Who was Lilith? Was She Deleted from the Bible?
Who was Lilith… Supposedly?
You’ve probably heard the story of how God created the world in Genesis 1 and 2. Traditionally, God created everything in 6 days and capped off the creation with the first man and woman, whose names were Adam and Eve.
But there are some who propose Eve wasn’t the first woman and she wasn’t even Adam’s first wife. They submit that Eve was the second woman, created after Adam and Lilith’s marriage fell apart.
Don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of Lilith. Lilith is a foreign name to most Bible students, but some claimed Bible teachers suggest that is because Lilith’s story was intentionally cut out of the Bible.
Lilith’s Mythological Story and Background
There is a Jewish writing from the Middle Ages known as the Alphabet of Ben Sira, which, as far as we know, is the earliest historical text to suggest Adam had a wife named Lilith.
In the Ben Sira text, Adam and Lilith were made by God, both from the dust of the ground. They were husband and wife, but their marriage didn’t last long because they got in an argument about sex. Lilith believed herself to be Adam’s equal (not submissive to him) and she refused to take the bottom position. This argument became so bad that Lilith abandoned Adam and essentially dissolved their marriage. She refused to return to Adam even after God sent 3 angels to collect her.
Lilith chose to rebel against God and essentially became a demon, a demon who inflicted sickness on babies.
In Lilith’s place, God created a submissive wife for Adam. Her name was Eve, and rather than being made from the dust like her husband, she was made from Adam’s rib (as is recorded in the biblical account).
Why was Lilith’s Story “Cut Out” of the Bible?
Those who believe the Lilith narrative suggest the story of Lilith was removed from the Bible to support the patriarchy and to keep women in a place of submission. If women found out about Lilith, they would know they were originally designed to be equals with men, which would disrupt the whole social order. So, according to these Lilith believers, Lilith was removed from the Bible narrative to protect the male dominated society.
Should You Believe in Lilith? Does Her Story Belong in the Bible?
The short answer to this question is, “No!”
There is no strong evidence that supports Lilith being Adam’s first wife or being present anywhere in the creation story. Most of those who promote the Lilith narrative are people who want to undermine the Bible or those who have way too much faith in VERY lose lines of evidence.
The idea of Lilith being Adam’s wife is nowhere in history until The Alphabet of Ben Sira, which was written in between 700-1,000 A.D (more than 2,000 years after Genesis was written). Additionally, many scholars believe The Alphabet of Ben Sira was a work of satire and sarcasm and was in no way meant to be read as an accurate record of history. The Lilith narrative lacks historical credibility, and I doubt any serious biblical scholar considers it a missing part of the original Genesis story.
It’s true that Lilith’s name can be found in other documents of history (the Jewish Talmud, the Dead Sea Scrolls, etc.), but these references in no way support the wild story of The Alphabet of Ben Sira.
In Conclusion
Ancient historical documents mention a mythological being known as Lilith, but the suggestion that the Lilith story found in The Alphabet of Ben Sira is historical and belongs between the pages of Genesis 1 and 2 is utterly ridiculous.
If you hear anyone affirm this view, respectfully ask them to present a historical case for the credibility of their claims. I doubt you’ll find to many people even willing to attempt it.
Also, keep in mind that many of the people who bring up Lilith or other Bible-adjacent mythology are often very poorly studied on the subject. They parrot things they’ve heard online hoping to confound unsuspecting Christians. Always press them to explain their claims in detail and challenge them to see how much they actually know about the subject matter. Sometimes the best defense against bogus claims is a steady insistence that the one proposing the bogus provide you with hard evidence.
