dust of the earth, He said: “It is
not good for the man to be alone: I will make a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18).
God paraded the animals before Adam, giving him the job of “naming” or classifying them.
None was suitable for intimate communion, procreation, and stewardship with Adam.
PERSONALITY TRAITS AND CENTRAL ROLE
The Perfect Match
From Adam’s rib God fashioned a woman. When Adam awakened and saw Eve for the first
time he exclaimed, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called
‘woman’ [isha], because she was taken out of ‘man’ [ish]” (Genesis 2:23, [Hebrew words
added]). As the Christian commentator Matthew Henry said, “the woman was made of a
rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet
to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be
protected, and near his heart to be beloved.”
This first human couple loved one another, communed with the living God in the refreshing
coolness of the garden (see article “The Garden of Eden,” p. 9), and tended the land God
created. They enjoyed a “one flesh” type of union and obeyed God’s command to multiply,
replenish the earth, and subdue it (Genesis 1:27–28; Genesis 2:24). Eden was truly idyllic.
Until . . .
Deception
Genesis 3 recounts the devastating events that led to what is called “the fall” (see article,
p. 13). Adam and Eve were forbidden only one thing: to eat from “the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil” (Genesis 2:17). God promised a curse if they did so (see article “Bless-
ings and Curses,” p. 207). Yet the crafty serpent (see article, p. 1656) deceived the woman,
tempting her to disobey her loving Creator, eat the fruit, and give it to her husband. This
was the first human sin, and it sent humanity on a downward spiral of tragedy, rebellion,
and despair that still impacts the entire creation (see Romans 8:20–22; see also articles
“The Origin of Evil,” p. 1513 and “Alienation from God,” p. 894).
Consequences
The consequences of the fall were catastrophic. Pain became a hallmark of childbirth. Eve’s
intimacy with God was marred by shame, and her relationship with Adam was plagued by
strife. All their descendants inherit those grievous curses—even today.