Boys · Hebrew · Old Testament · classic · Primeval / Creation
Adam
/AD-um/
אָדָם
"Earth; red earth; mankind; human being"
Genesis 2:7
RoleFirst human; progenitor of humanity
Etymology
From the Hebrew 'adamah' (אֲדָמָה), meaning ground or earth. The wordplay is deliberate — the human (adam) was formed from the earth (adamah). The root 'adom' also means red, connecting to the colour of clay soil. In Hebrew, 'adam' is also simply the word for 'human being'.
Who they were
Adam is the first human being in the biblical narrative, formed by God from the dust of the ground and brought to life by divine breath. He was placed in the garden of Eden to tend it and given freedom to eat from any tree except one — the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When God said 'It is not good for the man to be alone,' Eve was created as his companion. Together they lived in unbroken fellowship with God until the day they ate the forbidden fruit, an act that introduced sin, shame, and death into the human story. Adam's response — hiding from God and blaming Eve — is painfully recognisable. God clothed them, pronounced consequences, and sent them from the garden. But there is grace even in the exile: God promised that Eve's offspring would one day crush the serpent's head. Paul, in Romans 5, frames the entire gospel around the contrast between Adam and Christ: through one man sin entered the world, and through one man grace overflows. Adam lived 930 years.
Family
- Spouse
- Eve
Character qualities
- Caretaker of creation
- Companionship
- Shame after failure
- Blame-shifting
- Bearer of consequence
Where they appear
Themes
Variants & related forms
Adamo · Adão · Adem
Read their story
Adam's story begins in Genesis.
The full passage is at Genesis 2:7. Any modern translation will do — the NLT and NIV are the most readable; the ESV and NKJV stay close to the wording the church has used for centuries.
Find a Bible to read it in →