Reasons Why God Created Adam and Eve the Way He Did

Have you ever wondered why God created Adam and Eve out of different elements and in different ways?

In this article, let’s discover the reasons why He did so.

But first, let’s examine how they were created.

Let’s get into it right now!

How God Created Adam and Eve

From the dust of the ground

Let’s go with Adam first since He was the first one God created.

God formed him “from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” And he became a living being (Genesis 2:7, NIV).

Dust of the ground?

Yes, as in “elements of the earth,” the major ones being “oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen” (Francis Nichol, The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, volume 1, page 222).

Did you know that the animals were also made out of the dust of the ground (Genesis 1:24; 2:19)? But Adam was created “with more individualized attention and care” (Raoul Dederen, Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theology, “Inner Life and Its Organic Support”).

Now, let’s move on to Eve.

She was taken out of Adam’s body, specifically his rib. So, his rib formed the basic material of her body, which God closed up with flesh (Genesis 2:21).

In the Bible, the term “rib” could also mean “side,” “wing,” or “panel,” as the Hebrew word ṣela’ translates into. So, putting it into the context of our discussion, we can say that Eve was formed out of Adam’s “side,” which will make more sense later in this article.

Going back to the story, when Adam saw Eve, he acknowledged her as the bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh (verses 22-23; Francis Nichol, The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, volume 1, pages 226-227).

With the breath of life

With the dust of the ground and bone alone, do you think the human body could live?

No, it couldn’t, for it was lifeless. This is why God breathed into its nostrils the breath of life and it became a living soul, as we’ve read earlier in Genesis 2:7

This breath, termed neshamah in Jewish, was the agency by which the spark of life was imparted by God to man. It “is equivalent to His life” for it “is life itself,” Francis Nichol added.

Job 33:4 (NIV) echoes this idea, saying, “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” 1 Kings 17:17 supports this by claiming that a man would have no life without the breath of life.

Did you also know that man shared this breath of life with birds, reptiles, mammals, and other animals as well (Genesis 1:30; 7:22)?

The question for us

As you can see, God created Adam and Eve out of two different elements—dust of the ground and breath of life.

At the same time, He formed each of them differently—Adam from the ground and Eve from his body.

Why was it so?

3 Reasons Why God Created Adam and Eve Out of Those Two Different Elements

1) To demonstrate His supernatural power as the Creator

Let’s go back to the fact that God created man from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7).

Could anyone do that? Perhaps, even the greatest magicians, witches, or wizards wouldn’t be able to do so, don’t you think?

Well, only God had the infinite and supernatural power to perform such a miracle (Ellen White, Patriarchs and Prophets 56.2).

2) To show that their life was borrowed from Him

Now, let’s focus on the part where God gave man the breath of life (Genesis 2:7).

As we’ve previously confirmed, without this breath, a human body would be lifeless (1 Kings 17:17; Job 33:4).

Only through this breath could a man become a “living being,” termed nephesh in Jewish (Francis Nichol, The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, volume 1, page 223).

But what happens when a person dies?

The breath of life returns to God as his body decomposes and returns to the ground (Ecclesiastes 12:7). 

This implies that the life Adam and Eve had was borrowed from God knowing it was He Who gave it to them. In this sense, He also had the right to take it back when they died.

3) To illustrate that a living being consists of the dust of the ground and the breath of life.

We’ve just learned that God created Adam and Eve out of the dust of the ground and the breath of life (Genesis 2:7).

Now, do you think they would exist with either of those elements alone?

Of course, not.

A living being consists both those elements (Francis Nichol, The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, volume 1, page 223). So, it won’t exist with just either of them.

As in the case of a vehicle, it won’t operate with only the physical parts assembled. It needs gasoline to switch on and run. Got the point?

3 Reasons Why God Created Each of Them Differently

1) To reveal that each of them was created for a specific purpose

Adam

God created Adam out of the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7).

Again? We’ve mentioned that over and over again, right?

Well, it’s not just for the sake of repetition but also for emphasis—emphasis that has something to do with why God created him in the first place.

So, what was God’s purpose in creating him?

God made Adam and put him in the Garden of Eden “to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15). In other words, he was to dress, preserve, and keep watch of it (Francis Nichol, The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, volume 1, page 224).

As you will notice, Adam was made out of the ground to take care of it. Does it make sense?

Eve

If Adam was formed out of the ground, Eve was taken from Adam’s side. Then, God covered her with flesh (Genesis 2:21), as we’ve discussed in the beginning.

Why was it so? Did God run out of dust from the ground to create another human?

Of course, not. The Garden of Eden, in its abundance, wouldn’t run out of anything because God was taking care of it (verses 4-17).

Now, Eve was made because God realized that it was not good for Adam to be alone. So, in creating her, he would have a helper and companion suitable for him (verse 18).

Wait, there were already animals before God created Adam (verses 19-20), right? Didn’t he enjoy their company?

“Adam’s study of the animal creation supplied him with considerable knowledge, but did not satisfy his longing for companionship with another being, his equal…No real companion could be found for Adam among creatures inferior to him” (Francis Nichol, The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, volume 1, page 226).

So, in creating Eve, Adam could have someone “fitted to be his companion” who would be “with him in love and sympathy” (Ellen White, The Adventist Home 25.3).

2) To emphasize that a woman should not be inferior to a man

Why do you think Eve was formed out of Adam’s side? Why not from his brain, stomach, hands, arms, legs, feet, or any other parts of his body?

Well, being formed from Adam’s side signifies that Eve “was not to control him as the head, nor to be trampled under his feet as an inferior, but to stand by his side as an equal, to be loved and protected by him” (Ellen White, The Adventist Home 25.3).

As a “part of man, bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, she was his second self; showing the close union and the affectionate attachment that should exist in this relation,” Ellen White added.

Isn’t it a beautiful promise for couples?

3) To express that a man and a woman should support each other

Adam and Eve needed each other a lot (Genesis 2).

Eve served as a “companion and helpmeet” for Adam, being “one with him, to cheer, encourage, and bless him. On the other hand, Adam was Eve’s “strong helper” (Genesis 2:18; Ellen White, The Adventist Home 99.1).

This became more evident in their life outside of Eden. 

Specifically, Adam worked hard to earn a living and make food while Eve bore children in fulfillment of God’s purpose for them to multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 1:28; 3:16-19, 23).

Although these responsibilities came only as a result of God’s curse upon the serpent and the ground because of their sin, it became a blessing for Adam and Eve to unite and help each other.

We Want to Hear From You

Did you enjoy this article? What have you learned?

Aside from what we mentioned, for what other reasons do you think God created Adam and Eve the way He did?

Share them all in the comments below.

Learn more about this topic by reading this narrative about Adam and Eve. You can also find related Bible questions and answers from this Bible study course.

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See you in the next article!