Why Did Adam call his wife Eve? Why is she mother of all living?Adam had not called his wife by any name as far as the bible says prior to their fall in the garden. When the Lord created the woman from Adam’s rib he brought her to him and he said,

“This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. (Genesis 2:23)

There is something about this verse of scripture and Adam that I have never paid attention to and that is the fact that he was aware of what had happened to him. The scripture prior to this one says that,

“The Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof.” (Genesis 2:21)

But when the Lord brought the woman to Adam he didn’t say, “Wow, where did she come from?” or “who’s she?” No. He knew exactly what had happened. Though he slept he somehow knew that God was performing this surgery and cloning process. And he appropriately called her woman. She is the female version of man.

So how did she become Eve, the mother of all living?

God had commanded Adam saying,

“Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 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 2:16-17)

Well, you know the story. A serpent who was described as being “more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made,” came into the garden and created doubt about what God had command concerning the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

“Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

The woman came back with

“We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.”

The serpent

“You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The woman began to look at the fruit and begin to desire it and both her and Adam ended up eating the fruit God had commanded them not to eat. And for you men who think it was all the woman’s fault, it’s not true. He was standing right there with her the whole time. Read verse 6 in chapter 3 of Genesis:

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6)

So what were the results? Well, earlier in the story, in chapter 2, God brings the woman to Adam for a mate. The bible says they were both naked and were not ashamed. Now watch what happens after they have disobeyed God by eating the fruit from the tree that was forbidden.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” (Genesis 3:7-10)

  1. Their eyes were opened, and the knew they were naked
  2. They tried to cover it up (nakedness, sin, shame)
  3. They hid from God
  4. Because of their nakedness, they were afraid.

When I know that I have done wrong there is no denying, reasoning, or rationalizing. I know that I have done wrong. I have sinned. My eyes are open.

My first instinct is to cover it up. Not necessarily from God, but, from people. And there is certain sin in my life that only God knows about because I am too ashamed to reveal it. I keep it covered up.

When I have committed sin, especially ones that I consider my worst, I don’t want to be around the people of God. I don’t want to hear or read the Word of God. I don’t want to hear music singing His praises. It is not because my feelings about Him have changed. It is because I feel naked and exposed, I feel ashamed. I feel unworthy and unclean. And yes, I feel afraid like Adam and Eve and hide from His presence.

Again, why Is she “The Mother Of All Living?” We’re getting there. I promise.

God inquires, “Who told you that you were naked?” He knew they had eaten of the forbidden tree. How? Simple, he knew the effect that committing sin would have one them, and, He is God. God asked, “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Adam says, “the woman you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I ate.” He asked Eve, “What is this you have done?” She says, “the serpent deceived me, and I ate.” He didn’t even ask the serpent any questions. He simply declares:

14..Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you shall go,
And you shall eat dust
All the days of your life.

15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”

16 To the woman He said:
“I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;
In pain you shall bring forth children;
Your desire shall be for your husband,
And he shall rule over you.”

17 Then to Adam He said,
“Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life.
18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field.
19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.”

20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

But look at verse 15 and 16. What is this that the Lord is doing?
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed…
This verse causes me to wonder, is this why women have suffered so many cruel injustices throughout history? Is this why they have been treated as 2nd class citizens. Is this why they haven’t had the same rights as men? Is it why even today a woman makes less than a man, doing the exact same job in the workplace? Enmity between the devil and the woman. Satan is behind all that women have suffered throughout history. Why? Read the last part of the verse: ..between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed… This is understood to be a prophecy of the Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus).

It was not through the seed of man that the messiah would come. When Adam “knew” his wife they had a son, born in sin, just like every man and woman since then. When a man joins with his wife and gives seed it will only produce an offspring born under the same condemnation that began with Adam. If you know your biology you know that a woman does not produce a seed. She receives seed from a man. So how can this verse be fulfilled, and, a woman produce the Messiah?

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:30-35)

Jesus, Yeshua, the Messiah, was born of a virgin without the seed of man. Therefore, He was born a true man, without the condemnation of sin. This is why His life was the perfect sacrifice for the sin of all men. His death on the cross paid the price of eternal death. He satisfied the righteous requirement of the law.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Roman 6:23)

All who trust in Christ have eternal life. This is why Adam called his wife Eve, the mother of all living! I believe Adam heard the prophecy and understood that God would save man through a savior, using the channel of a woman, bypassing the sin nature that comes through the seed of man. I also believe this is why Satan hates women and why they have suffered so much through history. Not just history but today as well. In the United States women, today suffer many injustices. In other countries, women suffer great atrocities in the name of religion. A relationship with Yeshua the Messiah is the only way anyone can ever be free.