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Adam
Made from dust and given the breath of life, he heard God ask, "Where art thou?"
Old and New Testament · Primeval history · Genesis, Romans, 1 Corinthians · Also known as The first man
About Adam
Genesis tells how the LORD God formed Adam from the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life. He was placed in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it, and named the animals. God made Eve from his side, and he called her "bone of my bones." When they ate from the one tree God had forbidden, they hid from God, and Adam blamed Eve. They were sent out of the garden, and he worked the ground until he returned to dust. Paul later contrasts Adam with Jesus: "as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
The name Adam is also the Hebrew word for "human being" or "mankind," and it sounds like adamah, "ground." Christians read Genesis 1–3 in different ways, from straightforward history to theological story, but all see in it the goodness of creation and the reality of human sin.
The story
Dust and breath
"The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and put the man there "to dress it and to keep it."
Genesis 2:7-15
Naming the animals
God brought every beast and bird to Adam "to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof." But among them all, "for Adam there was not found an help meet for him."
Genesis 2:18-20
Bone of my bones
God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, took one of his ribs, and made a woman. Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."
Genesis 2:21-25
Where art thou?
Eve ate the forbidden fruit "and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." They hid among the trees. "The LORD God called unto Adam… Where art thou?" Adam answered, "I was afraid," and then, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat."
Genesis 3:6-12
East of Eden
"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground… for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Yet "unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them." They were sent out of the garden, and cherubim guarded the way to the tree of life.
Genesis 3:17-24
Key moments
- Formed from dust: The breath of life. (Genesis 2:7)
- Names the animals: "That was the name thereof." (Genesis 2:19)
- Meets Eve: "Bone of my bones." (Genesis 2:23)
- Eats the forbidden fruit: "Where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9)
- Sent out of Eden: To work the ground. (Genesis 3:23)
- Dies aged 930: After the birth of Seth and more children. (Genesis 5:5)
Questions about Adam
In meetBible these answers are given in Adam’s voice. They are written by hand and checked against Scripture.
Why did you blame Eve?
When God asked whether I had eaten from the tree, I answered, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." I blamed her, and in a way I blamed God for giving her to me. Then Eve blamed the serpent. Scripture doesn’t explain my reasons, but it shows how quickly hiding turned into blaming.
How long did you live?
Genesis says, "All the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died." I was 130 when my son Seth was born. Readers understand these long early lifespans in different ways. Scripture gives the numbers without explaining them.
Connected people
Read it yourself
Start with Genesis 2–3.