Mother of "all the living"

The Hebrew name of Eve

The sound of "i" in “Eve” obscures the true meaning of Eve's Hebrew given name. The Hebrew name חַוָּה (Chava) has a root connected to the verb לחיות (lichyot) “to live” and to words such as חַי (chai) and חַיִּים (chayim), communicating the idea of “life”. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to call Adam’s woman חַוָּה (Chava), because one day she will become the mother of “all the living” כָּל־חָי (kol chai). 

Eve's second name, אִשָּׁה (isha) (Gen. 2:23), means "woman" in Hebrew. Generally, it is considered to be the feminine form of the Hebrew word for "man", אִיש (ish). However, the real root which אִשָּׁה (isha) derives from is different from its male counterpart. The root comes from A.N.SH. (א.נ.ש) and means fragileness and delicacy. Interestingly, the word "fire", אֵשׁ (esh) also resonates in this beautifully complex name for "woman" in the Bible. 

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