Who Is Lilith?

There is a lie spreading among the godless people who desire to speak out against the Word of GOD. The lie they are spreading is one that has been around for a long time: “Adam had a wife before Eve and her name was Lilith.” The legends vary significantly, but they all essentially agree that Lilith left Adam because she did not want to submit to him. According to the legends, Lilith was an evil, wicked woman who committed adultery with Satan and produced a race of evil creatures. (Insert exasperated sigh here) Truly, there’s nothing new under the sun and Satan’s tactics don’t change much. None of this nonsense is true and has absolutely no Biblical basis for the claims being made.

The passage most often pointed to as evidence for Lilith is Isaiah 34:14, which in the NRSV reads, “there too Lilith shall repose.” However, this is an extremely poor translation. The Hebrew word used in Isaiah 34:14 is לִיִלית [liyliyth] (lee-leeth’), which interpreters agree means a night spectre, screech owl, or some type of nocturnal creature; a creature of the night. Different English translations are as follows: The NASB as “night monster;” NET as “nocturnal animal;” YLT as “night-owl;” ESV as “night bird;” and many others as “night creature.”

The word liyliyth originates from לַיִל [layil] (lah’-yil) or [laylah] (lah’-yel-aw), meaning a twist away of the light and of the night. Essentially, the meaning is of the night or a period which is dark. We see this word used in Genesis 1:5 when GOD called the light day and the darkness night. And so it depicts the image of deep calamity without the comforting presence and guidance of GOD (Job 35:10).

Due to Near Eastern mythology, some interpret it as the name of a female night demon, on the basis of an apparent Akkadian cognate used as the name of a demon. Later Jewish legends also identified Lilith as a demon. In proper context, Isaiah 34 is about GOD’s judgment against all nations of the world. Isaiah 34:4 is prophecy regarding the end of days (Isaiah 13:13; 51:6; Ezekiel 32:7-8; Joel 2:31; Matthew 24:29; 2Peter 3:10; Revelation 6:12-14). Isaiah 34:5-6 specifically mentions Edom, whom the Lord pronounced judgment on (Jeremiah 49:7–22) and declared that the land would be a wasteland, occupied only by wild animals (Malachi 1:2–5). It is not a coincidence that a nocturnal creature is also a wild animal. Moreover, Edom represents all nations who are against GOD. Thus, Isaiah 34 describes judgment whereas Isaiah 35 is a beautiful picture of the final Kingdom for GOD’s children, where no evil will enter (Isaiah 35:8-10; Revelation 7:17; 21:4,24-27; 22:4-5,15). In Isaiah 34:11, the words תֹּהוּ [tohuw] (to’-hoo), meaning desolation, worthless, confusion, without form, nothing, a place of chaos; and בֹּהוּ [bohuw] (bo’-hoo), meaning empty, void, were both used in Genesis 1:2 describing the world before GOD ordered it and filled it with life. Thus, Isaiah 34 must be examined along with Isaiah 35 so that the contrast between life without GOD (nothing) and life with GOD (everything) can be understood in relation to salvation. Thus, Isaiah 34:14 examined in proper context has absolutely nothing to do with a person; in stark contrast, this “Lilith” is about a creature of the night, which would naturally belong in a desolate location that received GOD’s wrath in judgment.

Another commonly used support (lie) for Lilith is the “different” Creation accounts in Genesis 1-2. Some claim that the woman in Genesis 1 was Lilith, with the woman in Genesis 2 being Eve. However, this is also absurd and without Biblical basis for the claims made. Both Genesis 1 & 2 are the exact same creation story from two different perspectives. Together, the two chapters provide a harmonious and more complete picture of the creation events. They are different perspectives of the same creation story and do not contradict each other, but complement each other:

GENESIS 1	GENESIS 2
Overview of creation	Focus on relation
Describes GOD as Creator	Describes GOD as Communicator / Covenant-Maker
Chronological order	Topical order
Outline	Details
Creating animals	Naming animals
Regal character of human beings	Emphasizes priestly status

A thorough investigation of the Bible reveals many apparent contradictions, but no actual contradictions. Adam was the first, Eve was the second, just as it is written in both Genesis 1 & 2.

Conclusion:

The lie of “Lilith” needs to be buried. The only reason why Satan incited this lie to begin with was because Jesus did not stay buried; in fact, Jesus resurrected just as it written, conquering the grave, absorbing the penalty of death for us, providing those who are in Christ with eternal salvation (Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; John 3:16-18; 20:1-31; 1Corinthians 15:4-8).