Lilith is a mythological character who does not appear in the Bible. According to some myths that became popular in the Middle Ages, Lilith was the first woman, created before Eve. Lilith rebelled and was expelled from Eden, becoming a demon. This story has no biblical foundation, so it must be ignored.
The Lilith myth emerged among the Jews but is not part of the Bible. The story may be influenced by the Babylonian religion, which had a cruel goddess with a similar name. Jewish culture was marked by exile in Babylon. Later, the Jewish myth gained some popularity among Christians, but it was never accepted as part of the Christian faith.
Lilith, Adam and Eve
According to the myth, God first created Adam and Lilith from the dust of the earth. So, the first woman was not Eve. But Lilith was not submissive to Adam. She had been raised in the same way as Adam, so she demanded equality and did not accept being dominated by her husband. The fight between Adam and Lilith became so great that she took the name of God in vain and left the garden of Eden.
God sent three angels to convince Lilith to return to Eden and submit to Adam but she chose to reject reconciliation. Therefore, she became a demon. Adam was alone and sad, so God created Eve to be his companion. Eve was raised out of Adam’s rib, unlike Lilith, and accepted her position of submission to her husband.
Some stories even add that Lilith was the snake that convinced Eva to eat the forbidden fruit. She was jealous of Eve and Adam, so she decided to destroy them, causing them to sin.
See also: what was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?
Lilith in the Bible
There is nothing in the Bible that suggests that Lilith’s story is true. The creation account in Genesis speaks only of a man and a woman: Adam and Eve. They were created as equals, to complement each other ( Genesis 1:27 ; Genesis 2:18 ). There is no reason to believe that there was another woman before Eve.
The only possible reference to Lilith is in Isaiah 34:14 . In this passage, the Hebrew word translated “nocturnal creatures” is similar to Lilith. The mentioned creature represents a monster or a creature of the night, which would haunt the land of Edom after its destruction. All the creatures in that passage are symbols of the desolation of Edom, who would be punished for his sins. As the text is symbolic, we cannot say with certainty whether this creature really exists or if it is only a metaphor.
The reference to “Lilith” in the book of Isaiah was written long before myths about the woman who existed before Adam came to light. There is no connection between the two stories except the name.
The Lilith myth adds nothing useful to the history of the Bible, nor does it have any biblical teaching. It actually contradicts the Bible. The Bible clearly says that the serpent that deceived Eve was the devil ( Revelation 12: 9 ). It wasn’t Lilith.
