Glimmers in the Story of Eve

Eve. Sinner. Seductress. She’s part of our cultural heritage, especially in the Western world, as the subject of countless artworks, books, even TV shows. She’s depicted as the archetypal woman, defining the very essence of what it is to be female.

Eve also looms large in the history of the church. She’s been portrayed as a secondary and inferior creation, blamed for the fall of humanity, even accused of seducing man into sin. Therefore, the argument goes, all women are easily deceived, more susceptible to sin, even sexually deviant(!) because of the legacy of our foremother. We can still see echoes of these ideas today, even though many have been dismantled over time.

But what does the source material—the book of Genesis—actually say about Eve? God’s purpose for humanity The first two chapters of Genesis tell the story of how God created the world, with order and beauty. Genesis 1 gives us a broad perspective on the beginning of all things with a short but powerful poem recounting the creation of humanity: So God created the human in his own image,  in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Gen 1:27)[1] God blesses these first humans and commissions them to cultivate the earth and have children—to nurture and serve just like their Lord.

Genesis 2 then gives a second version of the creation story, this one more intimate and relational. God shapes the first human from the ground and breathes life into this form. God then gives the human a home in the Garden of Eden to take care of it and enjoy it, while also enjoying close relationship with the Creator.

This first human is called ’adam, a name that can be translated as “human.” There’s another word in ancient Hebrew for “man” or “male,” which was used in Genesis 1:27 and doesn’t appear again until Genesis 2:23 when God creates woman. ’Adam is a lot like the Hebrew word for ground—’adamah—which is what the first human was made from.

Importantly, this passage doesn’t emphasise Adam’s maleness or teach a creation order that gives men pre-eminence over women. Rather, it displays God’s loving care in creating Adam from the ground, the original person who is given duties and privileges as the representative of all humanity. The creation of woman

As Adam enjoys life with the Creator in the garden, God says, “It is not good for Adam to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (Gen 2:18). The wording of “a helper suitable for him” can give us the false impression that women were made as subordinate assistants, designed merely to help men achieve their purpose.[2) But that’s not the case—the truth is far more profound.

In Genesis 1, God proclaimed that each part of creation was good as it was made; but now it’s not good that the human is alone. The first human needed a sustainer, a strong ally who would share God’s purpose for humanity in caring for creation. So God forms an equal partner corresponding to Adam: the woman.

God causes the first human to fall deeply asleep, takes a rib or a section (it could be either) from the human’s side, and builds the woman. She’s made from exactly the same material as the first human, she’s essentially like Adam.

And so when God brings her to Adam, he bursts out in a song of recognition and delight: “This is at last bone of my bone                and flesh of my flesh;            She shall be called ‘woman,’                for she was taken out of man.” (Gen 2:23) These are the first reported words spoken by a human, because now Adam has another person to whom he can relate. The story culminates in the equal union of the woman and man as they become one flesh.

What a glorious picture of humanity’s purpose! We were made to cultivate, serve, and guard creation in all sorts of ways, including through having children. We were made to have relationship with one another, in marriage and also in other relationships, built on trust, companionship, shared labour, and joy. And most importantly, we were made to know and love God. Where it all went wrong

Of course, our experience of life is often very different to this. Humanity has caused a lot of harm to creation, not least by increasing the population. Relationships fall apart. God seems distant or unreal.

Genesis 3 shows us how it all came undone. A threatening presence slithers onto the stage—a crafty serpent, who engages the woman in a theological discussion: “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Gen 3:1).

But then, the woman answers back and corrects the serpent![3) What the serpent said isn’t true. God had only made one tree off-limits, the one that would bring death.[4) Every other tree was generously provided for humanity’s sustenance and enjoyment.

The wily serpent has an answer for this: “You will not certainly die … For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:4–5).

There are half-truths here mixed in with the lies. If they eat the fruit, they may not die immediately—but death will enter the world this way. And they will gain knowledge of good and evil—although it isn’t the ability to choose good over evil, but more like an intimate acquaintance with evil that leads to enslavement and despair.

We’re hopeful that the woman will keep arguing with the serpent, that she’ll call him out on his lies again. But instead, the woman is swayed by the serpent’s smooth words. She stops talking, takes the fruit, and eats it. She also gives some to her husband—who, we find out, was standing right next to her the whole time. While the woman failed in her argument with the serpent, Adam stood there and said nothing at all! The woman didn’t rebel against God by herself; the man is equally culpable.

They eat the fruit and their eyes are opened to see themselves with shame. So they hide in fear, and when God confronts them about what they’ve done, they immediately cast blame. The man blames the woman and the woman blames the serpent.

Intimacy with God is destroyed. Trust between husband and wife is shattered. Humanity’s connection to the world is also damaged: working the ground will no longer be as fruitful and having children now involves suffering. This is the world we’re terribly familiar with. Glimmers of light

And yet—even in one of the darkest times in history, there are glimmers of light.

Following God’s pronouncement of the consequences for sin, God curses the serpent for what he’s done:

“I will put enmity

between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

he will crush your head,

and you will strike his heel.” (Gen 3:15)

References to offspring come up again and again in the Old Testament, and the book of Genesis is full of lists of descendants. That’s because God’s rescue plan for the world would be carried out through the offspring of the woman. The serpent—that is, the devil—would strike at God’s people again and again but, in the end, the woman’s descendant would crush the enemy completely.

Although the first humans had just faced the judgement of certain death, they hold on to this faint glimmer. Adam names his wife Eve “because she would become the mother of all the living” (Gen 3:20), claiming hope in God’s promise through this name.

The story of humanity continues in Genesis 4: “Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, ‘With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man’” (Gen 4:1).

More glimmers of light. The connection between the woman and man hasn’t been completely destroyed. God’s commission to humanity to have children is still possible. And Eve herself, as she gazes at her newborn baby, recognises the promise that this son holds.

Eventually Eve and Adam’s hope was realised. In Luke 4:1–13, another human comes face-to-face with the serpent, who strikes at his heel, tempting him to distrust his heavenly Father’s goodness and protection. This human also argues with the serpent, just like Eve did.But whereas Eve stopped speaking and, alongside Adam, chose rebellion over trust, Jesus doesn’t fall silent. Jesus is the long-awaited serpent-crusher. He repeatedly calls out the devil’s lies and, on the cross, crushes the power of sin and death once and for all. Jesus is the offspring of Eve who gives hope and life to all who trust him.

Eve’s story in our story

So how can Eve’s story be a source of hope and life to us?

Firstly, Eve’s story urges us to fight against sin.

Yes, Eve ultimately failed in her argument with the serpent. She rejected God—as we all do—and experienced the consequences of her sin. And yet, the hostility between the woman and the devil shows us that Eve wouldn’t always give way to evil; she would actively fight against it.

As the offspring of Eve, we also face the relentless attacks of the devil. Eve’s resistance to sin should give us courage as we also resist, trusting Jesus in our fight against hatred, injustice, and violence in the world and in ourselves. This resistance to sin is perfectly realised in Jesus—but the first glimmer is seen in Eve.

Secondly, the story of Eve offers us hope. Banished from the garden, a death sentence ringing in their ears, the woman receives a name that means life. When she gives birth, she sees God’s ongoing involvement in her life and the life of her child. Eve embodies a hopefulness that bears witness to the extraordinary compassion of God. In one of the darkest times in history, Eve can see the glimmer of hope.

In our dark times of suffering and despair, like Eve and Adam we can hold on tightly to God’s promises, looking for the glimmers of light.

Eve is a sinner, like me and you. But her story also shows us the mutuality and purpose that God designed for women and men. Her story urges us to resist evil. And it offers us hope as we hold on to Christ, the source of all life.

Aids for further thinking:

Benckhuysen, Amanda W. The Gospel According to Eve: A History of Women’s Interpretation. IVP Academic, 2019.

Brueggemann, Walter. Genesis. John Knox Press, 1982. Pages 22–54.

Conway, Mary L. “Gender in Creation and Fall: Genesis 1–3.” Pages 35–52 in Discovering Biblical Equality: Biblical, Theological, Cultural & Practical Perspectives. 3rd edition. Edited by Ronald W. Pierce, Cynthia Long Westfall, and Christa L. McKirland. IVP Academic, 2021.

Westfall, Cynthia Long. Paul and Gender: Reclaiming the Apostle’s Vision for Men and Women in Christ. Baker Academic, 2016. Pages 61–141.

[1] All Bible quotations are from the NIV 2011. The only exception is here in Genesis 1:27 where I adopt Robert Alter’s translation in the first line as “the human” for ’adam instead of the NIV’s “mankind” (Robert Alter, Genesis: Translation and Commentary [W. W. Norton & Company, 1996], p. 5). See my explanation of translating ’adam a few paragraphs down. [2)Theologian Marg Mowczko has written some excellent articles looking at what the phrase, “a helper suitable for him,” means in its original context. To get you started, have a look at https://margmowczko.com/a-suitable-helper/ and https://margmowczko.com/ezer-kenegdo-subordinate-helper-eve/. [3) Thanks to Megan Powell du Toit for drawing attention to this detail in her keynote address at the Christians for Biblical Equality Annual Conference, Sydney, March 9th 2024. [4) Some commentators argue that Eve’s willingness to converse with the serpent and her misquotation of God’s command indicate her openness to temptation, e.g., James McKeown, Genesis (Eerdmans, 2008), p. 35. I think the text is more subtle and ambiguous than that, and Eve does challenge the serpent’s initial question; see Walter Brueggemann, Genesis (John Knox Press, 1982), p. 48.

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Alex is writing her PhD dissertation on the role of emotional appeal in the persuasive function of Ezra-Nehemiah. She also teaches Old Testament as an adjunct lecturer at Morling College and Sydney Missionary and Bible College. Alex is a member of St John’s Anglican in Glebe, where she sometimes preaches and loves being encouraged by her church family.