The story of the creation of the first two people – Adam and Eve – in the Garden of Eden is familiar to every Bible reader. First, God creates Man from dust. Then, on seeing how lonely Adam is, God decides to create a female partner from one of Adam’s ribs. However, there is a crucial difference between the making of these two beings. Do you know what it is?
Woman: superior to man ？
The Formation of Man
When you read the Bible in English, both Adam and Eve are “created.” However, in the original Hebrew, there is a significant difference. When Adam is created, the verb yatzar יצר is used (Gen. 2:7). This means “He fashioned,” and is the same verb used for a potter who fashions vessels out of clay. The verb yatzar is the default word for divine creation, appearing numerous times in the first chapters of Genesis.
Woman: A Masterpiece of Creation
However, in the case of the Eve’s creation, the verb banah בנה meaning “He built,” is used instead (Gen 2:22). This is the only place in the Bible where build means to create. Why? The verb banah בנה is related to the word binah בינה meaning “intelligence.” This suggests that Eve is hardly inferior to Adam. On the contrary! From the beginning, woman was endowed with a superior sense of knowledge.
Connection to the Messiah
The creation of Eve calls to mind another famous Biblical passage that features the word binah. Writing about the future Messiah, the prophet Isaiah says a shoot shall grow out of the stump of Jesse: “The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding (binah)” (Isa. 11:2).
Study the Truth
Eve, much like the Messiah, began as an offshoot of something grand. But endowed with divine wisdom (binah), she set the stage for future generations of female empowerment. It’s these nuances in the primary text that makes it so interesting to understand.
