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Who was the first woman on earth? Eve or Lilith? I have heard both the stories but which one has more weight?

Who was the first woman on earth? Eve or Lilith? I have heard both the stories but which one has more weight?

Biblically speaking it is Eve, in the Hebrew-language the term lilith or lilit (translated as "night creatures", "night monster", "night hag", or "screech owl") The passage most often used as evidence for Lilith is Isaiah 34:14, referring to a list of animals, either in singular or plural form according to variations in the earliest manuscripts. In the Dead Sea Scrolls 4Q510-511, the term first occurs in a list of monsters.

The account in the Book of Isaiah, describes the desolation of Edom, where some of the animals have demonic associations. The word lilit (or lilith) only appears once in the Hebrew Bible, although the name lilit is a poor translation, while the other seven terms in the list appear more than once and are better documented.

Isaiah 34:12-17

12 They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing.

13 And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.

14 The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.

15 There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.

16 Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.

17 And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.

Who was the first woman on earth? Eve or Lilith? I have heard both the stories but which one has more weight?

Every other major translation of the Bible translates Lilith as something to the effect of "night creature" or "screech owl."

Who was the first woman on earth? Eve or Lilith? I have heard both the stories but which one has more weight?

Another commonly used support for Lilith is the differing Creation accounts in Genesis chapters 1-2. Some claim that the woman in Genesis 1 was Lilith, with the woman in Genesis 2 being Eve. Rather, Genesis chapter 2 is a "closer look" at the creation of Adam and Eve as recorded in Genesis chapter 1. The Bible specifically says that Adam and Eve were the first human beings ever created (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:18-25).

Originally published on Quora.