Introduction
Eve, whose name is explained in Genesis as meaning "living" because she was "the mother of all living", is the first woman, formed by God from a rib taken from Adam. She is a central figure in the Genesis account of Eden and human origins.
This article follows the biblical account in Genesis. Where later Jewish, Christian or Islamic tradition adds detail not found in the text itself, the article identifies it as such.
Family
Creation
In Genesis 2, God, judging that "it is not good for the man to be alone", causes Adam to fall into a deep sleep, takes one of his ribs, and forms it into a woman, whom Adam recognises as "bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh".
The forbidden fruit
Eve is approached by the serpent, described as more crafty than any other wild animal, who questions God's prohibition against eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Persuaded that the fruit is desirable and will make her wise, Eve eats it and gives some to Adam, who eats as well.
Consequences and children
After the Fall, God pronounces that Eve will experience pain in childbirth and that her husband will rule over her. She and Adam are expelled from Eden. Eve later bears Cain, Abel and Seth, and Genesis records her declaring at Seth's birth that God had given her another child in place of Abel.