Genesis 3:20 - Meaning and Application

After God named the man Adam, which means “red earth,” Adam, as another sign of authority, named the woman Eve, which means “life.” Adam carries the name of the dying body, while Eve carries the name of the living soul. The reason for the name is given here, though some think Moses, the historian, explains it, and others think Adam himself did. She was the mother of all living, that is, she was to become the mother of all people.

He had earlier called her Ishah, meaning “woman,” as his wife. Here he calls her Eve, meaning “life,” as his mother. If God gave this name, it was a sign of his favor. Like the new names given to Abraham and Sarah, it was a seal of the covenant, a promise that, even though they had sinned and God was displeased with them, he had not taken back the blessing he had given them: “Be fruitful and multiply.” It also confirmed the promise just given, that the seed of the woman, this woman’s offspring, would crush the serpent’s head.

If Adam gave the name himself, then it showed his faith in God’s word. It was surely not meant, as some have suspected, to mock the curse or challenge it. Rather, it came from humble trust in God’s promise. He likely saw the blessing of a reprieve, and he marveled at God’s patience in allowing such sinners to become the parents of all living. God did not at once shut up the springs of human life and nature, even though those springs could produce nothing but polluted, poisoned streams.

Adam also saw the blessing of a Redeemer, the promised offspring, and he looked to him in naming his wife Eve, or “life.” For that Redeemer would be the life of all who live, and in him all the families of the earth would be blessed. In that hope, Adam spoke with confidence and joy.