CHAVAH - EVE

Adam named his wife Eve (Chavvah), because she would become the mother of all the living.

Genesis 3:20 (NIV)

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INTRODUCTION

From the rib I came to be,

from my husband’s bone.

An equal helper so the man would not be alone,

Eve (Chavvah) my husband named me.

God created Adam from the dust of the earth and soon after realized that, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Adam was put to deep sleep and a helper was created from his rib. Together they resided in Eden and cultivated the garden until that fateful day when they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Consequences came to both and they were expelled from Eden. 

It was then that Adam named his wife Eve. Eve of course is the English version of the Hebrew name Chavvah, which means “mother of all living” but may hold a far deeper meaning behind it. 

IN EDEN

In Eden resided I,

alone, with only animals keeping me company,

until God choose to bring forth from me,

a helper, an equal worthy. 

From the dust of the earth, Adam was created and placed in Eden. Lonesome some days were, though there were animals to keep him company at first. But animals could not take the role of a helper that would assist him in cultivating Eden. And so an equal to him was created from his rib. Eventually, she was called Eve (chavvah).

The Hebrew word Chavvah is primarily said to mean “to breathe” and “living”. The first time we encounter this word in the Bible is with Eve, also described as “the mother of all living”. The Hebrew word for “mother of all living” is em kol chi. As Chaim BenTorah points out in his article Hebrew word study: Eve - Chava, it is God that is the source of all living. So how come Eve was given such a name? And why is the word for living used in the singular form, when it is usually used in the plural? (2)

His study reveals that God is the giver of both physical (temporal) and spiritual (eternal) life. Eve was named Chavvah only after the fall. She is the giver of only physical life. That is why she is named the mother of chi – physical life. Before the fall, the physical and spiritual were eternal, and there were children born that had immortal bodies per Chaim BenTorah’s account. (2)

CHAVAH - ETYMOLOGY 

The word chavah is rooted in the word chaya. Chaya means “to give life”. But way was she not named chaya? (3)

Behind the word chavah, the meaning “to cover, protect,, or hidden” is hiding. It is spelled Hei Vav Hei and not Cheith, Yod, Hei used for the word chaya. (2)

When we add the letter daleth to chavah, we get chedvah, which means joy. When Chavah, the protector of life, gives birth to independent life – chayah, there is joy. (2)

Yes, giving birth into this world of sin is sorrowful, but God promises He will redeem from sin, and so giving birth should still be considered a joy. (2)

Also, further study reveals that a woman was to be a gateway to God and to guide a man into his relationship with God. As Chaim BenTorah says, “She is the primary focus of raising a child to love God.” (2)

CONCLUSION

Eve, in Hebrew Chavah, was called as “the mother of all living”. The word points to her physical life-giving abilities she acquired after the fall in Eden. It also points to the protective nature of the woman who is called to be the gateway to God and a guide in the life of her children in this world full of sin. And though it is sorrowful to bring forth life into this world full of sin, it shall be redeemed by God, and in so should be a joyous event either way. 

Application

What has God put on your spirit to bring forth into this world, which you may have put aside? Contemplate and journal your thoughts throughout this week. 

SOURCES

1. Image created via canva.com.

2. Chaim Bentorah. Hebrew Word Study – Eve – Chavah. Nov 8, 2021. Available at https://www.chaimbentorah.com/2021/11/hebrew-word-study-eve-chavah-חוה/ 

3. Bible Hub. Chavah. Available at https://biblehub.com/topical/c/chavah.htm.