"And The Lord God formed man from the dust of
the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man
became a living being." (Genesis 2:7). The
Hebrew for man is pronounced aw-dawm, from which Adam
is derived. It's also related to aw-dawm-ah, which means red earth,
or red clay - indicating the natural earth elements that composed Adam's
body, and the body of every human being since.
"The Lord God took the man and put him in the
Garden of
Eden to work it and take care of it." (Genesis 2:15). Adam wasn't
going to lead an idle life - he had a job right from his first day.
For a little while, Adam was the only human being in existence (imagine
being the only person on an entire planet!). "The Lord God said, "It is
not good for the man to be all alone." (Genesis 2:18)
"So The Lord God caused the man to fall into
a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man's ribs
[also translated took part of the man's side] and closed up the
place with flesh. Then The Lord God made a woman from the rib He had taken
out of the man, and He brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now
bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for
she was taken out of man." For this reason a man will leave his father and
mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh."
(Genesis 2:21-24)
Eve's original name, when translated, meant simply "woman," (a "female
man") just as Adam was known simply as "man" (a "male man"). He called her
"woman," and she called him "man." Later, "Adam named his wife Eve,
because she would become the mother of all the living." (Genesis 3:20).
Eve is derived from the Hebrew word which means life-giving.
Eventually, besides
Cain And Abel, they had Seth (Genesis 5:3), and numerous other
children (Genesis 5:4).
"So God created man in His Own Image, in The Image of God He created
him; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them,
"Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule
over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living
creature that moves on the ground." Then God said, "I give you every
seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has
fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts
of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move
on the ground - everything that has the breath of life in it - I give
every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw all that he had made,
and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning - the
sixth day." (Genesis 1:27-31). (see
The Seven Days Of Creation)
Adam and Eve had a perfect life in Eden. That is, until
That Old Serpent slithered in.
