Eve is one of the most eminent and distinguished individuals in both mortal life and in eternity. She had a vital role in the Garden of Eden narrative, and that role is reenacted and dramatized in our temple ceremony. In fact, Eve serves as the great archetype of all women. Additionally, she is a life-giver, the progenitor of all living, and she saved humankind from mortal destruction and extinction. In fact, as a help (Hebrew: ‘ezer) she corresponds (as a close similarity, but not as an equal) to God Himself, who is also called ‘ezer (“help”) because He sustains and maintains the life of His human creations and saves them from mortal destruction. Genesis 2–3 sets forth Eve’s seven-fold uniqueness:
(1) Built versus formed. The Hebrew verb used to convey Adam’s creation is the Hebrew ytsr, “to form” or “fashion.”97 “The Lord God formed (ytsr) man of the dust of the ground” (Gen. 2:7). The animals, too, were formed (ytsr) “out of the ground” (Gen. 2:19). However, a different verb (Hebrew: bnh, “to build”) is used to describe God’s creation of Eve. Some translations of Genesis 2:22 put it this way: “The Lord God built [bnh] the rib which he took from the man for the woman.” Bnh is used in a variety of settings in the Hebrew Bible, with reference to building cities, diverse buildings, and much more; this includes sacred structures, including God’s tabernacle and temples (see 2 Sam. 7:5, 13, 27; 1 Kgs. 3:1; 5:5; 6:1; 1 Chr. 22:19; 28:10) and altars (see Gen. 8:20; 12:7–8; 13:18; 22:9; 26:25; 35:7).98 The construction of Eve, with the employment of bnh, recalls the building of temples and altars, making Eve a prototypical building and a sacred institution. Eve’s creation is thus unique from all of God’s other creations in Genesis 2, which were formed from the ground. Note also that two Old Testament passages also use bnh with regard to women bearing and delivering children, or, as the Hebrew specifically states, building children (Gen. 16:2; 30:3; see also Deut. 25:9).
(2) Rib/side versus ground. The second uniqueness of Eve’s creation pertains to the fact that God used unique material or matter when He created Eve. He created Adam and the animals from inanimate substance, from ’adamah, or the ground (see Gen. 2:7, 19), but He built Eve from a living creature, from a human. More specifically, she was built from a tsela, which scholars translate as rib or side.99 But God did not build Eve from the rib alone; He also used flesh. One chief argument that tsela refers to flesh and bone comes from Adam’s response when God brought the woman to him: “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man” (Gen. 2:23).
Just as bnh may nuance the temple, so too tsela is associated with building sacred structures. Of its thirty-one occurrences (I-tsela) in the Hebrew Bible, tsela refers three times to humans (see Gen. 2:21–22; Job 18:12; Jer. 20:10). In the great majority of the other occurrences, tsela refers to the construction of the tabernacle and its appurtenances, Solomon’s temple, and Ezekiel’s temple.100 In sum, Eve was built from the rib and flesh, a refined substance, more refined than the elements found in the ground (’adamah), from whence Adam and the animals were created—Eve, then, was built like a temple.
(3) Adam’s deep sleep. The third uniqueness of Eve’s creation pertains to the fact that God created Eve while Adam slept (see Gen. 2:21). We note that he is not asleep owing to his desire to slumber, but rather, God causes him to sleep a deep sleep (Hebrew: tardemah) while God creates Eve. The man, therefore, does not assist in her creation, nor is he a spectator, nor did God seek Adam’s opinion on the matter. Nowhere else in the text, including the naming of the creatures, does the man sleep. In fact, he is awake in Genesis 2:15–20. And earlier, when God stated that He would make a help for the man, He asked not for Adam’s view. God was the instigator, the grand planner; Adam was not a participant. “I [God] will make (’asah) him an help meet for him” (Gen. 2:18; see also v. 20). “I will make” shows that God is in charge and interested in making Eve.
(4) Not good to be alone! The fourth uniqueness of Eve’s creation pertains to the expression, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Gen. 2:18). These words are set in the context of a series of seven formulaic expressions that pertain to God’s creative acts, wherein good is utilized: “God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). Good refers to various forms of creation, signifying the exceptional quality of God’s work. Note, however, that in Genesis 2:18 the formula changes: “It is not good that the man should be alone”; this is followed with “I will make him an help” (Gen. 2:18). Eve’s absence from the Creation was “not good.”
(5) Eve is called Help. The fifth uniqueness of Eve pertains to the fact that, of all of God’s creative works, she singularly is called ‘ezer (“help”). Not only is Eve twice called ‘ezer, but on several occasions in scripture God is identified as ‘ezer (see Ex. 18:2–4; Deut. 33:7, 26, 29; Ps. 20:1–2; 33:19–20; 70:1–2, 5; 89:19; 115:9–11; 121:1–2; 124:8; Hosea 13:9). All passages that establish God as a help are connected, implicitly or explicitly, to His sustaining and maintaining the life of His human creations. He is a help because He protects His creative works, male and female, from mortal destruction, the sword, savage enemies, death, and the grave. He preserves them during periods of trouble and keeps them alive during famines. He crushes their foes and strikes down their adversaries. Unlike mortals “in whom there is no help” (Ps. 146:3), the Lord is a help who preserves us in our time of need. Ultimately, the Lord is a help who ransoms His mortals “from the power of the grave” and “redeem[s] them from death” (Hos. 13:14).
Eve’s role of life-giver and help echoes that of God, who is Life and who is Help. Eve, therefore is called ‘ezer because she is a life-giver, a life force, the progenitor of all living who saved humankind from mortal destruction and extinction.
Hebrew-English lexicons and biblical exegetes provide a wide range of meanings for ‘ezer; indeed, ‘ezer is a complex term, one that is difficult to translate. ‘Ezer may be translated “help,” and the term may indicate one who is powerful, a savior, and one who saves humankind from mortal extinction.101
(6) Eve is Life. Genesis 3:20 contains two kingpin statements, both of which are of consequence to understanding the garden narrative. The first statement explicitly identifies Eve as life; Eve is a Hebrew word that means life.102 In the passage under discussion, it appears that Adam is naming his wife, but Moses 4:26 provides evidence that the name Eve originated with God Himself: “Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living; for thus have I, the Lord God, called the first of all women, which are many” (Moses 4:26). It is not likely that Adam originated the name; more likely God revealed it to him.
The word because serves to introduce the motive clause—why was she called Life? Because she was the mother of all living. Lest the audience lack knowledge of Hebrew, the author provides the explanatory statement, Eve means life, which signifies the mother (giver of life) of all living! With this explanation, the author of the scriptural account is emphasizing Eve’s significance in the story. She is Life and she is Mother. While all mothers have exceptional significance, Eve is unlike all others—she is the Mother of all living.
Biblical scholar Isaac Kikawada, building on the work of others, argues that the tripartite Hebrew expression ’em kol hay (“mother of all living”) is an “honorific title” and that her name verifies “her role as a creatress of man.”103 Kikawada also writes that “Eve is exalted as the ancestress of all mankind.”104
(7) Eve is Mother. The second kingpin statement in Genesis 3:20 is that Eve is “the mother of all living”; the term mother attested here (Hebrew: ’em) is vital to the narrative. We recall that Eve received this designation before giving birth to her children—all women, regardless of whether or not they have birthed a child, can be mothers. Sheri Dew explains, “While we tend to equate motherhood solely with maternity, in the Lord’s language, the word mother has layers of meaning.” She explained to a large group of females, “We are all mothers in Israel, and our calling is to love and help lead the rising generation through the dangerous streets of mortality.”105
Mothers are vital to society (this cannot be overstated!). Some cultures celebrate motherhood with special days of observance, such as Mother’s Day and Mothering Sunday. Also, some religious communities employ honorific titles that include “mother,” e.g., Reverend Mother, Mother Superior, Mother of God, Mother Teresa. But the first and greatest title is recorded in the garden narrative: Eve is the Mother of All Living!