Biblical Hebrew: Words Revealedনমুনা

Biblical Hebrew: Words Revealed

The Meaning Behind “Eve”

The Mother of ‘All Living Things’

The sound of "i" in “Eve” obscures the true meaning of Eve's Hebrew given name. The Hebrew name חַוָּה (chava) has a root connection to the verb לחיות (lichyot) “to live” and to words such as חַי (chai) and חַיִּים (chayim) communicating the idea of “life”. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to call Adam’s woman חַוָּה (chava), because one day she will become the mother of “all the living” כָּל־חָי (kol chai).

Eve's second name, אִשָּׁה (isha) (Gen. 2:23), means "woman" in Hebrew. Generally, it is considered to be the feminine form of the Hebrew word for "man", אִיש (ish). However, the real root which אִשָּׁה (isha) derives from is different from its male counterpart. The root comes from A.N.SH. (א.נ.ש) and means fragileness and delicacy. Interestingly, the word "fire", אֵשׁ (esh) also resonates in this beautifully complex name for "woman" in the Bible.