As one of the seven archangels in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic lore, Lilith has been a part of Western myths for centuries. She is known as a seductress and a demon, but she is also a protector of children and motherhood. In this blog post, we’ll explore what the Bible says about Lilith and how she fits into the larger narrative of biblical lore.
To begin with, is Lilith even mentioned in the Bible? Well, not exactly. But there are plenty of other places where she does appear—and not just in The Book of Genesis. In fact, she appears in several texts throughout the Bible, including Isaiah 34:14–15 (a prophecy about the end times) and Deuteronomy 18:15 (which lists Moses’s commandments). These references to Lilith give us insight into how ancient Jews viewed this mythological figure—and why they might have considered her so important.
The Bible mentions the Lilith only once, as a dweller in waste places (Isaiah 34:14), but the characterization of the Lilith or the lili (in the singular or plural) as a seducer or slayer of children has a long pre-history in ancient Babylonian religion.
Is Lilith In The Bible
Lilith is a character in Jewish folklore, but many people don’t know that she’s also mentioned in the Old Testament. Some scholars think lilith is Adam’s first wife, who was made from the same clay as Adam and who refused to be subservient to him. Her story can be found in The Alphabet of Ben Sira, which is included in Jewish midrashic and kabbalistic texts. However, even though this text isn’t considered part of the actual Bible by most scholars, there are several places where there are references to lilith outside of it.
The Bible is a collection of ancient texts that were originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic. While it is not a single book but rather a collection of 66 books, the Bible has been translated into almost every language on earth. Despite its vast reach, there are many aspects of the Bible that are still unknown to modern readers. One such part is the Lilith legend, which may or may not have been referenced in one of these books.
Lilith was a demon who appeared in Sumerian mythology as one of the first wives of Adam. In this legend, Adam was said to have been created by God and brought to life by Eve’s rib (his second wife). When Adam first saw his new spouse, he fell in love with her immediately and wanted to marry her right away. However, Lilith refused his request because she did not want him to be her master; instead she wanted equality in their marriage.
As a result, God sent three angels down from heaven who forced her into submission by tying her up with chains and making her vow never again to refuse Adam’s requests—or else they would kill her on their wedding night! Luckily for Lilith and all future women-folk everywhere
The Lilith in the Bible is a female demon who is one of the first wives of Adam. The word “Lilith” means “screech owl” in Hebrew, and she was also known as Lamia or Mormo. According to legend, she was created from the earth at the same time as Adam. However, when God asked Lilith if she wanted to be equal with Adam, she refused, saying that she would only be his equal if he lay beneath her and let her dominate him.
God then cursed Lilith by saying that she would never have children or a companion who loved her. He further told her that if any man tried to force himself upon her, she could use violence against him without fear of reprisal.
In Jewish folklore, Lilith has been said to kill infants, give birth to monsters and demons and drink human blood from their throats after they have been killed by other demons or vampires. Some scholars believe that these legends about Lilith originated from ancient Mesopotamian myths about Inanna (the Queen of Heaven), Ishtar (the goddess of war), or Anat (one of Baal’s lovers).
In some stories, Lilith is depicted as being a beautiful woman who seduces men with
The Lilith in the Bible is a figure of Jewish folklore, and it is not the same as the Lilith in the Quran.
In fact, there is no mention of Lilith in the Quran at all. Instead, she appears only in Jewish folklore from around 1500 B.C.E., where she was said to be Adam’s first wife. The story goes that she was created before Eve and was jealous of God’s creation of Eve because she had been made from Adam’s rib rather than out of dust like the other creatures on earth.
Because of this jealousy, she left Adam and went to live with demons in caves under the earth—but not before killing off his children with her demon paramours. She herself would later give birth to one thousand demons each night and send them out into the world so they might harm humans to her liking.
The name “lilith” comes from Hebrew, which means “night.” It is thought that this name may have been derived from ancient Babylonian mythology; there are several different names for these creatures throughout many cultures across history including lamia (Greek), lamashtu (Sumerian), and lilu (Mesopotamian).
Lilith is a demon in Jewish mythology. She was Adam’s first wife, who left him after he refused to sleep with her on their wedding night. Her name comes from the word “lilit,” which means “night monster” in Hebrew. Lilith is often associated with ghosts, vampires and werewolves. She’s considered an evil spirit who steals babies from their cribs at night and feeds off of their blood.
In modern times, Lilith has become a mythical character in fiction and pop culture. She’s been depicted as the villain in movies like “Blade” and “Resident Evil,” and she was also featured in Neil Gaiman’s novel “American Gods.”
She also appears in some versions of the Bible as well as some Tarot cards. Some scholars believe that she may have been inspired by a Babylonian goddess named Lilitu or Lilu who was worshipped by Sumerians as early as 3000 BCE.
Genesis 1:28
The story of Lilith is found in many biblical books and apocrypha, including the Book of Genesis and the Books of Enoch. “”the first man Adam””, who was created by God on Earth, had a companion named “lilith” (from Sumerian & Akkadian: līlītu=night monster) that he created from the dust taken from his body. Lilith became Adam’s first wife but refused to submit to him because she believed that he would not be able to overpower her as she had been fashioned out of his flesh and bone. God told them both to go their separate ways, but instead they cursed each other and went off into exile together.
In some versions of this story, Lilith later becomes pregnant with 100 demon children every night before being pursued by angels in search for her wherever she may be hiding during daylight hours (as demons are unable to bear sunlight).
Isaiah 34:14
The most common biblical reference to Lilith is in Isaiah 34:14. This chapter is primarily a prophecy of God’s judgment against Edom, an ancient kingdom that would become part of modern-day Israel. The passage describes a time when “the desert creatures will meet with the jackals” and “the lion will eat straw like cattle” (Isaiah 34:6). In later verses, this land is described as “a waste without inhabitants,” where only poisonous snakes and scorpions can be found (Isaiah 34:10).
It’s here that Lilith enters the story—and it’s not clear whether she does so as a creature or just as another example of how desolate this land has become. Verses 14 through 16 describe how Lilith was originally created from dust by God along with Adam—but rather than being content with her subordinate role under him, she rebelled against him and fled into the wilderness.
She appears next in verse 17: “The waster shall come upon every city,” but then there are two different accounts of how this waster comes into play before moving on to discuss what happens when they do arrive at their destination. Some translations describe her as having been created from dust like Adam but still being equal in power; others suggest an entirely different origin story altogether (see below).
Psalms 91:5-6
Psalms 91:5–6 is a passage in the Bible. It’s about God’s protection and how he defends us, his angels, and all of creation from the devil and his demons. This passage also says that we have nothing to fear because God will protect us if we put our trust in him. The verses read:
- “You will not fear the terror of night” (Psalm 91:5)
- “no evil will befall you, nor shall any plague come near your house” (Psalm 91:10)
Ezekiel 16 and 23
In Ezekiel 16, God is lamenting the sins of Jerusalem. He says that they have rebelled against him by worshipping idols and committing adultery with many foreign nations (1–8).
He then goes on in verse two to talk about the firstborn son of Adam and Eve:
- “On a certain day when I passed by you, I saw you spiritually dead in your transgressions and sin.”
Here we learn that even though Adam was created physically perfect, he became spiritually dead because of his sin. This is a key point to understand when thinking about Lilith’s origins as well as her role in later stories where she appears as an evil spirit or demon.
Proverbs 30:20
Lilith is most often mentioned in the Bible in Proverbs 30:20-23, where she is described as Adam’s first wife. She was created out of the same earth as Adam, but made before Eve. Lilith then became a demon who tormented men and women alike. Lilith was also one of the first people to appear in the Garden of Eden after its creation by God, along with Eve and another woman named Naamah (or “pleasing”).
Lilith is briefly mentioned at Genesis 6:1-6; 1 Enoch 6-16; Jubilees 4:16-17; Testament of Solomon 5:2-3; Alphabet of Ben Sira 9:11; Pseudo-Philo 3:4; Apocalypse of Abraham 12:7; 19 (Targum); also see Jewish Encyclopedia II §282 f., Manasseh ben Israel’s Hope of Israel iii 72; Henry More’s Immortality Of The Soul i ch 22 (London 1659); John Milton Paradise Lost iii 788 ff., Shakespeare 2 Henry IV iii 2 (London 1600).
Genesis 2:18-22, 3:1-8, 9, 22-24
Genesis 2:18–22, 3:1–8, 9, 22–24
Adam and Eve’s firstborn son was Cain, but Eve gave birth to another son. Their names were Cain and Abel. They were the first children of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were the first people on earth. God told them not to eat from a certain tree in the garden because it would make them mortal like him—they would die if they ate from it! But they did anyway! God punished them by making them leave paradise forever!
The story of Lilith is in the Bible.
The story of Lilith is in the Bible. It’s in the book of Genesis, chapter one, verse 21:
“And God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abound, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind.”
For those who don’t recognize it by title alone (or those who do), this is where Lilith was first mentioned. She was known as Adam’s first wife before Eve came along. The text describes her as a succubus—a demon who sucks blood from men while they sleep at night. She was also said to be a night demon or even just a demon of the night. In general terms, her description says much about how she might look if you saw her yourself: pale skin with dark hair and red eyes that glow like fireflies in the dark forest on a summer evening.
Lilith And Adam
According to Jewish folklore, Lilith was Adam’s first wife. Though she is not mentioned in the Torah, over the centuries she has become associated with Adam in order to reconcile contradictory versions of Creation in the book of Genesis.
Lilith and the Biblical Story of Creation
The biblical book of Genesis contains two contradictory accounts of humanity’s creation. The first account is known as the Priestly version and appears in Genesis 1:26-27. Here, God fashions man and woman simultaneously when the text reads: “So God created mankind in the divine image, male and female God created them.”
The second account of Creation is known as the Yahwistic version and is found in Genesis 2. This is the version of Creation that most people are familiar with. God creates Adam, then places him in the Garden of Eden. Not long afterwards, God decides to make a companion for Adam and creates the animals of the land and sky to see if any of them are suitable partners for the man. God brings each animal to Adam, who names it before ultimately deciding that it is not a “suitable helper.” God then causes a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and while the man is sleeping God fashions Eve from his side. When Adam awakes he recognizes Eve as part of himself and accepts her as his companion.
Not surprisingly, the ancient rabbis noticed that two contradictory versions of Creation appear in the book of Genesis (which is called Bereisheet in Hebrew). They solved the discrepancy in two ways:
- The first version of Creation actually referred to Adam’s first wife, a ‘first Eve.’ But Adam was displeased with her, so God replaced her with a ‘second Eve’ that met Adam’s needs.
- The Priestly account describes the creation of an androgyne – a creature that was both male and female (Genesis Rabbah 8:1, Leviticus Rabbah 14:1). This creature was then split into a man and a woman in the Yahwistic account.
Although the tradition of two wives – two Eves – appears early on, this interpretation of Creation’s timeline was not associated with the character of Lilith until the medieval period, as we shall see in the next section.
Lilith as Adam’s First Wife
Scholars are not certain where the character of Lilith comes from, though many believe she was inspired by Sumerian myths about female vampires called “Lillu” or Mesopotamian myths about succubae (female night demons) called “lilin.” Lilith is mentioned four times in the Babylonian Talmud, but it is not until the Alphabet of Ben Sira (c. 800s to 900s) that the character of Lilith is associated with the first version of Creation. In this medieval text, Ben Sira names Lilith as Adam’s first wife and presents a full account of her story.
According to the Alphabet of Ben Sira, Lilith was Adam’s first wife but the couple fought all the time. They didn’t see eye-to-eye on matters of sex because Adam always wanted to be on top while Lilith also wanted a turn in the dominant sexual position. When they could not agree, Lilith decided to leave Adam. She uttered God’s name and flew into the air, leaving Adam alone in the Garden of Eden. God sent three angels after her and commanded them to bring her back to her husband by force if she would not come willingly. But when the angels found her by the Red Sea they were unable to convince her to return and could not force her to obey them. Eventually, a strange deal is struck, wherein Lilith promised not to harm newborn children if they are protected by an amulet with the names of the three angels written on it:
“The three angels caught up with her in the [Red] Sea…They seized her and told her: ‘If you agree to come with us, come, and if not, we shall drown you in the sea.’ She answered: ‘Darlings, I know myself that God created me only to afflict babies with fatal disease when they are eight days old; I shall have permission to harm them from their birth to the eighth day and no longer; when it is a male baby; but when it is a female baby, I shall have permission for twelve days.’ The angels would not leave her alone, until she swore by God’s name that wherever she would see them or their names in an amulet, she would not possess the baby [bearing it]. They then left her immediately. This is [the story of] Lilith who afflicts babies with disease.” (Alphabet of Ben Sira, from “Eve & Adam: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Readings on Genesis and Gender” pg. 204.)
The Alphabet of Ben Sira appears to combine legends of female demons with the idea of the ‘first Eve.’ What results is a story about Lilith, an assertive wife who rebelled against God and husband, was replaced by another woman, and was demonized in Jewish folklore as a dangerous killer of babies.
Later legends also characterize her as a beautiful woman who seduces men or copulates with them in their sleep (a succubus), then spawns demon children. According to some accounts, Lilith is the Queen of Demons.
Conclusion
Lilith was an important part of the Bible, and it is important for us to recognize her as such. Although it appears that most people who are familiar with the Bible have forgotten about Lilith, her story is an essential component of this religious text. The story of Lilith can be found in Genesis 1:28, Isaiah 34:14, Psalms 91:5–6, Ezekiel 16 and 23, Proverbs 30:20 and Genesis 2:18–22, 3:1–8, 9–22–24.