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We’re all familiar with the story of Adam and Eve in the Bible, but today, we are going to look at who is Eve in the Bible and what we can learn from her.
Eve comes from the Hebrew word chavâh, which means “the living” or “life.” Therefore, she was called “Eve” because she was the mother of all living.
The man called his wife Eve because she was the mother of all living.
Genesis 3:20 (ESV)
The first woman on earth, Eve in the Bible is known as the “Mother of All Living” She accomplished remarkable things in her lifetime, but little else is known about Eve.
The first woman, Eve, was created by God and became Adam’s wife.
Eve bore three sons named in the Bible: Cain, Abel, and Seth and “other sons and daughters.” Eve is the first woman, wife, and mother in history.
The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:4 (ESV)
God created Eve after allowing Adam to see that he did not have among the animals a suitable companion—that is, there was no other creature like himself. So God created Eve as Adam’s counterpart, his helpmeet. Eve was made in God’s image, just as Adam was.
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27 (ESV)
Moses’ account of Adam and Eve in the Bible is surprisingly sparse. Although the lack of detail is a mystery, we must assume God had a reason for that lack of detail. The accomplishments of Eve, considered by many to be one the most notable mothers in history, remain largely unnoticed throughout scripture.
The Story of Eve in the Bible
On the sixth day of creation, God decided that He wanted to create a companion for
God put Adam into a deep sleep. Then the Lord took one of Adam’s ribs and used it to create Eve. Next, God called the woman Ezer, the Hebrew word for “help.”
Adam gave Eve two names. The first was the generic “woman.” Later, after the fall, Adam gave her the proper name Eve, meaning “life,” referring to her role in the procreation of the human race.
Eve became Adam’s companion, his helpmate. She completed him. Together they would share his responsibility for the garden and all within it.
Eve in the Bible was also created by God in his image. She displays a portion of the characteristics of God. The couple alone would fulfill God’s purpose in the continuation of creation. God brought human relationships, friendship, and marriage into the world with Eve.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
So God created man in his own image,
Genesis 1:26–27 (ESV)
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
God gave a command to Adam, who passed it on to Eve while he was living in the Garden of Eden. When God told Adam and Eve in the Bible not to eat from The Tree of Knowledge, He warned them that their punishment would be death on the day they ate its fruit.
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 2:17 (ESV)
The Bible doesn’t tell us how long Adam and Eve in the Bible lived in the garden without incident, but at some point, they succumbed to temptation and sinned by eating from the forbidden tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She was duped by the serpent who, generally believed, served as a creature used by Satan.
For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.
1 Timothy 2:13-14 (ESV)
The serpent sowed doubt in Eve’s mind by asking her whether God had meant what he said when forbidding eating from the tree.
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
Genesis 3:1 (ESV)
Then, the serpent deceived Eve by questioning whether God meant what He said.
But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Genesis 3:4-5 (ESV)
Eve took the fruit she had plucked and ate it, then gave some to Adam, who also ate some. When the couple comprehended their newly realized situation, a significant change came over them. With eyes opened to both good and evil for themselves and all other living things on Earth, they saw how it had been before and how they had made a great mistake. God, of course, had not lied—death came from Eve and Adam’s disobedience.
Death came to the human race as a result of what Eve was deceived into doing and Adam’s following choice to sin.
God pronounced two curses to Eve in the Bible and all of the women to follow. First, God greatly increased pain in childbearing. Second, God pronounced that the relationship between man and woman would be characterized by conflict. These two curses have been proven true in every woman’s life throughout history.
To the woman he said,
Genesis 3:16 (ESV)
“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be contrary to your husband,
but he shall rule over you.”
The pain and stress of childbearing are always a reality for women, no matter how much medical progress we make. And despite how progressive society has become, the battle of the sexes continues to be a power struggle, often filled with strife, even in modern society.
Eve, the mother of all the living, was the first to experience these curses. However, Eve will be redeemed with Adam because of the second Adam, Christ, who was without sin and came to save all of us from our sins.
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
Romans 5:12-14 (ESV)
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:22 (ESV)
Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
1 Corinthians 15:45 (ESV)
It’s worth noting that God created Adam and Eve in the Bible as adults. When God created the world, He gave both man and woman language skills so they could communicate with each other and God. God was displeased when humans chose to break his rules and desires. He held them accountable.
We know we are accountable for our actions, but sometimes it can be hard to understand why things happen the way they do; when you break one of God’s rules in your life – whether big or small- He will always hold us responsible, mete out punishment accordingly.
The only knowledge Eve had come from God and Adam. She was pure in her heart, created in God’s image. Adam and Eve were naked but not ashamed.
Eve was innocent of knowing that the serpent had motives other than goodness. However, she did know she was required to obey God. So, though God ordered her to put Adam and Eve in the Bible in care of all the animals, Eve chose instead to listen and follow what an animal said.
Even though Eve’s actions were foolhardy, we can’t help but feel for her. But God had been evident in His instructions to Adam and Eve: “Eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and you will die.”
It’s often overlooked that Adam was with his wife when she was tempted. He had a duty to protect her, but he neglected his duties. Neither Eve nor Adam was considered more at fault than the other because of their equal contributions. Both were held equally responsible for their actions and punished accordingly.
Eve’s Strengths
Eve was created in the image of God, designed to serve as a helpmate for Adam. The woman bore children, assisted only by Adam. With no model to guide her, the nurturing duties of a wife and mother fell upon this young woman.
Eve’s Weaknesses
When Satan tempted Eve, he tried to make her doubt that God was good. The serpent told her to focus on the one thing she couldn’t have. She lost sight of all of the pleasurable things God had blessed her with in the Garden of Eden. She became unhappy and felt sorry for herself because she could not share God’s knowledge of good versus evil. When Eve allowed Satan to subvert her trust in God, she weakened herself and opened the door for his influence.
Eve’s lack of consultation with God and her husband led to the original sin. She acted impulsively, independent of her authority. Adam quickly followed suit, entangling himself in sin as well. When Eve was confronted with her sin, she blamed someone else (Satan) instead of taking personal responsibility for what had happened.
Key Bible Verses About Eve
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
Genesis 2:18 (ESV)
Then the man said,
Genesis 2:23 (ESV)
“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”
Life Lessons from Eve in the Bible
Women are created in the image of God. God’s character is a balance between masculine and feminine qualities. God’s plan for humanity requires that men and women play a role in its fruition. The story of Adam and Eve in the Bible teaches us that God wants us to choose him freely and follow him out of love.
Nothing we do is hidden from God. Blaming others for our shortcomings will not help us. We must take personal responsibility and be able to accept the consequences of actions or choices made by ourselves.
But Eve is more than just the first woman to give into temptation. She isn’t just the One Who Screwed Up.
She is, essentially, a portrait of all of us—our moments of doubt and our moments of anxiety. Yet, hidden within the story of Eve is a powerful message that we shouldn’t let what happens in our lives define us.
God showed Eve how we can rest in Him when things are at their worst.
1. Focus on the good in your life and around you.
Eve had everything a woman could want, with the perfect surroundings and relationships to match. She needed nothing at all; she was living in paradise!
Despite all the pleasures of paradise, Eve chose the one thing that she couldn’t have: fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
When Eve realized that the Tree of Knowledge was a tempting offer, she became disillusioned with what God had given her. So she chose to step outside His will and do whatever pleased her, which included eating from this “tempting” tree!
The original sin was committed when Eve focused on what she didn’t have rather than obeying God. The same holds true for us. It can be tempting to focus on that one thing you don’t have that others do. The perfect job, spouse, the Pinterest perfect house, etc., and so much more.
Your life might be fantastic, but there’s just one thing that drives you crazy, makes you feel inadequate, and makes you envious of someone else. That makes you feel like you can’t “keep up with the Joneses.”
We should focus on what we have in our lives and not be too focused on the things that are missing.
2. Don’t doubt what God has told you.
Eve took her eyes off what God had told her. It was an error that, in God’s eyes, was forgivable. (God forgave this error by becoming incarnate and dying on the cross so that we could be reconciled to Him).
She was only human, after all. Her error, however, was doubting the Word of God. We can easily doubt something we once heard. Can you relate?
It made perfect sense when we first heard it, but we can begin to doubt it over time. Am I sure that’s really what was said? Am I sure that I remember correctly? Am I confident that that’s what the Lord said?
Eve doubted what God had once told her.
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat[a] of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 2:16-17 (ESV)
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
Genesis 3: (ESV)
Did God really say that? The serpent caused Eve to doubt what God had said. It may be an outside influence (the serpent) or our inner doubts, but how easy is it to doubt what we were once sure that God had told us?
I know that I’ve certainly been through this. After making a fairly significant decision quite recently, after many hours of trying to discern God’s will, I was plagued with doubt. Was I sure that this was what God wanted me to do? Is this the right decision? Really?
A friend reminded me of Eve and that Satan wants us to doubt what we were once sure that God had told us.
The lesson: Don’t doubt what you were once sure that God had told you.
3. Focus on God’s Word
Jesus faced the same sorts of temptations as Eve, but he did not fall. Why? Besides the fact that He was God incarnate, there was also this: when Satan tempted Jesus, he backed up and focused on the Truth, on God’s Word.
No matter the temptation, trust in God’s word, and you will be able to withstand it.
A physical pleasure tempted Eve (eating the apple), material possessions – or perhaps just a desire for significance? She wanted to possess something beautiful and feel significant. But, she also thought about how great life would be if only she had these things.
“ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.”
Genesis 3:6 (ESV)
She saw an opportunity to be wise and take charge of her life. She wanted freedom but knew that she couldn’t do it without being able to find out what was right or wrong through the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge and Wisdom (instead of obeying God). This is what led to her downfall.
Jesus, when he was tempted in the desert by Satan- a creature who had every opportunity to seduce him from his testimony of God’s love for all people and instead quoted scripture.
But he answered, “It is written,
Matthew 4:4 (ESV)
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
When Jesus refused to leap off the highest point of the Temple (Satan said that He, of course, would be rescued by angels), He cited Deut 6:16: “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.”
Finally, when He refused Satan’s offer of wealth and power, He cited Deut. 6:13:
“It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.”
Deuteronomy 6:13 (ESV)
Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
Matthew 4:10 (ESV)
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’”
God’s Word is our secure haven, a lifesaver. We can turn to it when we’re lost and need help navigating through life – but more importantly, it will guide us in making decisions for what matters most because of its reliability as truth!
God speaks to us through the Bible, and in times of doubt, we can always use some help from on high. The presence and power within these Pages will give you peace, knowing everything is going according to His plan for your life.
The form you have selected does not exist.
4. Don’t try to take control of everything.
Eve in the Bible wanted to know what was right and wrong instead of listening to the Creator’s voice. She wanted to be the ultimate authority, replacing God as her standard of truth.
How often are we taught to do this today? We are taught that we all have our own truth, that what’s true for you may not be true for me, and that we get to determine who we are, what our place in the world is, and where we belong. This is undoubtedly unbiblical.
Eve in the Bible is a created being with no independent power of her own. She is entirely dependent on the will and grace of her Creator for everything. However, she wants wisdom, knowledge, and control.
When we take the reigns from God and control everything ourselves, determining what is right and wrong and good and evil, true and false, then we act as though we had created ourselves. This fundamentally doesn’t work and is unbiblical.
Stop trying to control everything, and make things work according to your standards. It’s exhausting!
5. Don’t seek material things; seek what God wants for you.
Material things do not fill the God-shaped hole inside of us. We are never really fulfilled without a relationship with God. We were created to experience his love, grace, and guidance in our lives; it’s what makes us whole people- It’s the only way for human beings like ourselves can feel complete.
Many of us are seekers. We seek fulfillment in travel, that Pinterest-worthy home, a luxury car, or a high-prestige job.
Eve thought that eating the apple was a good idea. It was beautiful. It might have been delicious. And oh, the wisdom she could gain from it was against what God wanted for her.
Like all of us, Eve in the Bible was created for obedience. But unfortunately, obedience has become a forbidden and divisive word in today’s society. However, in obeying God, Eve does not find fulfillment. It is precisely the reason for which we were created.
Material things will never fulfill us. On the contrary, they leave us wanting more: exotic travel destinations, nicer cars, and fancier houses. Someone else will always have more. All those material things will end up in the trash.
Additionally, relationships cannot fulfill us. People – even those we love most – will do and say things we don’t like. Relationships can break down—communication stalls. Even the best relationships eventually end when one of the partners leaves the earth through death.
We cannot be fulfilled by things that we will lose. Christianity recognizes this truth and then claims that all good things will be restored in God.
“And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Revelation 21:5 (ESV)
It is in God that we find wholeness, not in material things.
The form you have selected does not exist.
6. You are a loved and treasured child of God.
Scripture tells us that each one of us is a beloved child of God.
Eve’s identity is not what she has, what she does, or what people say about her. God’s plan for Eve (and us) does not revolve around material success. These are only temptations that she gives into. She is tempted by a material thing that will give her wisdom and allow her to determine right and wrong for herself. Fundamentally, Eve is a beloved child of God.
In the Bible, God says this of Jesus at His baptism:
“And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Mark 1:11 (ESV)
We are adopted children of God and co-heirs with Christ. Therefore, our identities as Christians should not just be based on what we do but also because He has made us his sons or daughters through faith in Jesus’ name!
Paul reminds us in Romans 8:17:
“and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
Romans 8:17 (ESV)
The same is true of us. Materials things and what others say about you do not determine your worth. These are not God’s standards of success.
Remember that you are a child of God, with an identity and foundation to hold onto amid worldly successes or failures.
7. Put your faith and trust in God alone.
God will always be there for you and wants the best in your life. You can put all your faith in Him, so do not ever doubt that. Living according to His plan for us works out beautifully every time.
8. Do not entertain the evil one.
As Christians, we are in a spiritual battle with the devil. He wants to whisper lies into our ears and discourage us through negative thoughts or feelings that he may plant inside our minds. This is spiritual warfare.
He will find any way possible to try and deceive you, discourage you, and drag you down with him. The closer you get to God, and the more you do for Christ in your life, the angrier Satan gets because he wants you to be all caught up in sin; he wants to drag you down to hell with him. This is why you should NEVER listen to the devil or entertain negative thoughts or feelings.
The story of Adam and Eve in the Bible shows that Satan is the father of lies. The devil went straight into tempting and deceiving Eve the first moment he had the chance.
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Therefore, when he lies, he speaks out of his character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:44 (ESV)
9. God never lies.
God does not lie. Ever. Lying is a sin, and God does not sin. God warned Adam and Eve about what would happen if they ate the fruit from the Tree of knowledge of Good and evil. God said if they ate the fruit, they would die. Did He lie? Of course not. All of humanity was then cursed and resigned to death.
God is not man, that he should lie,
Numbers 23:19 (ESV)
or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began
Titus 1:2 (ESV)
so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.
Hebrews 6:18 (ESV)
10. Sin separates us from the Lord.
When Adam and Eve sinned, they were ashamed and hid from God. This is the first example in the Bible that sin separates us from God. When we sin, we want to hide; we feel ashamed. This is why it is essential to stay in prayer, confess our sins to God, and believe His grace is sufficient.
Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
Isaiah 59:1-4 (ESV)
or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
but your iniquities have made a separation
between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
so that he does not hear.
For your hands are defiled with blood
and your fingers with iniquity;
your lips have spoken lies;
your tongue mutters wickedness.
No one enters suit justly;
no one goes to law honestly;
they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies,
they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 (ESV)
You may enjoy this portrait of Eve in the Bible for further study:
Or one of these recommended resources:
Rediscovering Eve: Ancient Israelite Women in Context by Carol Meyers
The Calling of Eve: How the Women of the Bible Inspire the Women of the Church (Church Answers Resources) by Jacki C. King
The story of Adam and Eve in the Bible has been told and retold for centuries. While there are many interpretations of this tale, we can learn ten valuable lessons from Eve. These lessons range from the importance of listening to God to avoiding the power of temptation. Which lesson had the most impact on you? Share it with us in the comments below.
ESV – “Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”