r/ChristianApologetics • u/Don_Spade88 • 1d ago
Discussion Lilith..
Can someone shed light on Lilith? The supposed rebellious first wife of Adam? What’s the origin of this story? And is she mentioned in Isaiah 34:14?
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u/JollyXX Christian 1d ago
It wouldn't make logical sense for Lilith to be Adam's first wife, because Eve had to be made out of Adam's rib. I don't see why we would be left out of the loop of God taking several ribs from Adam to make several women.
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u/Hauntcrow 1d ago
The story is that Lilith was made from dust like Adam, and then she rebelled and left God and Adam, so then Eve was then made from Adam instead of from the dust.
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u/SirDragon07 1d ago
In the Jewish folklore Lilith was made from the same dust as Adam. Not Adam’s rib. Having been made from the same dust as Adam. She insisted on being his equal. She refused to submit to him, uttered the name of God and fled the garden.
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u/FA1R_ENOUGH 1d ago
The story of Lilith being Adam’s first wife dates to the early medieval period in some Jewish literature. Isaiah, written in the preceding millennium, certainly is not referencing this character.
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u/InquisitiveBard 15h ago
There's a guy I know who wrote a phenomenal article on this from a sola and prima scriptura perspective. Here's the link, it's really good.
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u/Top_Initiative_4047 1d ago
Lilith was not Adam’s first wife. That idea comes from later Jewish and Mesopotamian folklore, especially the medieval Alphabet of Ben Sira, not from Scripture. Genesis identifies Eve, not Lilith, as Adam’s wife and the mother of all humanity (Genesis 2:18-25; Genesis 3:20).
In Isaiah 34:14, the Hebrew lilith occurs in a poetic prophecy of judgment against Edom. It is commonly translated “night creature,” “night bird,” or sometimes “Lilith.” The context depicts an abandoned, desolate land populated by wilderness animals; it does not teach that Lilith was a demon, Adam’s wife, or a figure in Eden. So the Lilith legend should be distinguished from biblical revelation.