Eve
the mother of all the living
Who was Eve?
- God formed her from one of Adam’s ribs and brought her to Adam. Genesis 2:21-22
- She listened to the serpent, ate the forbidden fruit, and gave some to Adam too. Genesis 3:4-6
- Adam named her Eve, because she would be the mother of all the living. Genesis 3:20
- The name
- “Eve” sounds like the Hebrew word that means “to live.” Adam gave her that name because she would be the mother of all the living. Genesis 3:20; NABRE note on Gn 3, 20
- Also called
- “Woman,” the first name Adam gave her (the Douay-Rheims explains: “because she was taken out of man”) Genesis 2:23 · “The mother of all the living” Genesis 3:20
What the Bible says
Genesis 2:21-22
21Then the Lord God cast a deep sleep upon Adam: and when he was fast asleep, he took one of his ribs, and filled up flesh for it. 22And the Lord God built the rib which he took from Adam into a woman: and brought her to Adam.
Genesis 3:4-6
4And the serpent said to the woman: No, you shall not die the death. 5For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil. 6And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold: and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband who did eat.
Genesis 3:20
And Adam called the name of his wife Eve: because she was the mother of all the living.
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
The path of Eve
- Before Jesus. God formed her from one of Adam’s ribs and brought her to Adam. Genesis 2:21-22
- Before Jesus. The serpent asked her why God had forbidden them to eat from the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:1
- Before Jesus. Eve explained that they could eat from all of them, except the tree in the middle of the garden. Genesis 3:2-3
- Before Jesus. The serpent told her they would not die, but would be like gods. Genesis 3:4-5
- Before Jesus. Eve ate of the fruit and also gave some to her husband, and he ate. Genesis 3:6
- Before Jesus. When God asked her why she had done it, she answered that the serpent had deceived her. Genesis 3:13
- Before Jesus. Adam named her Eve. She was the mother of Cain, Abel and Seth. Genesis 3:20; Genesis 4:1-2, 25
- Afterward. According to Tradition: Many Fathers of the Church call Mary the “new Eve.” By her faith, Mary untied the knot of Eve’s disobedience. Catechism 494; Irenaeus, Against Heresies III, 22, 4
Words of Eve
“Of the fruit of the trees that are in paradise we do eat: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of paradise, God hath commanded us that we should not eat; and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die.” Genesis 3:2-3
When the serpent asked her about the trees of the garden.
“The serpent deceived me, and I did eat.” Genesis 3:13
When God asked her why she had done it.
“I have gotten a man through God.” Genesis 4:1
When Cain, her first son, was born.
“God hath given me another seed, for Abel whom Cain slew.” Genesis 4:25
When Seth was born, after Abel’s death.
What they were like
- When Cain was born, she said she had him with God’s help. Genesis 4:1
- When Seth was born, she said God had given her another son in place of Abel. Genesis 4:25
The greatest thing in her life
- She was the first woman, and the mother of all the living. Genesis 2:22; Genesis 3:20
Not to be confused with
- Mary: Tradition calls Mary the “new Eve,” but they are two different women. Eve is the first woman in Genesis; Mary is the mother of Jesus. Genesis 3:20; Luke 1:31; Catechism 411
In the Church today
In art, recognized by: Beside Adam, the tree and the serpent From Gn 3, 1-6; this is how Christian art shows her
What people ask
Was the forbidden fruit an apple?
The Bible does not say. It speaks only of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3:6
Why is she called Eve?
Adam gave her that name because she would be the mother of all the living. In Hebrew, “Eve” sounds like “to live.” Genesis 3:20; NABRE note on Gn 3, 20
Was Eve made from one of Adam’s ribs?
That is how Genesis tells it. The Church reads in it that man and woman share the same humanity. And that they are made for each other. Genesis 2:21-23; Catechism 371; Catechism 372
Why is Mary called the “new Eve”?
Saint Irenaeus and many Fathers of the Church call her that. They say that what Eve tied up by disobeying, Mary untied by her faith. Catechism 494
How many children did Eve have?
The Bible names three: Cain, Abel and Seth. It also says that Adam had other sons and daughters. Genesis 4:1-2, 25; Genesis 5:4
Her fall She listened to the serpent, ate the forbidden fruit, and also gave some to Adam. Genesis 3:4-6 When God asked her, she said the serpent had deceived her.…
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