The Creation of Eve (c. 1509–1510) by Michelangelo. |
Concerning the creation of חוה (or, more properly, the אשׁה) from the צלע of אדם, Genesis 2:21 records:
In other words, according to the Septuagint, God did not really cause Adam to “fall asleep” when he created Eve from his “side.” Rather, he cast a vision or trance over him.
Michael Fox adds the insight that the word [tardēmâ] pertains to “untimely sleep or stupefaction, not to normal sleep at night.” . . . From these data it is easy to conclude that Adam’s sleep has prepared him for a visionary experience rather than for a surgical procedure. The description of himself being cut in half and the woman being built from the other half (Gen 2:21–22) would refer not to something he physically experienced but to something that he saw in a vision. It would therefore not describe a material event but would give him an understanding of an important reality, which he expresses eloquently in Genesis 2:23. Consequently, we would then be able to conclude that the text does not describe the material origin of Eve. The vision would concern her identity as ontologically related to the man. The text would therefore have no claim to make about the material origin of the woman.
(John H. Walton, The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2–3 and the Human Origins Debate [Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Academic, 2015], 79–80.)
Very interesting. I wonder if the "trance" spoken of could be the "veil of forgetfulness."
I always wondered if God really took a rib from Adam to make Eve. That never made sense to me. This information you presented makes sense.
Understanding what the Scriptures really mean or teach is important.
So, Eve really didn't come from Adam's rib? Was it because he couldn't take a ribbing?
I see what you did there. 😉
Here's something that may be food for thought:
http://vridar.org/2010/06/20/which-bone-was-eve-made-from/