Bible Central

  • Book & Chapter Guides
  • Reference Overviews
    • People of the Bible
    • Places of the Bible
    • Topic Guides
    • Library
    • Bibliography
  • Media
Menu
  • Book & Chapter Guides
  • Reference Overviews
    • People of the Bible
    • Places of the Bible
    • Topic Guides
    • Library
    • Bibliography
  • Media
Search
Close

Eve: Life and Help: A Type of Christ

 / Reference Overviews / Library / 

Eve: Life and Help: A Type of Christ
Download PDF PDF

Book

The Jesus Christ Focused Old Testament

Donald W. Parry

Loading...

Contents

Introduction
Prophecies of Jesus Christ’s Mortal Ministry and Atonement
Symbols that Testify of Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ: Conquering Hero
Jesus Christ is the Lord of History: Nine Major Historical Eras
The Lord Jesus Christ: Potter, Captain, Shepherd, and More
The Lord Jesus Christ Controls the Nations: Book of Judges Case Study
Old Testament Passages Cited by Jesus Christ
Messianic Prophecies in the Psalms
Psalm 22 and Its Fulfillment in Jesus Christ
Isaiah’s Prophecies of the Mortal Messiah
The Messiah in Isaiah 53: Four Recurring Themes
Names, Titles, and Metaphors of the Lord Jesus Christ
Lord (Jehovah): The Most Frequently Used [Content] Word in the Hebrew Bible
Equivalent Designations of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old and New Testaments
God: Compound Names
Lord: Compound Names
The Lord Is Our Savior
The Lord (Jehovah) Is Our Redeemer
The Lord Is Our Atoner
Jesus Christ Is the Messiah
Jesus Christ Is the Lord
One, Three, and Seven: Sacred and Symbolic Numbers
Seven and Sacred Time
Prophets and Prophetesses: The Lord’s Messengers
Eve: Life and Help: A Type of Christ
Adam: “The Figure of Him that Was to Come”
Melchizedek: Type of Christ
Isaac: Type and Shadow of Christ
Joseph of Egypt: Foreshadow of Christ
Moses: Type and Shadow of Jesus Christ
Elijah: Symbol of Jesus Christ
Job: Suffering Servant, A Type of Jesus Christ
Hosea’s Family: Symbols of the Lord for Ancient Israel
The Sign of Jonah: Pointing to Christ’s Death
Priests and High Priests: Foreshadowing Jesus Christ
The Lord Reveals Cycles of Sacred Time
Striking Blood on the Doorposts: The Passover Anticipates Jesus Christ
The Day of Atonement: Messianic Foreshadowing
“A Feast to the Lord”: Sacred and Secular Meals
Parallelisms: Teaching About the Lord Jesus Christ Through Poetry
Chiasmus: Unique Presentations of the Lord’s Word
The Psalms: Praises to the Lord Jesus Christ
Lord: Focused Prophetic Speech Forms
Prayers: Mortals Seeking the Lord’s Divine Favor
Worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ through Music and Song
Law of Moses: Anticipated Jesus Christ and His Atonement
Manna: Symbol of Jesus Christ
Symbols of Christ in the Tabernacle of Moses
Sacrifices Under the Law of Moses: Six Acts
Sacrifices: Symbols of Jesus’s Atoning Sacrifice
Diet Code: Unclean and Clean Animals
God Is a Holy Temple: Temples and Sacred Space
The Atonement-Focused Earthly and Heavenly Temples
Jesus’s Royal Ancestry: Rulers of the Kingdom of Judah
Loading...

Contents

Introduction
Prophecies of Jesus Christ’s Mortal Ministry and Atonement
Symbols that Testify of Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ: Conquering Hero
Jesus Christ is the Lord of History: Nine Major Historical Eras
The Lord Jesus Christ: Potter, Captain, Shepherd, and More
1 2 … 10 Next »

Donald W. Parry, “Eve: Life and Help: A Type of Christ,” in The Jesus Christ Focused Old Testament: Making Sense of a Monumental Book (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2022), 78–79.

In very significant ways, Eve is a type and shadow of Jesus Christ. For example, Eve is named Life; Jesus Christ is Life. The Hebrew name Eve signifies life and refers to Eve as a bringer of life to her great posterity. Genesis 3:20 provides this explanation of Eve’s name: “Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.” Although foreign words are used elsewhere in the story (Adam, cherubim, Eden, Pison, Havilah, and so forth), only Eve’s name is attached to an explanation—an emphasis on Eve’s significance in the story.

In Genesis 4:1–2 the author shows the appropriateness of Eve’s name by recounting that Eve gave birth: “Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain. . . . And she again bare his brother Abel” (Gen. 4:1–2). These verses show that Eve, in accordance with her name, is a life-giving entity. But Eve as life is not limited merely to biological considerations. God’s cursing of the serpent includes the promise that Eve’s seed would crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15); this seed is none other than Jesus (Rom. 16:20; Heb. 2:14), who will destroy both the serpent and death. In other words, Eve the life brought forth Jesus the Life, and it is Jesus who brings spiritual life to humankind and who subdues Satan.

The scriptures reveal that Jesus Christ is the Life. He is the “Word of life” (1 John 1:1) and the “Prince of Life” (Acts 3:15). He “giveth life unto the world” (John 6:33). Also, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life” (John 3:36). Stated differently, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:11–12). Jesus taught Martha, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). Then, as proof of His great power to restore life, Jesus Christ raised Martha’s brother Lazarus from the dead. As Paul stated, “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our lord” (Rom. 6:23). Just as Eve has given physical life to all of God’s children on this earth, Christ gives immortality through the Resurrection.

Eve is a help; the lord is a help. Only two individuals in the Bible are explicitly identified as help (Hebrew ‘ezer): Eve (twice) and God (sixteen times; see Ex. 18:2–4; Deut. 33:7, 26, 29; Ps. 20:1–2; 33:19–20; 70:1–2, 5; 89:19; 115:9–11; 121:1–2; 124:8; Hosea 13:9). No others—including kings, queens, ranking military officers, prophets, or priests—are presented as help. Moreover, the vastly powerful and commanding Pharaoh of Egypt, together with his officials and representatives, is specifically depicted as not being a help (see Isa. 30:1–5). The fact that God is called a help provides insights into why Eve is called a help. In what manner is God a help? The prophets reveal that God is a help because He sustains and preserves the lives of all His people.

In sum, twice Eve is called a help (Gen. 2:18, 20), and as such she, like the lord Himself, served to sustain life. She was no more a subordinate to Adam than the lord is a subordinate to the mortals for whom He is a help.

The chart below sets forth several ways in which Eve was a type and shadow of Jesus Christ.

Six Items Regarding the Significance of Eve

Life

The scriptures identify two individuals as life—Jesus and Eve.

Eve: In Hebrew, Eve means life; also, “Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living” (Gen. 3:20).

Jesus: The “Word of life” (1 John 1:1) and the “Prince of Life” (Acts 3:15). Jesus taught, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).

Crushing the Serpent

God’s cursing of the serpent includes the promise that Eve’s seed would crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15); this seed is none other than Jesus (Rom. 16:20; Heb. 2:14), who will destroy both the serpent and death. In other words, Eve the life brought forth Jesus the Life, and it is Jesus who brings spiritual life to humankind and who subdues the serpent.

Help

Only two figures in the Old Testament are called help (Hebrew ‘ezer), God and Eve (Gen. 2:18, 20). Help does not indicate a subordinate. God is called a “help” (‘ezer) sixteen times (Ex. 18:4; Deut. 33:7, 26, 29; Ps. 33:20; 115:9–11) in the Old Testament, and He is not a subordinate. He helps mortals where they cannot help themselves. Eve is a help in a way similar to God: she is an enabling help to Adam. One prominent scholar has translated help as “power.”

Power

Scholars have noted that the word help is used in poetic synonymous parallelisms with power. That is to say, help is used by ancient Hebrew poets to be synonymous with power. Eve is twice referred to as help (Gen. 2:18, 20), which associates her role with that of power.[1]

Good

The frequently attested formula “and God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31), referring to the various forms of creation, signifies more than the great quality of God’s works. Good, in Moses’s language, also refers to the absence of evil. This meaning sheds light on God’s statement that “it is not good that man should be alone,” which is followed with “I will make him an help” (Gen. 2:18). Eve’s absence from the Creation was “not good.”

“To form” versus

“to build”

The verb used to describe Adam’s creation is the same one used to describe a potter forming an earth vessel: “The lord God formed [Hebrew ytsr, “fashioned”] man of the dust of the ground” (Gen. 2:7; emphasis added). A different verb (Hebrew banah, “to build”), however, is used to describe God’s creation of Eve—He built her from the rib of Adam (Gen. 2:22). This same verb describes the building of fortresses, towers, and God’s tabernacle and temples. Adam, therefore, was fashioned as a potter forms a vessel, and Eve was built like the building of a temple. Eve’s creation is thus unique from all of God’s other creations.



[1] Brünn, “The Roots ‘ezer-oz,’” 8–14; Freedman, “Woman, A Power Equal to Man,” 56–58; Talmon, “Synonymous Readings,” 335–83.

Site Links

  • Chapter Guides
  • Reference Works
  • Media
  • About
  • Donate
  • Donor FAQ

BMC Ecosystem

  • Scripture Plus
  • Book of Mormon Central
  • Doctrine and Covenants Central
  • Pearl of Great Price Central
  • Evidence Central
  • Messages of Christ
  • Seminary Central
  • BMC en Español
  • BMC en Português

Stay Connected

Get instant access to scripture study tips, biblical insights, and Come Follow Me devotionals through our social media channels.

Facebook Youtube Instagram Twitter

Subscribe

 
 
 

Which lists would you like emails from?

Signing up for both the Daily and Weekly email lists is not recommended, as you will receive duplicate emails.

 

We respect your email privacy

 

Copyright 2021 Bible Central, a project of Book of Mormon Central. All rights reserved.
Registered 501(c)(3). EIN: 20-5294264