Who was Adam in the Bible?
Who was Adam and Why is He Important to the Bible Story?
Short Summary of Adam’s Life:
Adam was the first human created by God, according to the Bible. He lived in the Garden of Eden with his wife Eve, until they disobeyed God and were expelled. He is the father of all humankind and the ancestor of Jesus the Christ. Adam was formed from the dust of the ground and received the breath of life from God. He named all the animals and was given Eve as his companion. He ate the forbidden fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which brought sin and death into the world. He had three sons who are named in the Bible, Cain, Abel, and Seth, and many other children. According to Genesis 5:5, he died at the age of 930.
Longer Summary of Adam’s Life:
Adam was the first human God created. He was made in the image and likeness of God, and given dominion over the earth and its creatures. He was placed in the Garden of Eden, a beautiful paradise-like garden where Adam had access to every tree except one, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God warned him that if he ate from that tree, he would surely die.
God saw that it was not good for Adam to be by himself, so he caused him to fall into a deep sleep and He used one of his ribs to form a woman, Adam named his wife “Eve” because she was the “mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20). She was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, and they became one flesh. They were both naked and they weren’t ashamed of it.
One day, a crafty serpent tempted Eve to eat from the forbidden tree. It lied to her and told her God’s threats were empty, telling her she definitely wouldn’t die if she ate the fruit, but she would become like God, knowing good and evil. Eve saw that the fruit was desirable and ate some. She gave some to Adam and he ate it too. Immediately, their eyes were opened, they realized they were naked, and they were ashamed. They used fig leaves to cover themselves and then they hid from God.
God came to the garden and called out to Adam, who confessed that he was afraid because he was naked. God asked him who told him he was naked, and if he had eaten from the tree that he commanded him not to eat from. Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. God cursed the serpent to crawl on its belly and eat dust, and put enmity between it and the woman, and between their offspring. He also cursed the woman to have pain in childbirth and to be ruled by her husband. He cursed the man to have to work hard to produce food from the ground, which would also produce thorns and thistles. He said that he would return to the dust from which he was created.
God made garments of skin for Adam and Eve and clothed them. He then banished them from the Garden of Eden. This separated them from the Tree of Life and made them mortal, destined to eventually die. He placed cherubim (heavenly beings) and a flaming sword to guard the way to the Tree of Life.
Adam and Eve had children, starting with Cain and Abel. Cain worked in the fields and Abel was a shepherd. They both brought offerings to God, but God accepted Abel’s and rejected Cain’s. Cain became angry and killed his brother. God punished Cain by making him a wanderer on the earth, and put a mark on him to protect him from anyone who would kill him. Cain went to the land of Nod, east of Eden, and had a son named Enoch.
Adam and Eve had another son, named Seth, who was born when Adam was 130 years old. Seth had a son named Enosh. Adam had many other sons and daughters. Adam lived for 930 years and then he died. He is mentioned in the genealogies of Genesis 5, 1 Chronicles 1, Luke 3, and Jude 1. He is also referred to as a type of Christ (Romans 5), who is called the last Adam in 1 Corinthians 15.
